Early History of the Vaishnava Faith and Movement in Bengal, from Sanskrit and Bengali Sources c6.s1.1

c6.s1.1

There is no dearth of materials for a study of Caitanya's life and personality. A fairly large number of lives in Sanskrit and in Bengali came into existence not many years after his death; and they supply valuable materials not only regarding the details of his career, but also about the circumstances attending upon the growth of the movement he initiated, its method, its extent and its contagion. They reproduce the atmosphere and depict in vivid outline the attractive figures of the leading actors in the scene. As some of these works are contemporary records, they embody personal impression and knowledge, and in this sense they are truly historical. But most of them already acknowledge the divinity of Caitanya and write from the devotional point of view¹. Biography is a distinctly Vaiṣṇava contribution to Middle Bengali; and by creating it, the movement added a new *genre* to the literature of the country; but the prolix and exuberant metrical narratives are often presented in a distorted perspective by an imagination which is ready to go to the utmost limits, or want of limits, of fanatical devotion. The powerful impression made by a great personality inspired these men to give sincere expression to their human love and admiration, but the early deification of Caitanya made them accept as their model the myths and unrealities of their favourite Purāṇic stories. Miraculous legends and grotesquely absurd accounts about Caitanya appear to have rapidly grown up even during his life-time, and the pious credulity of these devout writers found no difficulty in reproducing them in all seriousness. Yet, beneath all this, we have a picture of great human interest and appeal; and the purely devotional aspect of Caitanya's career is depicted with sincere and loving care, with all the attending details and circumstances¹.