Early History of the Vaishnava Faith and Movement in Bengal, from Sanskrit and Bengali Sources c7.s4.47

c7.s4.47

remarkable. No treatment is accorded to the purificatory rites, known as Saṁskāras,¹ although a section is devoted to initiation or Dīkṣā, in which the incorporation of Tāntric ideas is a noteworthy feature. While festivals connected with deities other than Kṛṣṇa are excluded, an exception is made in favour of Śiva-rātri ; but the most important Vaiṣṇava festival of Rāsa-yātrā, which the Smārta Raghunandana also omits in his Yātrā-tattva, is conspicuous by the absence of all reference. It is also important to note that this ritual authority does not recognise the cult of Caitanya-worship or the worship of Caitanya's image. There are no directions for the construction of images of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, although there are rules for those of Lakṣmī and Nārāyaṇa, Kṛṣṇa and Rukmiṇī, and other forms of the deity. The work departs in many details from the accepted views of the sect. The Kṛṣṇa in this work is Caturbhuja Cakradhara, and not Dvibhuja Muralidhara; and the Rādhā-cult does not figure as prominently as it should, Rādhā being even omitted in the Dhyāna of Kṛṣṇa. As the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa is quoted by name in Rūpa Gosvāmin's Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (dated Śaka 1463=1541 A. D.), it must have been composed some time before that date.¹