Early History of the Vaishnava Faith and Movement in Bengal, from Sanskrit and Bengali Sources c7.s4.19

c7.s4.19

known is the *Caitanyacandrāmṛta*. The printed text¹ of the poem consists of 143 devotional verses in various metres distributed over twelve Vibhāgas. They are panegyrics of Caitanya, and the names of the Vibhāgas, such as Stuti, Nati, Āśīr, Bhakta-mahiman, Abhakta-nindā, Dainya, Upāsya-niṣṭhā, Utkarṣa, Avatāra, Loka-śikṣā, Rūpollāsa and Śocana, would roughly indicate their content. Several stanzas (especially 38, 129, 131, 135 and 136) suggest that the author must have seen Caitanya at Puri and had been in close contact with him: which would support the inference of his having been a disciple. The stanzas lament the passing away of the Lord and possibly of some of his great disciples; and the consequent disruption of the sect is also implied. This Stotra-kāvya is also interesting as one of the early works which openly inculcate Caitanya-worship, to which, however, the Vṛndāvana Gosvāmins do not appear to have lent any direct theoretical support.² The poem undoubtedly reflects what is called the Gaura-pāramya attitude of his Navadvīpa devotees, which is not explicit in the works of the Gosvāmins, but which regards Caitanya in himself, and not as an image of Kṛṣṇa, as the highest reality or Parama Tattva. The theory that all the Gaṇas of Kṛṣṇa became incarnated along with Caitanya (a doctrine which probably originated at Navadvīpa and is fully described in 1576 A. D. by Kavikarṇapūra in his *Gaura-gaṇoddeśa*,³ but which found little encouragement from the Vṛndāvana Gosvāmins!) is referred to in stanza 118; while the belief, first utilised by the contemporary composers of Bengali Padas,¹ that Caitanya was an incarnation of both Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā finds expression in stanzas 13 and 109. What is more remarkable is that in stanza 132 there is a reference to Caitanya as Gaura-nagara-vara, which apparently subscribes to the Nāgara-bhāva doctrine of Narahari Sarkār and Locana-dāsa, a doctrine which hardly found favour in the orthodox circles.² It is no wonder that the poem is not quoted with approval by Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja, but it is somewhat strange that its author, with his unorthodox views, could have been the Guru of one of the venerable Gosvāmins! From stanza 19 it is probable that Prabodhānanda was an Advaita Saṃnyāsin before he met Caitanya; and the commentator Ānandin describes him as Parivrājakācārya Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, which description is often found in the colophons of the MSS of the poem. The other work ascribed to Prabodhānanda is entitled Saṃgita-mādhava.³ It gives in fifteen cantos a treatment of the Vṛndāvana-līlā of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa; and in imitation of Jayadeva's Gita-govinda, which is its obvious model, it includes melodious Padāvalis or songs. A third work, called Vṛndāvana-mahimāmṛta,⁴ is also ascribed to him; it describes with elaborate devotional fancy the glories of Vṛndāvana as the abode of Kṛṣṇa and the scene of his sports. A Sanskrit commentary¹ on the *Gopāla-tāpanī* Upaniṣad by Paramahaṃsa Parivrājakācārya Śrī-Prabodha Sarasvatī also exists, while a *Viveka-śataka*² on dispassion or indifference to worldly attraction is found ascribed to Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī.³