Early History of the Vaishnava Faith and Movement in Bengal, from Sanskrit and Bengali Sources c11.s2.38

c11.s2.38

The third Act, entitled Dāna-vinoda from the theme of the inset play, is characterised by the interesting device of a play within a play (Garbhāṅka). Maitrī and Prema-bhakti enter and indicate that a short play² is going to be enacted, at the suggestion of Nārada, on the Dāna-lilā (iii. 23) of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, in which Haridāsa will act as Sūtradhāra, Mukunda as Pāripārśvaka, Śrīvāsa as Nārada, Nityānanda in feminine rôle as Yogamāyā, and so forth. With some variation the theme is the same as the *Dāna-keli-kaumudī*³ and *Dāna-keli-cintāmaṇi* of Rūpa and Raghunātha-dāsa respectively. Rādhā, with her companions and an old woman, comes to pluck flowers to worship Gopīśvara Śiva, but Kṛṣṇa and his companions demand a price for the flowers plucked from their forest. A playful dispute, with erotic repartee, ensues; but as Kṛṣṇa boldly goes up to exact his dues forcibly from Rādhā, the play abruptly ends¹ by the old woman, who is none other than Yogamāyā, concealing Rādhā and revealing herself, to the surprise of all, bodily as Nityānanda himself! In Kavikarṇapūra's Kāvya, we have a long description, extending over nearly two cantos, of the Vṛndāvana-līlā of Kṛṣṇa, given by Śrīvāsa; the present brief episode in the drama is apparently meant to be a counterpart suggested also by Śrīvāsa, who takes up the rôle of Nārada. The fourth Act is named Saṃnyāsa-parigraha. We learn from the sorrowing devotees that Viśvambhara has gone to Keśava Bhāratī at Katwa (kāṭoyā-nāmānaṃ grāmam āsādya keśava-bhāratīm upasedivān) for being initiated into Saṃnyāsa, an account of which is given by Candraśekhara Ācāryaratna, who returns from the journey and invites them all to Advaita's house at Santipur, where Caitanya has gone with Nityānanda. The next Act, called Advaitapura-vilāsa, describes how Caitanya wanted to go straight to Vṛndāvana but was directed by Nityānanda to Advaita's house at Santipur, where Caitanya meets his followers, stays for three days and takes a pathetic farewell from his mother.