Early History of the Vaishnava Faith and Movement in Bengal, from Sanskrit and Bengali Sources c11.s2.17
Early History of the Vaiṣṇava Faith and Movement in Bengal, from Sanskrit and Bengali Sources c11.s2.17
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Although professing to draw its inspiration and material from Murāri's work¹, the *Caitanya-caritāmṛta*² of Paramānanda-sena Kavikarṇapūra is an elaborate and ambitious work, which conforms more deliberately to the full-fledged mode and diction of the Kāvya. It consists of twenty cantos, and (according to the computation of its editor) of nineteen hundred and eleven stanzas, being thus of nearly the same extent as Murāri's work. After a preliminary homage to Caitanya and description of the sorrow of his disciples at his passing away in the first canto, the poem proceeds in the second canto to describe Navadvīpa and incidentally Advaita and Śrīvāsa. The rest of the canto is occupied with Caitanya's parents, loss of their eight daughters, Viśvarūpa and birth of Viśvambhara, Viśvambhara's infancy and manifestation of divinity which filled his parents with wonder. Viśvarūpa's Saṃnyāsa and death of Jagannātha Miśra. The third canto is taken up with Viśvambhara's going to school to Viṣṇu Paṇḍita, Sudarśana³ and the grammarian Gaṅgādāsa, his marriage to Lakṣmī (iii. 6-81), journey to East Bengal and teaching pupils there, Lakṣmī's death, and his second marriage to Viṣṇupriyā (iii. 127-144). In the fourth canto, we have the story of Viśvambhara's visit to Gayā, his Mantra-dīkṣā by Īśvara Purī, his return, his manifestation of divine Āveśa, and Kīrtana from the beginning of the month of Māgha.
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The four cantos from the fifth to the eighth continue the description of Viśvambhara's ecstatic devotional acts and fits of singing and dancing for eight months from Jyaiṣṭha to Pauṣa; his Varāha-Āveśa at the house of Murāri (v. 16-21) and his own Abhiṣeka suggested by himself (vi 40-52); his meeting with Nityānanda (vi. 108-123), who is described as an Avadhūta and declared to be an incarnation of Balarāma (vii. 24), and to whom Caitanya reveals the theophanic Ṣaḍ-bhuja, Dvi-bhuja (vi. 122) and also Catur-bhuja (vii, 18) forms¹: his Nṛsiṃha-Āveśa (vii. 80-85) and parading the street as such; and lastly, his Balarāma-Āveśa (viii. 19-28). His Kṛṣṇa-bhāva now begins: it is strengthened by Śrīvāsa's elaborate description of Kṛṣṇa's Vṛndāvana-līlā in the next two cantos (ix-x), which gives the author an opportunity of indulging in a highly emotional poetical excursion. In canto xi, the thread of the story is resumed by the description of Caitanya's Saṃnyāsa at Katwa, his return to Advaita's house at Santipur, his resolve to leave for Puri (there is no allusion to his mother's request to that effect), his journey and the breaking of his staff on the way by Nityānanda. In canto xii, Caitanya reaches Sārvabhauma's house and explains Vedānta by refuting Advaita-vāda and establishing his own views about Bhakti (xii. 22-27)², in the course of which exposition he quotes and explains two verses from the *Bhāgavata*, each in nine different ways (xii.
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81), and ultimately reveals his theophanic Caturbhuja form to Sārvabhauma. Sārvabhauma's two eulogistic verses on Caitanya¹ are quoted (xii. 86. 87), but Caitanya is said have torn to pieces the paper on which they were written (so also in Karṇapūra's drama, vi. 43-44). His Southern pilgrimage now begins. He is requested by Sārvabhauma to see Rāmānanda Rāya on his way, but on his outward journey Caitanya avoids meeting Rāmānanda. The *Vilāpa-mālā* of a Brahman, named Kūrma at whose house at Kūrmakṣetra Caitanya stayed for a few days on his way, is mentioned and quoted (xii. 113, 114). In canto xiii, the narrative of South Indian pilgrimage is continued. At Srirangam Caitanya stays and performs Cāturmāsyā at the house of Trimalla Bhaṭṭa (xiii. 4, 5), but there is no mention of Gopāla Bhaṭṭa. Caitanya's only companion Kṛṣṇadāsa is lured away by unbelievers (xiii. 23), but Caitanya later on repudiates him (xiii. 54). On his way back Caitanya meets Rāmānanda (xiii. 34f) and stays with him for four months (xiii. 60). During Rāmānanda's exposition of Bhakti, Caitanya exclaims: *bāhyātibāhyam bata bāhyam etat*, until Rāmānanda comes to the essence of Bhakti. Rāmānanda's Sanskrit verse *nānopacāra-kṛta-pūjanam* (cited in the *Padyāvali* no. 13) and his Brajabuli song *pahilahi rāga* (cited in *Pada-kalpataru* no. 576) are quoted in full². After Caitanya's return to Puri, his favour to Gajapati Pratāparudra and meeting with various