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"The three sons of Sivananda Sena, named Chaitanya dasa,
Ramadasa and Karnapura, were all heroic devotees of Lord Chaitanya."
(Cc. Adi 10.62) Kavi-karnapura and his illustrious father, Sivananda Sena, are both eternal associates of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Kavi-karnapura took diksa from Shrinatha Pandita, a disciple of Shri Advaita Acarya. In the Gaudiya Vaishnava Abhidana and in Grantha-ratna pancakam it states that:
"Sivananda Sena introduced his three sons to Shri
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Because they were his sons, the Lord showed the
boys great mercy. Lord Chaitanya asked the youngest son's name, and
Sivananda Sena informed the Lord that his name was Paramananda dasa.
Once before when Sivananda Sena had visited Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu at
His residence, the Lord had told him, 'When this son is born, give him
the name Puri dasa (after Paramananda Puri).' "The son was in the womb of his wife, and when he returned home the son was born. The child was named Paramananda dasa in accordance with the Lord's order, and the Lord jokingly called him Puri dasa. When Sivananda Sena introduced the child to Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the Lord put His toe in the child's mouth." (Cc. Antya 12.45-50)
Shrila Krishna dasa Kaviraja Gosvami describes another
amusing pastime of Lord Chaitanya and Kavi-karnapura that occurred
sometime later. "Taking his son (Kavi-karnapura), Sivananda Sena went
to see Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu at His residence. He made his son
offer respectful obeisances at the lotus feet of the Lord. Shri
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu asked the boy again and again to chant the name of
Krishna, but the boy would not utter the Holy Name. Although Sivananda
Sena repeatedly asked his boy to speak Krishna's Holy Name, the boy
would not utter it.
"Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, 'I have induced the
whole world to take to the Holy Name of Krishna. I have induced even
the trees and immovable plants to chant the Holy Name. But I could not
induce this boy to chant the Holy Name of Krishna.'
"Hearing this, Svarupa Damodara Gosvami began to speak.
'My Lord,' he said, 'You have given him initiation into the name of
Krishna, but after receiving the mantra he will not express it in front
of everyone. This boy chants the mantra within his mind, but does not
say it aloud. That is his intention, as far as I can guess.' "Another day, when Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said to the boy, 'Recite, My dear Puridasa,' the boy (Kavi-karnapura) composed the following verse and expressed it before everyone." (Cc. Antya 16.66-73)
sravasoh kuvalayam aksnor anjanam uraso mahen dra-mani-dama
vrndavana-ramaninam mandanam
"Although the boy was only seven years old and still had no education, he composed such a nice verse. Everyone was struck with wonder." (Cc. Antya 16.75)
The devotees became astonished upon hearing this beautiful Sanskrit verse glorifying Krishna from such a small boy. They concluded that by sucking Mahaprabhu's toe he had received some special potency, because miracles easily manifest by the mercy of the Lord. In response to the boy's recitation, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, "My dear child! Like a great poet (kavi) you have so nicely described the ornament on the ear (karna) of the Vraja gopis. So from today on you will be known as, Kavi-karnapura."
From these descriptions in Shri Chaitanya-charitamrita of Mahaprabhu's intimate dealings with Kavi-karnapura one can appreciate his exalted position as a confidential, eternal associate of Radha and Krishna and Lord Chaitanya. A literary masterpiece such as Ananda Vrndavana Campu is definite proof that Mahaprabhu directly empowered Kavi-karnapura to write transcendental literature. Otherwise such a substantial work could not have been composed. Moreover, stalwart Gaudiya Vaishnava acaryas like Shrila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura have lavishly praised both Kavi-karnapura and his Ananda Vrndavana Campu. In verse seventy-one of Vraja-riti Cintamani, Shrila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura refers to the book. "To the south is the regal, wonderfully constructed place of Radha-Madhava's swing pastimes. The beauty of this place has been eloquently described in Ananda Vrndavana Campu."
Ananda Vrndavana Campu elaborately explains Krishna's eternal Vrndavana pastimes depicted in the tenth canto of Shrimad Bhagavatam. Beginning in Gokula with Krishna's playing with the calves and stealing butter, the book progresses to beautifully portray Krishna's frolicking with the cows and cowherd boys, and finally it describes His sweet, intimate pastimes with Shrimati Radharani and the Vrajagopis.
Kavi-karnapura enriches these ever-expanding, joyful pastimes by revealing the intimate exchanges of Krishna and His premi bhaktas. He discloses the wonderful dialogues and tender personal dealings that occurred during the pastimes that we all know so well such as Putana-mardana, Kaliya-lila, Govardhana-puja, and Rasa-lila. He also offers exceptionally flavorful portrayals of some additional pastimes not mentioned in the Shrimad Bhagavatam such as Holi, Vamsi-cauri Lila and Jhulana Lila. Have you ever looked at a painting depicting a pastime of Krishna and Balarama or of Krishna and the gopis and wondered what They are feeling or what They are saying to each other? In Ananda VmdavanaCampu, Kavi-karnapura has opened up the paintings of Krishna's pastimes to clearly reveal just how the Lord feels and what He and His associates are talking about.
The Shrimad Bhagavatam is all perfect, all-blissful, and all-successful because it was penned by Shrila Vyasadeva, the literary incarnation of the Lord. However, the spotless Purana, Shrimad Bhagavatam, became even more perfect and sweet upon emanating from the lips of Shrila Sukadeva Gosvami, an eternal associate of Shri Krishna, serving Shrimati Radharani as Her pet parrot in Vrndavana Similarly Ananda Vrndavana Campu, like Shrimad Bhagavatam, has the qualities of complete bliss, success, and perfection because it was written by Kavi-karnapura, who is an eternal associate of Krishna. Moreover, five hundred years ago, Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu personally empowered Kavi-karnapura to glorify and speak about Radha and Krishna.
In one sense, because of the added sweetness and overflowing magnanimity of Shri Chaitanya's touch, Kavi-karnapura's Ananda Vrndavana Campu is especially endowed with a unique potency to inundate everyone with a cascade of nectarean ambrosia. In Prema-bhakti-candrika verse sixty, Shrila Narottama dasa Thakura says, rati premamaya parabandhe, "May I become firmly attached to the books affectionately given by the pure devotees in my tradition (Gaudiya Sampradaya) who a Chakravati Thakur comments on this verse, "May I always be fully attached to the loving topics about Krishna bhakti-rasa composed by realized premi-bhaktas."
• The word campu in the title of Ananda Vrndavana Campu means that this book is a combination of prose and perfectly composed Sanskrit poems describing the sweet beauty and blissful pastimes of Krishna in Vrndavana.
Each syllable of scriptures composed by mahajanas such as Shrila Kavi-karnapura is saturated with the rasa of their realizations and visions of Krishna transcendental pastimes.
Besides that, there is a wonderfully captivating power in the way such pure devotees describe Krishna's beauty.
• By regularly reading such books, a sensitive devotee will awaken a deep appreciation for Krishna's pastimes, and develop pure love for the beautiful, playful Lord of Vrndavana.
This point is confirmed by Shrila Krishna dasa Kaviraja Gosvami in the Shri Chaitanya-charitamrita wherein he has written this final benediction {phala sruti) for the readers of Shri Chaitanya-charitamrita:
yeba ndhi bujhe keha, kiadbhuta chaitanya-carita
krsne upajibe priti,
"If one does not understand in the beginning but continues to hear again and again, the wonderful effects of Lord Chaitanya's pastimes will bring love for Krishna. Gradually one will come to understand the loving affairs between Krishna and the gopis and other associates of Vrndavana. Everyone is advised to continue to hear over and over again in order to greatly benefit." (Cc. Madhya 2.87)
Therefore by reading such transcendental books as Ananda Vrndavana Campu, which was divinely inspired by Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and expertly presented by Kavi-karnapura, one will be blessed with the attainment of Krishna. We hope that all the devoted readers will derive unlimited spiritual bliss by hearing about Krishna's sweet, joyful pastimes in Vrndavana.
Mahanidhi Swami
Krishna Balarama Mandir Vrndavana Putrada Ekadashi 29
December 1998
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