Early History of the Vaishnava Faith and Movement in Bengal, from Sanskrit and Bengali Sources c9.s2.7
Early History of the Vaiṣṇava Faith and Movement in Bengal, from Sanskrit and Bengali Sources c9.s2.7
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c9.s2.7.1
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.