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Early History of the Vaishnava Faith and Movement in Bengal, from Sanskrit and Bengali Sources c9.s2: 2. The Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛta

Early History of the Vaiṣṇava Faith and Movement in Bengal, from Sanskrit and Bengali Sources c9.s2

Language
English

Contents

2. The Bṛhad-Bhāgavatāmṛta

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This work has the form of a Purāṇic narrative, with occasional descriptive and poetical flights of fancy, in the course of which there is an exposition of the theology of the Bengal school of Vaiṣṇavism. The exposition is sometimes direct, but more often implied in the narrative and description; and the work is accompanied by an elaborate *Digdarśanī* commentary by the author himself, which is intended to bring out the theological ideas imbedded in the poetical text. The work begins with obeisance to Kṛṣṇa, the Gopīs including Rādhā, Caitanya, Mathurā, Vṛndāvana, Yamunā and Govardhana, assigning one verse to each of these objects of reverence, and then proceeds to praise Kṛṣṇa-bhakti and Kṛṣṇa-nāman. It then makes a general acknowledgment of its inspiration to Caitanya, but does not refer to any special instruction, alleged to have been received from him, in Bhakti-śāstra (I. 1. 10-11).

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The work is supposed, in the manner of the Purāṇas, to have been narrated by Jaimini to Janamejaya as a supplement to the *Mahābhārata* itself! Uttarā, mother of Parīkṣit and devoted to Kṛṣṇa, requests her son to impart to her the essence of the instruction regarding Kṛṣṇa, which was related to him by Śukadeva; Sanātana's poetico-theological venture purports to be a report of that course of instruction subsequently narrated by Jaimini to Janamejaya. The design is bold and ambitious, but it is possible for pious zeal to dare a great deal. As the work naively claims to embody the Amṛta churned from the ocean of the *Śrīmad-bhāgavata* by such great devotees as Śuka and Nārada, it professes, according to the commentary, to be the gist of all the Vedas! Al-

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*Saṃkṣepa-bhāgavatāmṛta*, with the Rasika-raṅgadā commentary of Vṛndāvana-candra Tarkālaṃkāra, Radharaman Press, B.E. 1303 (=1896 A.D.). A better edition of this latter work is that published in Bengali characters by Gauracandra Bhāgavata-darśanācārya, which contains, besides Vṛndāvana-candra's commentary, also the Sāraṅga-raṅgadā commentary of Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa (Calcutta 1934).

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though the narrative portion is mostly invented to illustrate certain theological dogmas, there can be no doubt that the author's mind was steeped in the fancies and ideas of the *Śrīmad-bhāgavata*, and he attempts deliberately to reproduce its style and treatment ; but it is doubtful if his work attains, as a devotional poetical document, the same level of excellence or the same power of religious appeal.

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The work is divided into two parts or Khaṇḍas, of which the first part deals with the imaginary narrative of a quest of Nārada for the greatest favourite and Bhakta of Kṛṣṇa. Leaving aside the large amount of descriptive, narrative and theological matter, the main story is brief and simple. Once upon a time as the great Ṛṣis were sitting on the banks of the Ganges at Prayāga, a certain Brahman devotee of the Bhagavat came there with the purpose of entertaining them with his generous hospitality. When he was returning after accomplishing his object, Nārada came there, praised him for his devotion, and hailed him as the greatest Bhakta and favourite of Kṛṣṇa. The Brahman replied in humility that he did not deserve that honour and that the grace of Kṛṣṇa would be found showered in profusion upon a certain prince of the South. With his curiosity excited Nārada hastened to the South to meet this princely devotee of Kṛṣṇa, but the Southern prince in his turn told him that the honour was undeserved ; for what mortal could attain the grace of Kṛṣṇa in the same way as Indra in heaven did ? (Ch. I). Nārada repaired to Indra's heaven, but he was told there by Indra himself that the real favourite and Bhakta was Nārada's own father, Brahmā. Having met Brahmā in the Brahma-loka, Nārada learnt from Brahmā that his quest must now lead him to Śiva who was a greater favourite and Bhakta ; for was not Śiva reputed to be in close friendship with Kṛṣṇa ? In course of the conversation Brahmā gives an account of Śiva-loka (Ch. II). The indomitable Nārada thereupon flies to Śiva's place, but Śiva and Pārvatī deny that they are the greatest favourites. They instruct him in a great deal of theology and direct him to Prahlāda, living in Sutala, as a greater Bhakta of Kṛṣṇa (Ch. III). In this way the quest goes on from Prahlāda to Hanūmat, who has attained Dāsya or state of servitude to the Lord (Ch. IV); from Hanūmat to the Pāṇḍavas, whom Kṛṣṇa himself served as a charioteer, counsellor, friend, messenger and courtier (Sakhya and Sevā); from the Pāṇḍavas to the Yādavas at Dvārakā who illustrate the attitude of Prīti, Preyas etc. (Ch. V); from the Yādavas to Uddhava who is the chief Bhakta among them (Ch. VI); from Uddhava to the Gopas and Gopīs at Vṛndāvana. Here Nārada discovers at last that the most beloved of Kṛṣṇa are the Gopīs who have attained the Madhura Bhāva, and among whom the chief is Rādhā (Ch. VI-VII). Here therefore ends his quest, and with it the first part of the work concludes. The narrative is obviously intended to explain the characteristics of a Bhakta, and the different stages of devotional attainment, ending in the Madhura or erotic attitude of the Gopīs towards Kṛṣṇa.

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The second part gives a more complicated and elaborate poetical narrative with a larger amount of descriptive and theological matter. It is concerned not with the Bhakta's attaining the grace of Kṛṣṇa, but with Kṛṣṇa's mode of manifesting himself to his Bhakta. It thus reverses the process described in the first part, and deals with another kind of quest, namely, the search after the place and form in which Kṛṣṇa reveals himself most perfectly to his Bhakta; but in the end the conclusions agree, for it is to the highest type of Bhakta that Kṛṣṇa manifests himself most perfectly.

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Without going into the details of the story narrated in the second part, it can be outlined briefly. There was a Brahman of Prāgjyotiṣa who worshipped the goddess Kāmākhyā, and through her grace obtained in dream a Mantra of ten syllables (Gopāla-mantra) to meditate upon Kṛṣṇa. He practised uttering of the Mantra, which gave him great peace of mind. Starting on a pilgrimage he comes to Benares where the goddess Kāmākhyā appears to him in a dream and directs him to go to Mathurā. At Mathurā he meets a young Gopa or cowherd (Gopa-kumāra), who has received the grace of Kṛṣṇa and who now begins to relate his own history. The rest of the work is taken up with the story of the strange and varied devotional experiences of the Gopa-kumāra, which, in its allegorical form, is a kind of *Pilgrim's Progress* perhaps of Sanātana's own spiritual experiences. He was the son of a Vaiśya cowherd of Govardhana; and on one occasion he happened to meet on the banks of the Yamunā a pious Mathurā Brahman named Jayanta, an incarnation of Kṛṣṇa born in Gauḍa and greatly devoted to the worship of Kṛṣṇa. The Brahman becomes his Guru or religious guide, and gives him a similar Kṛṣṇa-mantra of ten syllables. The Gopa-kumāra is filled with a great desire to see Kṛṣṇa, and at the direction of his Guru goes to Puri where he stays for some time and worships the image of Jagannātha.

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In course of time he becomes the adopted son of the ruler of the province, but the adoptive father dies and the Gopa-kumāra succeeds him on the throne. One day Jagannātha appears to him in dream and bids him go to Mathurā (Ch. I). The second chapter describes how by means of his Mantra the Gopa-kumāra goes to Svarga-loka and sees Indra and his court there. About this time Indra disappears to do penance for having violated Ahalya, and the Gopa-kumāra is unanimously elected, on the strength of his piety, to be the ruler of Svarga-loka. One *divya* year is spent in this way, but this temporary elevation to Indratva does not satisfy him, and he cannot forget his quest. The advent of Bhṛgu and other Maharṣis who were inhabitants of the Mahar-loka, inspires him one day with a curiosity to visit this superior paradise. He goes to Mahar-loka and worships the Yajñeśvara form of Kṛṣṇa there. The great Ṛṣis of that Loka desire to bestow Brahmanhood on the Gopa-kumāra, but he refuses the honour. Then he proceeds to Jana-loka where reside the great devotees Sanaka, Sanatkumāra, Sanandana and Sanātana, whom he meets, but he is denied a sight of the form of the deity present in that Loka. One of the Ṛṣis, Pippalāyana, however, instructs him as to the means of obtaining sight of the deity by great devotion and concentration of mind, and shows him the different divine forms in which the deity manifests himself.

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Then the Gopa-kumāra goes to Puṣkara-dvīpa and sees Brahmā, who lives in the Satya-loka. There the Gopa-kumāra is instructed further in the Bhakti-śāstra, and is advised to return to Mathurā (Ch. II). After meeting his Guru at Mathurā, the restless Gopa-kumāra again resolves to start on his quest. By means of his Mantra he commences a highly allegorical journey. He goes through the disc of the Sun; and penetrating through the six sheaths (āvaraṇa), he gets a vision of the four Vyūhas and the Mahāsiddhis. This is followed by the appearance of Śiva and the Pārṣadas of Kṛṣṇa who have obtained Sārūpya or identity of form with their deity at Vaikuṇṭha-loka. They instruct him in Bhakti-lakṣaṇa or characteristics of the devotional attitude, and tell him that Vaikuṇṭha is attained by devoutly listening to the Līlā-kathā of the Bhagavat, reading the Bhāgavata scriptures and having faith in the efficacy of Kīrtana, which they extol as one of the best means in this decadent age. The Gopa-kumāra again returns to Mathurā (Ch. II). The third chapter deals with a similar visit to Vaikuṇṭha and describes the place and its inhabitants. The deity whom the Gopa-kumāra meets there supplies the information that his Guru Jayanta was no other than the deity himself; apparently it is an allegorical representation of Caitanya who was Sanātana's Guru.

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Nārada now comes on the scene and narrates to the awe-stricken Gopa-kumāra the wonders of Vaikuṇṭha-loka, incidentally theologising a great deal on the theory of Avatāra and the worshipping of images (Pratimārcanā). Nārada advises him to go to Ayodhyā, Mathurā and Dvārakā, which places are next visited. At Ayodhyā the Gopa-kumāra meets Hanūmat worshipping Rāma; and on Hanūmat's direction he goes to Dvārakā (Ch. IV). The fifth chapter describes the visit to the Yādavas at Dvārakā, where the Gopa-kumāra meets Uddhava. Nārada appears again, and advises the Gopa-kumāra to visit Vṛndāvana, which is in reality the earthly Goloka; he describes briefly the Līlā of Kṛṣṇa and instructs him as to the means of witnessing this eternal divine sport (Ch. V). The last two chapters (VI, VII) are occupied with the visit to Mathurā and Vṛndāvana, with a description of the entire eternal Nitya-līlā of Kṛṣṇa, including Govardhana-dhāraṇa, Kāliya-damana and Rāsa, and the whole is concluded with the attainment of the grace of the deity. The chief object, thus, of the second part is to establish that Vṛndāvana is the real paradise of Kṛṣṇa, where the unmanifest (Aprakaṭa) eternal sport of Kṛṣṇa becomes manifest (Prakaṭa) to him alone who is blessed with real Bhakti for the deity.

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The significance of these narratives, versified in the Purāṇic style, cannot be mistaken. But it is not necessary to bring out and explain in detail the theological teachings involved in them, for the doctrinal implications are set forth in more precise and systematic manner of a Śāstra by Rūpa Gosvāmin in his Saṃkṣepa-bhāgavatāmṛta. This latter work by its title professes to be a summary of the previous work; but, as an epitome of the theological tenets of the school, it is, in spite of its derivative character, a largely original treatise. We shall now turn to this latter work of Rūpa Gosvāmin, and by an analysis of its content give an outline of its principal doctrines.

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