The lives of Chandidas, Jayadeva and Vidyapati - Biographical information, religious affiliations

Well, it seems that there were at least two Candidasa's . So , which one was Candidasa , '' read with pleasure'' by Mahaprabhu ?

Jay Jay Sri Radhe!

Does anyone have a copy of Chandi Das writings?

sevarasik

What is the outlook of the 'traditional Gaudiyas' regarding what religious path Chandi Das followed? He of course is said by many to have been Sahajiya.
Sri Chaitanya was quite fond of his songs as well as Vidyapati's, and I may as well ask how do the 'traditionals' view Vidyapati? He certainly does not seem to have been a Vaishnava although he wrote love poetry about Radha Krishna.

shanti

How about a separate topic about the two under History? Possibly with a brief introduction by yourself, as you seem to be informed of studies of them?

I only know a bit from here and there, I am no conclusive expert by any means. I do have the book 'Love Songs of Vidyapati' by Deben Bhattacharya that gives some brief history of Vidyapati.

I was hoping to get the 'traditional' view of these poets if they were considered as vaishnava or not. Perhaps Jagat (who started the thread) can contribute as I am only a firefly compared to his vast light of learnedness in regards to these subjects.

shanti

Jijaji,

I cannot help you with your inquiry regarding "traditional" views about Candidas, and other rasik poets such as Vidyapati, however I thought another pada would be in order...
The above pada is about feeling separation even in the presence of the beloved...

Sakhicharan the pada speaks heaps, very sweet indeed..

Do you happen to have any pada that mentions Chandi's love for Rami the washerwomen?

also...

'Chandidas was known as 'Pagla Chandi' or a mad Chandi. Here the word 'Pagla' could be said to be akin to the Persian word Diwana, a love-intoxicated lunatic. Chandi- das often addressed his beloved Rami, a washerwoman as mother and the society ex-communicated him and dismissed him from the priesthood of the temple of Bansuli.

According to legend, Nakula, the brother of Chandi influenced him to stand a Prayaschitta (atonement) and a feast to the society. When the feast was going on, Rami, the love-lorn washerwoman heard of it and rushed.She gazed at Chandidas and tears welled out in a stream from her eyes; in a moment Chandidas forgot what he was doing and he approached Rami just as a devout priest approaches the image of deity he worships It is said that some of the enlightened Brahmins saw the four arms of the Divine mother of the Universe shooting out in the washerwoman. In one of his later poems Chandidas openly addressed Rami as "Gayatri, the mother of the Vedas".

The temple at Nannur is of special appeal to the Vaishnava world and to all lovers of music and poetry.

Chandidas does not omit to depict any phase of human sentiment. His love poems fall under the classification usual to the Vaishnava love poems: Purva Raga or dawn of love; Dutya or a message of love; Abhisara or a secret love-tryst; Sambhoga milan or the meeting of the lover; Mathura or the final separation and Bhavas- Sammelana or a union in spirit.

The final imagination and devotion of the poet weaves out various plots by which Radha meets Krishna and it is only a lover that can describe the pangs of love as have been adopted with slight changes as
devotional songs and are sung in the churches in the Brahmo Samaj of Bengal during Divine Service. Devotees all over Bengal sings his songs in ecstasy of devotion.'

http://www.hindubooks.org/temples/bengal/birbhum/page12.htm

QUOTE

Chandi- das often addressed his beloved Rami, a washerwoman as mother and the society ex-communicated him and dismissed him from the priesthood of the temple of Bansuli

The Sahajiya's see 'Rami' as the 'Ritual Partner' of Chandi das. I am curious if this is true and it seems so, why would Sri Chaitanya be so taken with those unorthodox songs..especially while a sannyasin?

The only thing I have been able to locate written about Rami was posted by Jagat. It is at the end of this post.
I also found one at the end of this post by Sadhaka108.

Yea that sadhaka108 is one cool 'Chaos Baba'

Though slightly off topic, I have this little tidbit to offer. It is a translation of a Baul song in which Rami is mentioned.

Love is the root and the fruit of everything, all is sustained by it...

Do not fall in love in a hurried way...
for love is like the glue of a jack-fruit, which once applied, cannot be wiped off.

Love made Shiva reside in a cremation ground, love made Gora of Nadia a recluse, and let's not forget Jayadeva's Padmavati....
Oh, these are only a few who were in love...

The results of pure love are difficult to understand...
If love is aroused, it's effect will eventually find reversal...
pain is certain to appear.

Love will make you like the ant who falls in a pot of molasses...
there is no escape from that situation.

A Brahmin's son earned a reputation for being in love with Rami the washerwoman, whose feet he was pleased to wash.
If castes and creeds are a condsideration for ones love, then even a morsel of a moon will not be gotten.

Chandidas

Chandidas was a Vaishnavite poet saint of the sixteenth century. Born in a Brahmin family, he belonged to a society ridden with religious bigotry and strong Brahminical authoritarianism. Though he was the disciple of a Brahmin priest who believed in harsh and ascetic principles, Chandidas's love for poetry inevitably came in the way of his religious devotion. He was also a bit of a romantic, and spent hours idling near the river, where Rami, the washerman's daughter came to wash clothes. Rami, the daughter of a low-caste, was also a young widow, and barred on both counts from any social intercourse with a man like Chandidas.

But she was a cheeky young thing all the same, and had a divine voice. Chandidas would sit listening to her songs for hours. Rami was aware of the young Brahmin's interest in her, and was herself a great admirer of his poetry. Inevitably, they were drawn to each other. In the closed-in community of the village, their romance could not remain a secret. Also, the local rich landowner, Bijoynarayan, himself a connoisseur of women, had his eyes on Rami. But Rami despised him for his double standards. Bijoynarayan, being an upper-caste and rich man, would not share a meal with the low-castes, nor would he contaminate his body with their touch. But when it came to women, his greed would overcome all social taboos.

Rami's rejection and her outspoken condemnation of his behaviour roused Bijoynarayan's ire. He now made it his mission to persecute both Rami and her community, and Chandidas's romance became a major scandal. Though the strength of Rami's personality sustained Chandidas for a while against the attacks of the Brahmins, he was still in awe of the temple priest, whose overpowering hold on the young man finally led to his denouncing Rami in public and agreeing to perform a religious ceremony in the temple to repent for his past sins. Rami, refusing to believe that Chandidas would actually disown her, battled with Bijoynarayan's hirelings to reach the temple on time. Distraught and bleeding with wounds inflicted upon her by the landowner's men, she confronted Chandidas in the presence of his religious mentor. Chandidas, believing in a more just and loving god in place of the harsh divinity offered by the priest of the temple, renounced his religious bindings, dissociated himself from the orthodox Brahminical order, and left the village with Rami.

http://www.poetseers.org/spiritual_and_dev...ts/india/chand/

Chandidas (c 14th century) poet. There were at least four poets with the name of Chandidas: Baru Chandidas, Dwija Chandidas, Dina Chandidas, and Chandidas. It is not clear whether these different names found in the bhanita (autobiographical lines in poetry mentioning the name of the poet) refer to different individuals or to the same person. Only Baru Chandidas has been more or less identified. But many questions still remain unresolved, creating the Chandidas mystery.

It is believed that Baru Chandidas was born in the village of Nanur in Birbhum district, son of Durgadas Bagchi, a Varendra Brahmin. Chandidas, who was a priest in the temple of the goddess Bashuli (Bishalaksi), fell in love with a washerwoman named Rami and was excommunicated.

Baru Chandidas is known mainly as the writer of the lyrical srikrishnakirtan, the manuscript of which was discovered by Basantaranjan Vidvadvallabh at Bankura. Basantaranjan, who published the manuscript in 1916, believed that Chandidas was born in 1339 and died in 1399. However, other scholars, suggest a somewhat earlier date.

The poems ascribed to Chandidas have been popular in Bengal through the centuries. The first humanist poet in Bangla, he believed that 'sabar upare manus satya tahar upare nai' (The supreme truth is man, there is nothing more important than he is). The verses that bear his name approximate 1,100.

A school and a hospital have been established at Nanur village in Birbhum as memorials to Chandidas. Countless people visit the village to pay homage to the poet. [Samaresh Devnath]

http://banglapedia.search.com.bd/HT/C_0118.HTM

QUOTE

The first humanist poet in Bangla, he believed that 'sabar upare manus satya tahar upare nai' (The supreme truth is man, there is nothing more important than he is).

very much Sahajiya outlook..

Vaisnava sahajiya The fourteenth-century poet baru chandidas is believed to be the deviser and preacher of this creed, which he divined after coming in contact with a washerwoman named Rami. Later in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the creed, based on the Buddhist Sahajiya doctrine, started gaining ground. The followers of this doctrine believe themselves to be sahaja rasika (versed in sahaja) or travellers of the sahaja patha (simple path). The phrase sahaja patha here means love, which is human nature. The ultimate goal of a human being is to attain the self through love; and the Vaisnava sahajiya consider the body to be the best means for this. The ideals of the Vaisnava sahajiya are beauty, love and enjoyment.

The philosophical doctrines and practices of the Vaisnava sahajiyas are different from those of the Gaudian Vaisnavas. The Gaudian Vaisnavas believe that all philosophy lies in the human body and they take the philosophy of love allegorically, not literally unlike the Sahajiya.

The Vaisnava sajahiya instituted a diversified form of philosophy of love by mixing vaisnavism and the doctrines of radha and krishna in the name of Nimai and Nitaichand. Their philosophy incorporated the spiritual and the physical. According to Sahajiya philosophy, each man and woman has an inner and outer form. Thus a man has the outer form of a man, but his inner self is Krishna. Similarly, a woman has the outer form of a woman but her inner self is Radha. When the external forms unite physically, the inner selves attain the highest enjoyment. This is mahabhava or the enjoyment of sahaja. Deification of man is the basic principle of the Sahajiya doctrine.

The Gaudian Vaisnavas look down on the Vaisnava sahajiyas because to the latter the philosophy of love or the worship of body is of great importance. This has distanced one sect from the other and has lowered the social dignity of the Sahajiyas. Even Chandidas himself was excommunicated from the Brahmin society. Despite this fact, the philosophy gained ground and became widespread. This is now recognised as an alternative means of worshipping God.

A large part of medieval bangla literature is based on the Sahajiya creed. Among the people who wrote on this philosophy, Baru Chandidas is considered the best. His srikrishnakirtan depicts the basic principles of Sahajiya in a lucid manner. Many poets including Chandidas, who believed in the Sahajiya doctrine, composed verses on practices of the attainment of the self in an enigmatic language, known as ragatmika pada (verses that consider pure love to be the attainment).

Vaisnava sahajiya literature is of two kinds: one, based on padavali (lyrics), the other, based on nivandha (composition). Poets like vidyapati and rupa goswami are proponents of the padavali literature while Baru Chandidas and krishnadasa kaviraja are proponents of nibandha literature. The prefatory parts of many pieces by less famous figures impute the works to famous names such as Vidyapati, Chandidas, Narahari Sarkar, Raghunath Das, Krsnadas Kaviraja, Narottam Das, Rupa Goswami, Sanatan Goswami, Vrindavan Das, Lochandas, and Chaitanyadas. Some noted books of Sahajiya literature are Vivartavilasa (Akinchan Das), Anandabhairava, Amrtarasavali, Agamagrantha, Premavilasa (Yugalkishore Das), Radha-Rasa-Karika, Deha-Kadcha (Narottam Das), Sahaja-Upasana-Tattva (Taruni Raman), Siddhanta-Chandrodaya, Rativilasa-Paddhati, Ragamayikana, and Ratnasara. [Sambaru Chandra Mohanta]

http://banglapedia.search.com.bd/HT/S_0025.htm

Sri Chaitanya (1486-1533) was greatly inspired by the lyrics of Jaydev, Vidyapati and Chandidas and composed lyrics on Radha and Krishna. None of the poets who had written about Krishna before Chaitanyadev had been a Vaisnava. Furthermore, their lyrics based on the love of Radha and Krishna did not reflect upon the spiritual aspects of this relationship. Instead, these poets were more interested in depicting the erotic aspect of love. This is why some critics do not include pre-Chaitanya compositions in Vaisnava literature.

http://banglapedia.search.com.bd/HT/V_0006.htm

Sri Roopa at the end of 'Padyavali' , which was his compilation of a few special Sanskrit verses by various Rask saints, humbly suggested the rasik devotees to enjoy the compositions and devotional poetry by the highly acclaimed Rasik saints such as Jayadeva and Bilvamangala in entirety, since their works were so worthy and so exquisite that there could not be a single verse to be excluded.
So Roopa had taken special care not to include even a single verse from them in his 'Padyavali' unlike the quotes of other saints, since the poetic works of Jayadeva and Bilvamangala deserved to stand alone in their own highly elevated status of Rasa Kavya.

Padyavali . 387

If somebody claims that Jaydeva was not Vaishnava, then one should doubt about their motive.

This Banglapedia, while having heaps of useful information, seems to also be a den of unresearched and ill-informed views and ideas.

Regarding this passage, first of all it is well known that Chaitanya never composed lyrics on Radha and Krishna. The paragraph following the one cited states:


It is evident that whoever wrote this isn't acquainted with the life of Chaitanya at all. This raises questions on the quality of the research overall, including the claims on Jayadeva, Vidyapati and Chandidas.

Simple statements on Chandidas being or not being a Vaishnava would be hard to make, given that even Banglapedia's own article notes that there were at least four different Chandidasas. The article notes Baru Chandidas as the author of Sri Krishna Kirtan, which according to this encyclopaedia is "a Vaisnava poetical work". It is also said that the story was "modelled on the Bhagavata" and "drew heavily from the Puranas and Gita-govindam". Therefore, a claim on the "evolution" of the genre such as:


... would be hard to support, given that the "mystical" relationship featuring Krishna as either an avatar or svayam-bhagavan was already there in the source texts inspiring the works of Chandidas and Vidyapati.

Vidyapati, though born in a Shaiva-family, is best known for his Vaishnava-poetry describing Radha and Krishna -- again, according to Banglapedia itself.

The suggestion on Jayadeva is somewhat absurd. His Gita Govindam starts with the famous Dashavatara-stotram, thereby establishing the primeval divinity of the lead hero of the drama. Jayadeva's service to Jagannatha is famous. His wife, Padmavati, was also evidently a Vaishnava, being the daughter of a sevaka of Jagannatha. Hagiographies tell of a murti of Narayana being installed in their household. He is also known to have worshiped deities of Radha-Madhava. To claim that Jayadeva was not a Vaishnava is irresponsibly ignorant.

Can someone give the 'Traditional Gaudiya' view of the washerwomen 'Rami' that Chandidas was so infatuated with...?

Vidyapati

The poet Vidyapati appears to have been born in or around 1352 in Bihar, in the Madhubani village of Bisapi in the region of north eastern Bihar known as Mithila. As a Brahmin, he is likely to have learned Sanskrit at an early age, and certainly his earliest compositions suggest his mastery of the language. Vidyapati received his first commission from Kirti Simha, the Mathili king who reigned from 1370 onwards, and he penned a poem in which he celebrated the king’s prowess; he then became resident at the court of Kirti Simha’s son and successor, Deva Simha, and in his work Bhuparikrama (Around the World), Vidyapati offered political and religious wisdom in the form of romantic stories.

Vidyapati’s most enduring contribution to Indian literature, indeed what he has been remembered for in the last few hundred years, is a corpus of over five hundred love songs. The subject of these songs, which were composed between 1380 and 1406, is the love of Krishna and Radha; surprisingly, perhaps, Vidyapati himself was not a Krishna bhakta, not even a Vaishnava. Vidyapati lived for another forty odd years, dying around 1448, but he never returned to the theme of Krishna and Radha, and indeed in the later compositions his attention was riveted on Shiva and Durga.

There is much that is distinctive about Vidyapati’s poetry, though in some respects he followed the elaborate tradition of Sanskrit court and love poetry that head existed since the time of Kalidasa, and that even his greatest predecessor Jayadeva, who virtually introduced the figure of Radha into the Krishna legend, had exploited to great advantage. This love poetry had established certain stock conventions: thus the eyes of a woman were always described as large and tender, like a doe’s or the flash of lightning, while her skin, limbs, and hands were always described as smooth and delicate like the lotus leaf. In this poetry, a woman’s face dazzles like the moon; her breasts are large, firm, well-rounded, compared to "mountains of gold", pitchers of water, or fruits; and her hair is black as night, or as long as the tendrils of a vine. However, Sanskrit love poetry also sought to establish moods, and the seasons and nature were rendered commensurate with acts of love-making. It is this tradition which Jayadeva had inherited, and molded to his purposes; and likewise Vidyapati took these conventions and wove from them simple, and yet intricate, poems of the passion of Krishna and Radha. Even more so than Jayadeva, Vidyapati disassociated Krishna from Vishnu, so that the reader is not likely to remember Krishna as an incarnation of Vishnu; indeed, even the divinity of Krishna is of little consequence, since it is as lovers that they are commemorated in Vidyapati’s poems. In the region of Mithila, Vidyapati’s love songs are still sung at marriages, and one suspects that though the pious will think of the love of Krishna and Radha as an allegory of the love of the soul for the divine, or the love of humans for God, the songs are construed almost as a guide to married love.

In the Bhagavata Purana, an unnamed gopi was described as Krishna’s favorite, and writing in the 13th century, Jayadeva spun an elaborate narrative of the loves of Krishna and his favorite gopi, Radha. When Vidyapati wrote, Radha had already, so to speak, arrived on stage. However, unlike the Gita Govinda, which should be viewed as offering a connected narrative of the intricate love-play of Radha and Krishna, so that one can be a witness to all the different moods of Radha as she negotiates her relationship with Krishna, each of Vidyapati’s songs is complete unto itself. One can imagine an evening where one song is sung, or another where a large body of songs is sung together. In yet another respect, the difference is considerable: though Radha is ostensibly the central figure in the Gita Govinda, since it is her shifting moods to which Krishna responds, one can never be in doubt that Krishna is the supreme subject of Jayadeva’s affections and adoration. Vidyapati, on the other hand, lavished attention on Radha, and every texture of Radha’s body -- the swelling of her breasts at Krishna’s approach, the stirring of passion within her loins, the mark of Krishna’s nails on her tender flesh – and similarly the nuances of every mood – her bashfulness, her uncertainty about her ability to please Krishna, her anxiety at the separation – are the true subjects of Vidyapati’s poems. Vidyapati certainly seems to have been riveted by Radha’s breasts, as in this poem entitled "Twin Hills",

Her hair dense as darkness,

Her face rich as the full moon:

Unbelievable contrasts

Couched in a seat of love.

Her eyes rival lotuses.

Seeing that girl today,

My eager heart

Is driven by desire.

Innocence and beauty

Adore her fair skin.

Her gold necklace

Is lightning.

On the twin hills,

Her breasts ….,

or in this poem, "Signs of Youth":

Radha’s glances dart from side to side.

Her restless body and clothes are heavy with dust.

Her glistening smile shines again and again.

Shy, she raises her skirt to her lips.

Startled, she stirs and once again is calm,

As now she enters the ways of love.

Sometimes she gazes at her blossoming breasts

Hiding them quickly, then forgetting they are there.

Childhood and girlhood melt in one

And new and old are both forgotten.

Says Vidyapati: O Lord of life,

Do you not know the signs of youth?

How much better could any poet have captured the embarrassment, bashfulness, and wonder of a girl growing into adolescence, finding her body blossoming in unexpected ways, uncertain what to do with the increasingly heavy burden of her twin hills? This confusion in Radha’s mind is comically evoked by the suggestion that she hides her breasts and wishes to forget that they are at all there; and elsewhere the dialectic of breasts, genitals, girdle, clothes, the touch of the hand, nakedness, and the breath of air is all poignantly and yet humorously evoked in these lines from "First Rapture":

She felt his touch startling her girdle.

She knew her love treasure was being robbed.

With her dress she covered up her breasts.

The treasure was left uncovered.

Vidyapati’s poems are another kind of largely unexplored treasure.

Further Reading:

Bhattacharya, Deben, trans. Love Songs of Vidyapati. Ed. with notes and introduction by W. G. Archer. London, 1963; reprint ed., Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1987. [Translations in this article are from this volume, pages 55, 39, and 41]

Jha, Subhadra. The Songs of Vidyapati. Benares, 1954.

Jijaji ,
do not think this website banglapedia is composed by any scholar or any scolastic institution. This is just like a place holder for superficial information on internet for the masses. As you know paramhamsas can filter the milk from water , we now will have to apply the same logic while surfing internet.

By the way you are correct as there are various chandidas and that were being researched to a great extent by the linguistic scholar.

Regards
Jay Nitai

QUOTE

The suggestion on Jayadeva is somewhat absurd. His Gita Govindam starts with the famous Dashavatara-stotram, thereby establishing the primeval divinity of the lead hero of the drama. Jayadeva's service to Jagannatha is famous. His wife, Padmavati, was also evidently a Vaishnava, being the daughter of a sevaka of Jagannatha. Hagiographies tell of a murti of Narayana being installed in their household. He is also known to have worshiped deities of Radha-Madhava. To claim that Jayadeva was not a Vaishnava is irresponsibly ignorant.

What Vaishnava line did he belong to?

Good arguments about Jayadev indeed....

Now what about Vidyapati....? From what I have read he certainly does not seem Vaishnava.

And what about Chandidas being Sahajiya? Is that discounted by the 'Traditionals'?
His relationship with 'Rami' is 'Suspiciously Sahajiya'

QUOTE

Jijaji ,
do not think this website banglapedia is composed by any scholar or any scolastic institution. This is just like a place holder for superficial information on internet for the masses. As you know paramhamsas can filter the milk from water , we now will have to apply the same logic while surfing internet.

I know

QUOTE

By the way you are correct as there are various chandidas and that were being researched to a great extent by the linguistic scholar.

many many so many

QUOTE

Regards
Jay Nitai

shanti

If this pada by Vidyapati is any example of what's to be found in his works, then I would say that he was a Vaishnava beyond doubt.

QUOTE

Jayadeva's service to Jagannatha is famous. His wife, Padmavati, was also evidently a Vaishnava, being the daughter of a sevaka of Jagannatha. Hagiographies tell of a murti of Narayana being installed in their household. He is also known to have worshiped deities of Radha-Madhava.

Could you possibly reference the names of those Hagiographies Madhava as there is seems to be very little known about his life really other than that he survived his wife Padmavati, and that he passed his last days in devotions in his native village.

Do you access to these Hagiographies of Jayadev?

QUOTE(Madhava @ Jul 31 2005, 08:56 PM)

QUOTE

Now what about Vidyapati....? From what I have read he certainly does not seem Vaishnava.

If this pada by Vidyapati is any example of what's to be found in his works, then I would say that he was a Vaishnava beyond doubt.

Vidyapati’s most enduring contribution to Indian literature, indeed what he has been remembered for in the last few hundred years, is a corpus of over five hundred love songs. The subject of these songs, which were composed between 1380 and 1406, is the love of Krishna and Radha; surprisingly, perhaps, Vidyapati himself was not a Krishna bhakta, not even a Vaishnava. Vidyapati lived for another forty odd years, dying around 1448, but he never returned to the theme of Krishna and Radha, and indeed in the later compositions his attention was riveted on Vidyapati’s most enduring contribution to Indian literature, indeed what he has been remembered for in the last few hundred years, is a corpus of over five hundred love songs. The subject of these songs, which were composed between 1380 and 1406, is the love of Krishna and Radha; surprisingly, perhaps, Vidyapati himself was not a Krishna bhakta, not even a Vaishnava. Vidyapati lived for another forty odd years, dying around 1448, but he never returned to the theme of Krishna and Radha, and indeed in the later compositions his attention was riveted on Shiva and Durga..
from Bhattacharya, Deben, trans. Love Songs of Vidyapati

They actually numerous scholars contributing: http://banglapedia.search.com.bd/Contributors.htm

...but as a community project, they likely don't have a lot of editorial controls in place.

QUOTE(Madhava @ Jul 31 2005, 08:56 PM)

QUOTE

Now what about Vidyapati....? From what I have read he certainly does not seem Vaishnava.

If this pada by Vidyapati is any example of what's to be found in his works, then I would say that he was a Vaishnava beyond doubt.

I'm sorry but I strongly doubt that....someone else could easily say he was a shakta!

QUOTE(braja @ Jul 31 2005, 09:04 PM)

QUOTE(dasanudas @ Jul 31 2005, 01:37 PM)

do not think this website banglapedia is composed by any scholar or any scolastic institution.

They actually numerous scholars contributing: http://banglapedia.search.com.bd/Contributors.htm

...but as a community project, they likely don't have a lot of editorial controls in place.

I knew that

No, unfortunately I don't have first hand access to such works, nor am I indeed even familiar with the the names of the sources. I would imagine much of it is local folklore from Orissa. Let me see if GVA has some useful references. Also, I do not know of his Vaishnava-tradition - I'll see if I find something.

Here is what GVA has on Vidyapati (attached).

[attachmentid=1726]
Haridas Dasji notes that Vidyapati was the court-poet of Raja Shivasimha. He tells that Vidyapati had a secret affection for the king's wife, Lachima. He is said to have composed Goraksha-vijaya-nataka for the festival of Bhairaveshvara Shiva of Mithila on the command of Raja Shivasimha. One would imagine that as the court poet, much of his production would have been "on demand", not necessarily merely the flow of his own creativity and feeling. The following works are noted: Padavali, Purusha-pariksha, Kirttilata, Likhanali, Shaiva-sarvasva-sara, Ganga-vakyavali, Vibhaga-sara, Gayapattana, Goraksha-vijaya-nataka and Durga-bhakti-tarangini.

Do these texts suggesting that Vidyapati wasn't a Vaishnava give any sources on his life, and do they explain the premises of the conclusion that Vidyapati was not a Vaishnava?

If the pada I posted is indeed an authentic pada from Vidyapati, I believe it is significant, as it tells of his conversion to Vaishnavism in his old age, if not a typical poem of humility from a life-long Vaishnava.


At any rate, it is evident from the famous episode in Nilachala featuring the yaH kaumAra-haraH-verse from Sahitya-darpana that Sri Chaitanya wasn't too concerned over the sources of the poems as long as the bhava was in place.

QUOTE

The suggestion on Jayadeva is somewhat absurd. His Gita Govindam starts with the famous Dashavatara-stotram, thereby establishing the primeval divinity of the lead hero of the drama. Jayadeva's service to Jagannatha is famous. His wife, Padmavati, was also evidently a Vaishnava, being the daughter of a sevaka of Jagannatha. Hagiographies tell of a murti of Narayana being installed in their household. He is also known to have worshiped deities of Radha-Madhava. To claim that Jayadeva was not a Vaishnava is irresponsibly ignorant.

I am suprised that to substatiate your claim of Jayadev being Vaishnava you reference Hagiographies that your not even sure exist..?

QUOTE

He is also known to have worshiped deities of Radha-Madhava

Can you at least reference this..?

Can someone supply dates for the said works?

The hagiographies I refer to are numerous later compilations, generally collected from folklore. I do not know of any works dedicated solely to Jayadeva. Many stories are commonly found in compilations of biographies. I believe there is a lengthy entry in Bhaktamala - a book I unfortunately don't have in my library at the moment.

If there isn't a contemporary biography, then all you're left with are folklore that is compiled into hagiographies, often centuries after the fact. That isn't really much more authoritative than my telling you I heard such a thing.

I would assume you'll find quite a bit of Vaishnava-related hagiography narrated in the various commentaries on Gita Govinda.



See the attached text file. I don't know the author, but the references are useful.

[attachmentid=1728]

The folk legends of Shiva and Vidyapati
By Dr Kailash Mishra

Vidyapati is the most celebrated poet of Mithila. He was the first of the old Vaishnava master singers who spoke and wrote in desil-bayana (folk language), and his short hymns of prayers and praises soon became exceedingly popular. He wrote on several branches of scholarships. Prominent among them are Keertilata (a marvellous piece of literature written in praise of Kirtisimha and Veerasimha of the Oinwar dynasty of Mithila); Bhuparikrama (geographical details of the world); Purusapariksha (an examination of Hindu ethical morals based on the good examples from the ancient history of India); Keertipataka (description of the details of the battle between Sivasimha, a worthy descendant of Keertisimha, and some Muslim rulers); Padavali (an account of his charming songs written in his mother tongue- desil-bayana); Likhnavali (written in a form of letters); Gangavakyavali (on religious merit of worshipping the holy Ganga); Saivasarvasvasaar (a vast treatise like an ocean on the Shaiva form of worship-can be treated as an encyclopaedia of the Shaiva cult); Daanvakyavali (about the importance of religious gifts for a common practioner of Hindu religion); Vibhagsasar (details of law of position of property and inheritance); Durgabhak-titarangini (on the form of Durga worship); Gayapattalaka (an excellent manual of rites to be performed on the occasion of death rites at Gaya); Gorakshavijaya (song-drama); Manimanjari (drama); Dvaitanirnaya (on the practices and experiments of tantra and tantra tradition of Mithila) and Vyadi-bhakti-tarangini (details of snake-worship in Mithila).

According to the local legend, Vidyapati was an ardent devotee of Shiva. He composed several songs in the form of Nacharis and Maheshbanis to please the Lord. Impressed with the devotion and poetic creativity of the poet, Lord Shiva came to him in a disguised form of a cowherd boy called Ugna. Ugna requested the poet that as he was an orphan boy he wanted to work in his house as his servant. With a little hesitation, the poet assigned him the job of looking after his cattle. Ugna became a very charming and affectionate servant to the poet within a very short period.

One day, Vidyapati received an invitation to participate in a royal function of the king of Mithila, Shivasimha. He took Ugna with him and they left for the king’s capital. On the way the poet became very thirsty but it was a huge barren land where he saw no drops of water. The helpless poet finally requested Ugna to bring some water. Ugna too showed his inability to bring the water and requested him to travel some more distance, but Vidyapati refused to walk further and became unconscious. He fell on the ground. Now, Ugna, who was none but Lord Shiva himself, took out a jug of water from his matted hair (jata), revived him to consciousness and gave the poet water to drink. The poet felt the taste of Ganga-water and immediately asked Ugna wherefrom he had brought it. Ugna tried to make some false story but failed to do so. He wanted to keep it a secret and that’s why he avoided deliberately the poet’s query, but as Ugna wanted to avoid it, the poet’s curiosity increased. Finally, he appeared as Shiva, in his original form, before the poet. Vidyapati touched his feet and took the dust of Ugna’s feet into his hands. Ugna now warned him not to disclose the secret before anybody including the poet’s wife Sushila. Vidyapati assured Ugna to keep this secret with him.

'According to the local legend, Vidyapati was an ardent devotee of Shiva. He composed several songs in the form of Nacharis and Maheshbanis to please the Lord'

Ugna remained with Vidyapati for many years and helped him miraculously in many critical situations. For instance, when Shivasimha was arrested by Emperor Allaudin Khilji of Delhi, Vidyapati accompanied by Ugna, came to Delhi to get him released. Knowing that Vidyapati was a poet, Allaudin arranged a scholarly debate between Vidyapati and his own court-poet. Vidyapati was told to respond either in Persian or a mixed language alone. The poet with the heavenly blessings of Ugna defeated the Sultan’s poet and responded in poetry he had composed in the prescribed languages. Not only that, with the blessings of Ugna he got rid of many obstacles created by the Sultan and his men at Delhi and finally succeeded in getting his king released from the prison of Sultan.

Now the story takes a very sad turn. Once, the wife of Vidyapati assigned some domestic responsibility to Ugna, which he failed to deliver according to her given instructions. She became angry with him and started beating him with a broom. This erratic behaviour of Sushila made Vidyapati frustrated that Shiva, of whom he was a great devotee, should be abused and humiliated. He could not control himself and shouted, “Stop! What the hell are you doing? Ugna is none else but Lord Shiva.” It is said, that very moment Ugna disappeared from there.

Now Vidyapati realised his mistake. He left his house and wandered through many temples, rivers and jungles in search of Ugna. Finally, Vidyapati found Ugna in Nandanvana. Shiva told him that he would not go back to his house but would help him whenever required. The place where Ugna appeared before the poet as God is known as Ugnaasthan. A small lingam was enshrined by the local devotees. Recently a temple has been made for that lingam.

This story is known to each and every person of this region. For them it is history. Even today they worship Lord Shiva while singing the devotional songs of Vidyapati to please him.

Dr Kailash Mishra is an anthropologist, working with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, New Delhi

So, he was the first of the old Vaishnava master singers who spoke and wrote in desil-bayana (folk language), and he was a great devotee of Shiva.

From this, we can safely conclude that he was a bona fide Hindu.

QUOTE(Madhava @ Aug 1 2005, 01:23 AM)

So, he was the first of the old Vaishnava master singers who spoke and wrote in desil-bayana (folk language), and he was a great devotee of Shiva.

From this, we can safely conclude that he was a bona fide Hindu.

Kinda of like Ramakrishna it seems hey, He was into Radha Krishna, Shiva, AND Durga.. in fact helped popularize Durga Puja in Bengal;

"However, the Durga worship is performed now according to the instructions of 'Kalikapurana'. Jeevan and Balak, two famed Tantriks, performed the first Durgapuja following the instructions of King Vijaysen. In the same king's reign, three books were written by two renowned scholars on the rites and regulations of Durgapuja. Pundit Jeemutvahana wrote 'Durgotsav Nirnoy' and Pundit Shulpani wrote 'Durgotsava Proyog' and 'Durgotsov Vivek'. Vijayasen's son, Ballalsen was himself a Tantrik. In his reign, the Durgapuja flourished. From Bengal, it moved to Mithila and Nepal. Pundit Bachaspati Misra and Pundit Sarvaru Misra initiated Durgapuja in Mithila. But it was popularised by the great poet, Vidyapati who wrote the famous 'Durgabhaktitarangini"

from an article by Sudipto Chakrabarti

In Prema Vivarta, published by Bhaktivinod Thakur and ascribed to Jagadananda Pandit (on its authorship, read here), the following comes up in a conversation of Svarupa Damodara and Raghunath Das Goswami:


The entire chapter discusses the matter. Attached.

[attachmentid=1729]
For the record, this was posted as a matter of curiosity. It does, however, address the question on "traditional views" of these two, in some traditions anyway.

QUOTE

"Know without a doubt that the songs by Candidasa and Vidyapati; the subject matter of the book Krishna-karnamrta; Ramananda Raya's play are all peerless scriptures.

This seems a bit far fetched that would mean Vidyapati's 'Durgabhaktitarangini" is a peerless scripture as well, thus condoning Durga worship.

Vidyapati Stamp
[attachmentid=1731]
Three line tilak and are those Rudraksha beads?

shanti

Few realize that Sri Chaitanya and Vidyapati were practically contemporaries.

The Banglapedia dates Vidyapati as having lived 1374-1460 AD. An interesting article by B.R. Sadhu states that evidence (unspecified) shows that Vidyapati was alive until 1401 Saka (1479 AD.). The first dates would already establish a rather long life-span, namely 84 years, while the second suggestion would make it an incredible 105+ years. At any rate, this isn't relevant in the context.

The context is a meeting between Advaita Acharya and Vidyapati, presumably taking place during the earlier years of Advaita on his pilgrimage. The article states, "According to Bangabhasa O Sahitya, Advaita Prabhu was born in 1434 AD. and met Vidyapati in 1458 AD." Bangabhasa O Sahitya is a work of Dinesh Chandra Sen's (1895).

I don't know of sources other than Advaita Prakash for the meeting. The story is narrated in the fourth chapter of the text. Unfortunately I don't have the original at my disposal, the following is Subhag Swami's translation:


This chapter also contains other interesting details, such as a narration of Advaita's meeting Madhavendra Puri in Udupi, and Madhavendra's presenting him the commentary of Acharya Madhva on the Bhagavata. Leaving Udupi, Advaita headed towards Dandakaranya, the tirthas around Nasika, and then Dvaraka. From Dvaraka, he headed to Haridvara, and onwards to Gomukha and Gandaki. From there, he left to Mithila, which is noted as the birth-place of Sita (Rama's wife), also Vidyapati's birthplace. The abovementioned meeting is said to have taken place there.

Though I do not know of the origin of the date of the meeting cited in Bangabhasa O Sahitya, the age of 24 matches the narration, as Advaita is told to have left for the pilgrimage after finishing his studies and serving his parents for some years - until their departure. That would date the meeting to somewhere in his early twenties, and towards the end of Vidyapati's life. Vidyapati would have been in his eighties at that time.

This would conveniently tie in with the pada I posted about an old-age dedication to Vaishnavism.

QUOTE

This would conveniently tie in with the pada I posted about an old-age dedication to Vaishnavism.

again;

QUOTE

Vidyapati lived for another forty odd years, dying around 1448, but he never returned to the theme of Krishna and Radha, and indeed in the later compositions his attention was riveted on Shiva and Durga.

This is according to Deben Bhattacharya's 'Love Songs of Vidyapati' the Intro by Archer is very comprehensive and details how Vidyapati suddenly gave up his writing of Radha Krishna padas and focused on Shiva and Durga and thus you have the Durgabhaktitarangini which popularized Durga Puja in Bengal. I think you are hoping at his old-age dedication to Vaishnavism but that is not what is seen from the available literature and biographical works on him.
I am just being objective here.

shanti

Yes, I am being objective as well. Since I already noted that Mahaprabhu didn't seem to be overly concerned over the source as long as the bhAva worked out, and since there aren't really any specific statements in the Gaudiya texts about the said author's life, there isn't much of a defense there. Nevertheless, I am of course keenly exploring the most amicable avenues.

In being objective, I would like to be able to assess the sources of Deben Bhattacharya's suggestions. The idea that Vidyapati's literary production geared towards Shiva and Durga towards the end of his life would require the support of dated manuscripts. It isn't uncommon for authors to include dates in their poems - are any available? Does Bhattacharya's work give any sources for the information the biography presents?

I'll try and post from that intro later and search out dates etc. may be a day or so...

I wish I had a scanner or voice to forum software

From the Introduction by W.G Archer to 'Love Songs of Vidyapati' by Deben Bhattacarya

Page 31-

"Vidyapati's love songs seem to have been composed between about the year 1380 and 1406. But the poet did not die until 1448 and until a few years prior to his death he was still writing. His main works were complicated treatises in Sanskrit and although he did not totally abandon song-writing in Maithili, his Maithili poetry after 1406 comprised hymns to Shiva, Vishnu, Durga and Ganga. Songs about Radha and Krishna were abruptly adandoned and the love poet became more the distinguished Sankritist, learned scholar and director of studies. So sudden a cessation demands an explanation and in examining the circumstances which may have prompted his love poetry we may also gain a further clue to it's meaning and significance"

(this explanation will be forthcoming as soon as possible and is quite detailed, I beg your patience)


shanti


Archer comments in his 1st footnote:

"For this and much other material concerning Vidyapati, I am indebted to:
Subhadra Jha, 'The Songs of Vidyapati' - Banaras 1954-"

I will try my best by this weekend to post more from 'Love Songs of Vidyapati' by Deben Bhattacarya regarding why he abruptly adandoned writing Songs about Radha and Krishna for the last 42 years of his life. I have to type it out and it's long, but I will.

shanti