To Chaitanya, the
image of his Krsna
flashed from all directions in whatever lie saw
around him. He says :
"Everywhere is; the image of Krsna
presented to the eye. Only those who have
attained a clear vision are privileged to see the
glorious sight/51
Beyond the phenomena
of the world, there
is a higher plane, the paradise of the mystics.
There a hundred lyres sound the melodious
music of a strange land., there a hundred flowers
of undecayed blossom send forth their sweet
fragrance, and there Beauty herself opens her
doors and enters the soul of Man overwhelming
it with tender emotions and ecstasies.
Read the portion of
Chaitanya Charitamrta
where Chaitanya at the sight of the temple of
Jagannatha wept aloud and uttered 'Jag' 'Jag'—
c Ja/ half broken words, in his attempts to
utter
Jagannatha,9 and faltering in his speech fell
senseless on the ground in the height of his
emotional felicity. Recovering, he recited
before Svarupa Damodara a sloka of Kavya
Prakaga, which may be thus freely translated.
"I remember the day
when we loved each
other on the banks of the Eeva. Today the
sweet breeze
blows. The Malati blooms around
and the Kadamva flower, drenched with dew,
sends its fragrance, and you my beloved, are
present before me here, and so am I before you,
the same that I ever was. But, yet, does my heart
long for a union with you in the shades of the
cane-bowers on the banks of the Reva."1
This language of
earthly passion has borne a
spiritual interpretation. The palace of a powerful
Raja was near the temple of Puri. Jagannatha
was worshipped with great array and pomp.
Godvision was beheld by Chaitanya there though
in the midst of earthly splendor; but his soul
yearned for it in the sweet retirement of the
woodland bowers of Vrndavana.
This vision kept
him in a highly strung state
of emotional joy during his life, and it proved
to be the greatest source of attraction to those
who beheld it in Him. What truth there is in
this mystic vision — whether it is the result of a
frenzied brain or the disease 'calipathy' [the name
with which Western rationalism has branded it]
is a problem which is not for me here to solve.
The psychologists will find out the truth on this
point. But if it be a disease, how could it
purify hundreds of
lives ? Those who were
wicked, became good; the cruel hearts became
tender; the uncharitable hands learnt to distribute
charity, and the false became true under
its spell. Could a disease ever do that ? A
maniac and a diseased brain are despised everywhere.
Even
the dogs of the streets bark at
them. But the mystics are worshipped and
their Influence works wonders in [the] moral
world.
The vision which the
Indian mystics saw was
not a matter of chance acquisition to them.
The Vaisnavas have laid down the laws to be
observed for the attainment of the plane from
which these visions may be beheld, in a
comprehensive
manner. The moral development
should be, first of all, perfect in one. The next
stage is to train the soul to humility and
reverence.
[Siksastaka
3]
-
[One be humbler than
the grass
and more tolerant than the trees. One should not
be very proud of his intelligence but should
give all
respect to others. In this way, one
can chant Hare Krsna offenselessly].1
The psalm XXII [6]
says, But I am a worm,
and no man; a reproach of men,
and
despised of the people.
This Christian
humility is similar to that
enjoined in the Vaisnava scriptures.
The tree is the
great emblem of religious
meekness and
sacrifice in the eyes of the
Vaisiiavas. Chaitanya [Charitamritya] details
some of its features
which should be the guide
of all seekers of the mystic light.
"The tree does not
want a drop of water
from anyone though It dries up. It does not
speak of the wrongs It suffers, but gives shelter
even to one who cuts it with his axe. It
exposes Itself to sun and rain only to give fruits
and flowers to others."
Is not Christ the
Tree thus spoken of In Chai-
tanya [Charitamritya]? And here also the
Vaisnava
ideal has a parallel In Christianity.
The tree, it might be further said, nourishes
itself by the
sweet juice it draws from the mother
earth, all
unseen by others. This is the spring and
fountain of its all-sacrificing love. If one
nourishes his soul secretly with god's love, like
the tree will it give its highest gift to humanity
without complaining against the wrongs it may
suffer. Even the enemies will have nothing hut
love from such a soul. "When this all-sacrificing
love and meekness have been developed in the
soul, it will be privileged to enter the mystic
plane from which it will see sights of imperishable
beauty and hear the sound of that music
which never dies away.
My lectures in
connection with Ramtanu
Lahiri Research Fellowship and as a University
Reader will unfold the history of the mystics of
Bengal derived mainly from the sources of old
Bengali literature! I have also tried to draw
parallels from the history of Western mystics in
several places. As the whole of the past
Bengali Literature is permeated by a religious
element, I may not, I venture to presume, be
blamed, while exploring this literature, for
laying stress on its predominant ideas, which
are not confined merely to those of a literary
nature.
These lectures were
delivered by me to the
University of Calcutta as Ramtanu Lahiri
Research Fellow in the History of Bengali
Language and Literature for 1913-1914. The
Ramtanu Lahiri Fellowship was created by the
University out of the funds supplied by Late
Babu Sarat Kumar Lahiri to commemorate his
illustrious father's name which the Fellowship
bears. Babu Ramtanu Lahiri's name is
revered throughout Bengal for his great piety
and love of letters. It was, therefore, a
fitting tribute to his memory to associate
his name with the cause of research in
the field of Bengali Literature. I only fear
lest I prove unworthy of my task, associated,
as it is, with such a dear and revered
name,
In conclusion, I
must thankfully acknowledge
my Indebtedness to Mr. William Rothenstein who
kindly revised the manuscript of these Lectures
two years ago. Mr. A. C. Ghatak, Superintendent
of the University Press, kindly read some of the
proofs for me, but as considerable alterations
and additions had to be made subsequently and
Mr. Ghatak could not read all the proofs,, there
have been many printing mistakes in the book
and I am sorry they escaped me as I am not a
good proof-reader myself.
BEHALA,
(Near Calcutta) C DINESH CIIANUHA
RUN. May 18th, 1917.)
CONTENTS
PAGE.
I. — Bengal's great
love for Cliaitanya —
Chaitanya in
paintings, the Gaura, a favorite
couplet, the
appreciation by scholars, aversion for
theological disputes.
II.— Chiaitanya and
Pratapa Eudra —
PuruHottaina Deva
and Padmavati, 'the
Royal Sweeper5, Prataparudra's scholar
ship and valour, Cliaitanya refuses to see
the King, the origin of kl-rlamt songs,
the interview, Cliaitanya Js unwilling-
ness to meddle in worldly affairs, his
Frenzies of love 6 — 15
III — Interview with
Sanatana and
Rupa —
'Tho aneexlote of
the burning of a rich
garment, Riipa'tf works, the report of
Sanatana's illness, his (light, 15 gold
mobars attract a robber, the lesson
received From an old woman, interview
with Crikantha, the coarse blanket
worth Us. 3, Sanatana afflicted with
eczema, Sanatana tries to remain aloof
from Cha tanya, Jagadanantla's advice,
'your praih-is hitter as M/W juice', burnt
toes, Sanatana starts for Vrndavana.16 — 28
IV.— Advaita Acharya —
His ancestor Nrsinha
Nariel, learning with-
out faith, Advaita's prayer, (Jfagli! charges
Advaita with turning the li^ad of her son,
Advaita departs from the bhUkli cult for .
a while, his wives, Crlvasa Aeharya. 29 — 3-1
V . — Nityananda —
Sympathy with the
fallen, 'death of Budhism'
in Bengal, Udharana Datta, Chaitanya's
great faith in Nityananda, Jagai and
Madhai, the brutal assault, the remorse,
the pardon, the Madhai y/tal, Nitya-
nanda's marriage, Ylrachandra.
VI. — Srivasa —
Srivasa's status in
society, Srivasa and the
child Chaitanya, the turning point in his
life, the kiuula flowers in Srivasa's court-
yard and talk about Chaitanya's love for
God, Srivasa's diagnosis, the courtyard of
Srivasa, the play organised by Chaitanya,
the hostile people, Chaitanya's
and the general mourning,
grief, Srivasa at Pun. 47—6:3
VII . — Haridasa —
Early life and
conversion to Vaisnavism,
Persecution, victory over temptation, the
harlot turned a devotee, a retribution,
Haridasa as a player in the dramatic per-
formance given by Chaitanya, what takes
place during the Hood, Haridasa reconciled
with the Hindu community,Uie respect
in which he was
held, attempts to prove
him of Hindu extraction, Haridasa,—the
great champion of caste-reform. 6-1—73
VIII. —Lokauaiha [?]
Goswami—
Pedigree and early
life; the order inviolable,
journey to Vrndavana, he misses Chai-
taoya, his piety ... ... 78—78
IX.—Vasudeva
Sarvabhauma—
The rise of the
Nabadwip school of logic,
Ragunatha his worthy disciple, the
Mohamedan persecution and the flight of
Vasudeva from Nadiya, honoured by the
King of Orissa, interview with Chaitanya,
Vasudeva's resolve to improve Chaitanya's
spiritual training, the silent listener, the
extraordinary discourse, Vasudeva admits
Chaitanya's divinity, Durgadas, his son ... 78—89
X. —Ramananda Roy—
Interview with
Chaitanya, the faoious dia-
logue, the Gopi, the ragauttffa, Rama
Eoyjs admiration for Chaitanya, the song
of Ramananda, its mysticism. 89—100
XI. —Narahari Sarkar.—
The pedigree, why he
is not mentioned in
the Chaitanya Bhagavata, Lochana Dasa—
his disciple, the first vernacular soDgs [songs?] on
Chaitanya, he is the first to preach the
Chaitanya cult—Chaitanya's recollection
of Narahari in the Deccan.
100—103
XII. —Vangivadana—
The Van£i(;ikisa,
Vam;i Vadana's songs, his
descendants. 10-1 —
107
XIII. —Vasudova
Gliosa—
His indebtedness to
Narahari ... ... 107—108
XIV. —Murari Gupta—
Desists from
committing1 suicide, the first
biography of
Chaitanya. 108—111
XV.
—Gopala Bhatta—
His pedigree, the
tale of Chaitanya's stay-
ing1 for four months with Gopala Bhatla
in the Decean is unreliable, one of the
six apostles.
111—115
XVI .—Vakrecwara
Pandit —
His dancing. 115—116
XVII. —Gauri Dasa—
The images of
Chaitanya and Nityananda
at Kalna. 116—117
XVIII
. — Paramananda
Sen (Kavl-kariiapura)—
The village
Kanchrapara, the Krsna temple,
an extract from the Chaitanya-chandro-
daya. 117—121
XIX. —Eaghunatlia Das—
Saptagrama, Hiranya
and Govardhana,
early spiritual training, interview with
Chaiianya, the necessity of applying force,
he meets Chaitanya again, Chaitanya's
stern attitude towards Eaghunatha,
the Emperor's
oppression, a reconeila-
tion, Nityananda's visit to Panihati,
the
Da nil a Molwlwva, force no remedy
liis flight, the fruitless search; meets
Chaitanya, direct instructions, Govar-
<lhana sends him money, he no more
invites Chaitanya 'to dinner, his last
moments, routine of his daily life, Raghu-
natha's works, the subjects treated.
121—151
XX. —Further notes on
Chaitanya—
The unique charm of
Chaitanya's life,
Chaitanya and Jagadananda, the world
vainly tried to win him to glory, 'mad
after God/ a breaker of the caste-system,
his strictness in dealing with the sami//lwf!
of his Order, the story of Haridasa,—
the younger, Chaitanya sternly rejects
all requests in behalf of Haridasa, the
strange melody from the sea, the drown-
ing, his treatment of Govinda Ghosa. 151—166
XXL. —A comparative
study of
Mysticism (Occidental and
Oriental)—
St. Catharine of
Siena, the stages of Orison,,
St. Teresa, other mystics, 'the pain of
God. 166—177
XXII,—Chaitanya's
Sannyasa and
love ecstasies—
The Mtithura songs,
some of the Chaitanya.-
songs, the bearing of Chaitanya songs on
those of Krsna, the Ganrachandrika,
the klrbana songs,
some of the Jc7 liana
singers of
Chaitanya'sttmo, an
example of
popular devotion for
Chaitanya.
177—198
XXIII. —The four
Sects of the
Vaisnavas—
Maddfai,—Madhyacharya., Jayutirtha,
Sanaka, Nimbaditya, Rudra ;
Vallavacharya meets
Chaitanya, his commentary, the pun on
the word "Swamy", some of their
peculiar rules, the Cri sect? 198—20l
XXIV. —The Gurus of
the Maddhi Ssect—
Madhavendra Pun,
Icjvava Pun, Kecava
BharatT, Madhavendra's trances, mystio
regard for dark-blue colour, Madha vomlra's
visit to Vrndavana, the strango lad
offering milk to MFidhava, "you truly
love'me/' the discovery of the image of
Gopala, the thief of the milk. 206—217
XXV. —The pedigree of
Chaitanya
and his wife—
217—220
XXVI. —The tour of
Chaitanya in
Eastern Bengal—
The last £^ [?] cantos
of the .Premavilasa,
Faridpur and SuvarnagrFima, Egara
Siiiduva, BUitadiS, Dhaka Daksina. 220—224
XXVII. —Chaitanya's
Tokens—
Tlie kantlta,
the Ke<jaeamadhi, the GTtil,
the bar, the sandals; the present Nadiyit
is not what it was
in Chaitanya's time,
the image of Chaitanya, the pictures,
224—232
XXVIII. —Chaitaaya's
Tour in Southern
India—
Why the Kadeha is
not recognized as a
standard book by the orthodox Vaisnavas,
the writer o£ the Kadcha and the famous -
servant of Chaitanya "Qri Govinda" are
identical, it is a great book inspite of the
indifference with which it was treated,
the latter part of Govioda Dasa's life, his
family history, Chaitanya travels to Pun,
at Pur! till March, 1510 A.D., in southern
India, coversion of Ramagiri, the leader
of the Buddhists; Tirtha Rama and the
two harlots, Chaitanya begs clothes for
an old woman at Munna, the reformation
of the robber-chief Bhilpantha, visit to
different shrines, Bhargadeva, at the
sight of the sea, Rudrapati, the Raja of
Trivancore, Ramgiri and other shrines,
Itjvara Bharatl, further south, the Gurjara,
the Sahya hills, a black sheep at Poona,
the Muraris, conversion of Naroji, the
robber chief, Khandala, Nasik, Panchavati,
Bamana, Suratha, the Raja of Baroda,
crosses Oiibhramati and reaches Dvaraka,
Somanatha, the Grinar hills, Dhanantari
Jh^ri, Prabhasa, Amaravati, Dohada on
the bank of the Narmada, Chaitanya
gives his share of bread to an old woman,
a strange mnnat/sl^
the cure of a lepor at
Deoghara, Yidy&nagara, Canti^vara the
Rsja of the place,
Dasapala, return to
Puri and the great
reception.
232—270
XXIX.—Chaitanya's
tour in Upper '
India—
Starts privately,
Balladeva's description not
adequate, to Benares, PrakSgananda's
contempt of Chaitanya, to" Allahabad to
Muttra, Vrndavana,
the Pafchan horsemen 270—284
XXX.—The pedigree of
Advaita—
Advaita's early life.
284—293
XXXI, —A list of the
Mystics—
The mystics who
developed the Bhakti-
cults in India
special!}' in Bengal. 293—301
XXXII.—The
shrine of Vrndavana —
311—305
XXXIII.—The Story of
some Pretenders—
Vasudeva, KapTndra,
Cluidadhari, JosephSmith.
305—309
CHAITANYA &
HIS COMPANIONS
1. Bengals great
love for Chaitanya.
Chaitanya passed away
from this world in
1533 A.D. In the eyes of the people he had
already become an incarnation of God. The
Vaishnava biographers
wrote long and erudite
memoirs of his life and teachings. The poets
sang of his emotional
fervor and trances. The
sculptors and painters busied themselves in re-
producing the beauty of his handsome person and
chaitaTiyn
[?], in paint of the SaHkiHctiW'
scenes
where his trances
and songs captivated
the soul of the
admiring multitude.
These were
often painted in lacquer on wooden
boards used
as book covers and produced for
the decoration
of the Bhagavata-literatare in
Bengali from the
16th to the early 18th centuries.
Parents in
Bengali homes gave to their children those
names by which Chaitanya was called, showing
how dearly they loved and cherished his memory.
Gauranga, Gaur, Chaitanya and Nimai have
since become very common names in this
country. Even the beloved city of Nadiya,
rendered holy by his
birth, contributed its share
to the forming of a Bengali's name, Nadovasi,—
a resident of Nadiya, Nagaravasi—a dweller of
the city (the city is here Uadiya), Nadcr-Chand
or the moon of
Nadiya and its more elegant form
Nabadwipa-chandra now became the favourite
names in which the Bengalis prided out of their
great love and admiration for the Nadiya prophet.
From Orissa to Manipur through a large tract
of country covering an area of about 224750 sq.
miles Chaitanya was now worshipped in temples,
while the streets of cities and village-paths
resounded with his praises in popular songs.
The country was full of lladha-Ivrsna songs,
but in a
Kirtana, no lladha-Ivrsiia song could
be introduced without a preliminary song in
The Ganra-honor of Gaurachandra (Chaita-
nya) and this preliminary song was
called
Gauvachandrika. rho love songs of
Radha-krrsna, which had a deep spiritual
significance long before the advent of
Chaitanya,
became now thoroughly idealized and bore
another beautiful symbolic meaning in which
the love-ecstasies of Chaitanya formed a charm-
ing background. In the midst of the loud
music
of tambourine
and the shrill clank of
cymbals,
the
Gaurachandrika sounded the
keynote of a
new phase of Vaisnavism in
which the incidents
of Chaitanya's life illustrated,
in a concrete form,
the high spiritual philosophy [25]
[26]
of the sect. The
rustics and the unclean
castes particularly showed a frenzied
fervour In singing the praises of one who had
opened the portals *of brotherhood to all men
irrespective of caste. Sometimes for whole
nights they would he seen dancing in joy and
singing his name in the small courtyards facing
their straw-roofed huts. The Vaisnava singers
visited the house of the rich and the poor alike
every morning, and sang that sweet couplet
which Nityananda, the great apostle, had himself"
composed during the life-time of Chaitanya:—
, f .. "Sincf praises of Chaitanva,
A favourite
O 1
« 3
uoupiei.
brother,
and take his name.
One who loves him
Is dear to me as my life." l
In short, love for
Chaitanya had entered deep
into the heart of rural Bengal and this can be
said of none other of her sons with equal force.
In his lite-time
also this great love for him
was manifest among
the rich and the poor, the
literate and
unlettered alike. Vasudeva Sarva-
bh.au.nia, the
greatest Indian logician of the age,
- honoured in the
court of Raja Prataparudra of
" Orissa—was
defeated by Chaitanya In a public
debate, and when
Chaitanya by his devotion and
trances showed
himself far above
The apprecia-
tion by scholars. faQ plane of
scholarship, his learned
[26]
[27]
antagonist
throw himself at his feet and regarded
him rather as a God than as a man. His
passionate panegyric of Chaitanya still vibrates
with all the warmth ofe true poetry in
his
celebrated Sanskrit hymn's.1 The .
veteran
scholar's vehement admiration for Chaitanya
also found expression in his exclamation quoted
in the Chaitanya Charitamrta (Madhya Ivhanda.).
"Even if my sons die or a thunder holt falls
on my head
I can bear it,
but I cannot bear parting with
Chaitanya. "a
Prakacananda,
the leader of the learned
Sannyasis of JBenares, found himself in a like
manner unable to meet the scholarly arguments
of Chaitanya; but when the latter revealed
himself as a Lover of God, the great ascetic of
Benares discovered in him tar higher qualifies
than those of a mere scholar, and accepted him
as his saviour and god.:i Bharati Gosain
of
Chandlpur was the foremost scholar of the
Deccan at the time. Govinda Das, one of the
biographers of Chaitanya, gives a detailed
account of how this scholar was made to acknow-
[27]
[28]
ledge the
greatness of Chaitanya and accept him
as his Guru. By the conversion of these three
leading scholars of the three different parts of
the country Chaitanya's greatness as a scholar
was admitted all ovSr India.
As time
advanced he showed, however, a
growing aversion for scholarly disputations of all
sorts. In most cases he remained silent to the
enthusiastic challenge of scholars and would
simply smile and nod his head declining to enter
into a debate, and saying that he admitted the
superiority of his assailants uncondi-
A. version for
t
*
theological
dis- tionally. But the irresistible charm
of his
love-ecstasies had a far more
convincing
effect than scholarship and humbled
the proudest
scholars and convinced them of
the beauty of
spiritual life.
[28]
[29]
As Orissa had become r the chief
theatre of
Vaisnava activities during 1516-1533, the
period
when Chaitanya lived there, Prataparudra, the
king of the place having boon one of his
stauuchest followers—I shall here briefly
relate
certain facts about the latter which may be of
some interest to the students of Vaisnava
literature,
Purusottama Deva, father of Prataparudra,
ascended the throne of Orissa in 1-178 A.I).
He took a fancy for the princess of
Kfinjivarem,
a remarkable beauty, and wanted
Purusottama
e
Deva ' and to marry her.
The king1 of Kaiiji-
.Padmavatl.
*
L
\
varem rejected his proposal on the
ground that the king of Orissa, according to
an
old custom, served as sweeper in the
jugganatha temple for a day every year
Purusottama Deva
on hearing that his proposal was
declined took
an oath that at any cost he would
carry the
|
|
| |
|
[29
[30]
princess "by
force and marry her to a real
sweeper. He fought a hard battle and defeating
the Raja of K&njivarem seized the fair princess
and carried her away to Purl. True to his oath,
however, he made over the princess Padmavatl
to his chief minister desiring him to wed her
to a sweeper. The minister as well as the
people of Purl all commiserated her misfortune,,
and at the next Ratha Yatra ceremony when
the Raja began to perform the office of Chandal
(sweeper) with a golden broom,, the individual
entrusted with the charge of the lady brought her
The Eoysii forth and presented her to him,
awooper.
saying "You
are the sweeper upon
whom I bestow
her." Moved by the intercession
of his subjects, the Raja at last consented
to marry Padmavatl and carried her to his A
palace at Cut tack. The narrative is given
in
detail in a Uriya poem called the Kanjikaverl
Punthi and in all the important histories of
Orissa. Orme mentions the tradition of this
incident (Vol. II), though there are some dis-
crepancies in his account as to the details.
Raja
Prataparudra was the only son of
Raja
Purusottama Deva and Rani
scholarship
and Padmavatl and ascended the throne
vnlmiv'
of
Orissa in 1503 A.I). Mr. A.
Stirling, the
historian of Orissa, says of this
monarch ; "His
wisdom and learning soon became
the theme and
admiration of the whole country.
[30]
Blessings
