Early History of the Vaishnava Faith and Movement in Bengal, from Sanskrit and Bengali Sources c9.s2.1

c9.s2.1

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).