A History of Indian Literature v3.c35.s8.240

v3.c35.s8.240

The Bhakt-Mālā narrates that the Rājā of Nīlācala in Orissa too had written one Gītagovinda and he invited Brāhmaṇas to make the book known. But they did not like to approve of it. It was decided that both the books, that is of Jayadeva and of the king, should be brought into the temple of Jagannātha and to leave the decision to the god himself. Then the god put the book of Jayadeva about his neck like a neklace and threw the book of king out of the temple. Although the god decided in favour of the work of Jayadeva, the succeeding generations have not, however, failed to imitate his poem again and again. In a large number of poems, their writers have not only glorified the love of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, but they have composed new poems describing the love between Rāma and Sītā and between Śiva and Pārvatī as well in a similar manner, in slavish imitation of the Gītagovinda¹.