Early History of the Vaishnava Faith and Movement in Bengal, from Sanskrit and Bengali Sources c7.s4.46

c7.s4.46

the opening verses the author bows to his Guru, named Nārāyaṇa, and in two of the concluding verses supplies information about himself. The name of the author's father is given as Bhaddat- (?Bṛhat- or Udyat-), phaṇa; and we are informed that the commentary was composed to please the author's friend Vanamālī-dāsa and younger brother Lakṣmīnārāyaṇa. The Bengal origin of the commentary is indicated by the fact that, like the Kṛṣṇa-vallabhā, it follows the Bengal (as distinguished from the South Indian) recension of the text, and cites not only Jayadeva's Gīta-govinda, but also the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu of Rūpa Gosvāmin, earlier than which last work (i.e., earlier than 1541 A.D.) it could not, like the Kṛṣṇa-vallabhā again, have been composed. It follows the views of the Bengal school of Vaiṣṇavism.—For the mention of yet another Gopāla Bhaṭṭa, belonging to Bengal, see S. K. De in Indian Culture, v, 1938-39, p. 71.