A Collection of Jewel-like Verses (Padaratnāvalī)
A Collection of Jewel-like Verses (Padaratnāvalī)
Overview
In this article, Pada-ratnāvalī, first published in Sajjana Toṣaṇī (Vol.2, Issue 9) in 1885, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura reviews a book on Vaiṣṇava songs edited by the famous Rabindranath Tagore. Although Bhaktivinoda appreciates and encourages the endeavours of Rabindranath, he also points out some philosophical errors, especially in relation to comparing Śrī Caitanya with the French philosopher, Auguste Comte.
by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
(translated by Swami B.V. Giri)
This work has been compiled from the song books of Vaiṣṇava poets. It contains exactly 108 pages, thus, only a few Vaiṣṇava songs have been gathered in it. The editors of this book are our pure hearted and music-loving friend Śrī Rabindranath Tagore, and Paṇḍita Śrī Shrisha Chandra Majumdar who belongs to the family of Śrī Narahari Ṭhākura, the dear associate of Mahāprabhu.
Reading this book has filled our hearts with joy. How could it not? For this book contains the songs of great personalities such as Vidyāpati, Cāṇḍīdāsa, Govinda Dāsa, Jñāna Dāsa, Balarāma Dāsa, Raya Śekhara, and others. Who can describe the greatness of such a book where the songs of all these mahājanas have been collected together? Blessed be our brothers Rabindranath and Shrisha Chandra! In this difficult era which is so much dedicated to logic and argument, they have carefully compiled these songs of the great poets which are filled with rasa and presented them to the general public. The Vaiṣṇava world is particularly indebted to them for this. There is no need to praise this book, as it is beyond the need for praise.
We earnestly request Rabindra and Shrisha Bābu to carefully write a scientific or historical account of Vaishnava kīrtana, which will particularly make the Vaiṣṇavas happy. In that book, all rāgas, rāgiṇis, tālas, and kīrtana melodies will be fully analysed. To the best of your ability. please collect the biographies of the ācāryas of the Reṇeṭī, Garāṇahāṭī, and Manohara-sāhī kīrtana styles, along with the times and details of subsequent mahājanas. I think they will happily complete this task soon.
It is necessary to discuss one or two mistakes found in this book. It is written in the introduction:
“There are songs from Cāṇḍīdāsa, Vidyāpati, Rāya’s nāṭaka (drama), the Karṇāmṛta, Śrī Gīta Govinda. In this context, Rāya’s nāṭaka means those of Vasanta Rāya.”
This is not correct. The name ‘Rāya’ refers to Rāmānanda Rāya, and the phrase ‘Rāya’s nāṭaka’ refers to Jagannātha Vallabha Nāṭaka.
It is written in the introduction that among modern religions, Vaiṣṇava dharma is the foremost. This statement is contrary to all historical facts. There is no country older than Bhārata-varṣa, and this is agreed upon by all scholars. There is no civilisation older than the Āryan race; even if arrogant Westerners do not accept this, it will always be considered true. The Āryans were the first to inhabit Bhārata. This has also been proven from the time of the Prajāpatis, the sons of Brahmā. Kaśyapa is one of the Prajāpatis. Prahlāda was his grandson. He is declared to be the crest-jewel of Vaiṣṇavas by all the śāstra. Dhruva, the son of Manu, is also referred to as the greatest among Vaiṣṇavas. Among Brahmā’s first sons, Nārada is a great Vaiṣṇava. Therefore, there is no religion older than Vaiṣṇava dharma in the world. Gradually gaining prominence, that Vaiṣṇava dharma become beautiful in all respects and fully developed during the time of Mahāprabhu Caitanyadeva. It is written in the introduction:
“At that time (before the advent of Śrī Caitanya), there was such an abundance of madhura-rasa that there was no time to think about other rasas.”
This statement is completely contrary to history and philosophy. We all accept the fifth state of love, which is madhura-rasa. There is no doubt that the first, second, third, and fourth rasas were in their complete form before the fifth. The propagation of that fifth rasa in a specific form is the purpose of Mahāprabhu’s avatāra. Before Mahāprabhu, various āryans had already propagated those rasas, such as Viṣṇu Svāmī in the mode of vātsalya (parental love), Nimbāditya in the mode of sakhya (friendship), and Rāmānuja in the mode of dāsaya (servitude) etc. Mahāprabhu’s grand-guru, Śrī Mādhavendra Purī, was the first to establish the scientific basis for the propagation of madhura-rasa. Śrī Īśvara Purī improved upon it. Śrī Śrī Mahāprabhu revealed the pinnacle of that rasa-tattva. Poets like Jayadeva, Vidyāpati and others did indeed experience the intrinsic reality of that rasa, but that tattva was not found in society at that time. Not only Jayadeva, but the Śrīmad Bhāgavata itself is a complete repository of madhura-rasa. However, before Śrī Mahāprabhu, who else had opened that treasury of rasa and made it accessible for the common people to partake of? For the sake of relevance, we are keeping the subject matter in this context.
We cannot refrain from discussing a few more words concerning another profound principle. It is written in the introduction:
“Four hundred years ago, Gaurāṅga established a philosophical flow in this land, and today, after half a century, he (Comte) has again created the same flow.”*(1)
A huge misconception is seen here. Comte’s approach is material science, and all his guidance is based upon this. According to him, ethics, love, religion, and altruism all originate from matter and ultimately find their repose within matter. Matter is of two kinds – sthūla (gross) and sukṣma (subtle). Matter refers to the five gross elements that comprise the world. Subtle matter refers to the mind, intellect, and the false ego, which manifests as false identification with the body. Philosophers refer to subtle matter as the liṅga-jagat (the world of subtle layers). It is a specific phenomenon characterised by thought, reasoning, memory, material experience, imagination, and illusion. When the jīva resides in this material world, it perceives the liṅga-jagat in a relative way. If the jīva had not come into this world, then thought, material experience, imagination, illusion, and liberation would not have existed for him. It is not the case that all such phenomenon exist within the jīvātmā itself. The ātmā is full of transcendental bliss. Transcendental reality is full of pure knowledge. It is not possible for the ātmā to possess all these deficient functions such as memory, reasoning etc. By being bound, the jīvātmā suffers the conditions of distress and all these relative realities have occurred. Thus, all such realities remain within matter. Having been purified, the jīva attains Śrī Vaikuṇṭha. In the perfected state of the jīva, all cid-vilāsa (divine pastimes) exists. Al this is cid-rasa (divine mellows). In his bound state, there are reflections of śānta, dāsya, sakhya and vātsalya. The foundation of all these is pure prema. In his material state, an immoral jīva maintains that prema in a distorted fashion. The morals of Comte, or Comte himself, advises him to be universal by making it somewhat selfless and regulated through rules. Śrī Śrī Mahāprabhu has imparted teachings concerning the pure, transcendental prema of the perfected jīva. Comte, who is rooted in materialism, suggests expanding a purely mundane transformation of that prema in a sexual context. In Comte’s teachings, there is no auspiciousness for the jīva. It is observed that only by rejecting iron shackles, can one accept a gold chain.*(2) Having removed their shackles, Mahāprabhu has taught the pastimes of Śrī Śrī Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa to the jīvas in order for them to relish pure prema. The vast difference between the ‘love’ of Comte and the prema of Mahāprabhu will not be experienced unless the jīva is exceptionally fortunate. I think that scholars who are mired in materialism will not be able to understand the things we are talking about. For that reason, we will remain particularly sad.
Be that as it may, Pada-ratnāvalī is pure prema for the jīvas – in other words, it is a depiction of divine prema imbued with consciousness. Those whose spiritual eyes are open should read it and dance with us chanting these words:
jayare jayare jaya, hena prema rasālaya
bhāṅgi vanāila gora-rāya
nir-jīve jīvana pāila, paṅgu giri ḍiṅgāila
ānande locana dāsa gāya
All glories! All glories! All glories! Gaura Rāya has broken open the abode of prema-rasa and distributed it. Life has returned to the lifeless and the lame are able to cross over mountains. Thus, Locana Dāsa sings in bliss. (Caitanya-maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa 2.5.24)
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TRANSLATOR’S NOTES
*(1) August Comte (1798-1857) was a French philosopher who created the school of western philosophy known as Positivism. He leaned heavily towards natural science, sociology and psychology.
*(2) This example suggests that adopting or holding onto something valuable (symbolised here by gold) can only occur after abandoning something less desirable (symbolised by iron shackles). It also implies a transition from a state of limitation to a state of freedom.