Vaishnavism, also called Vishnuism, one of the major forms of modern Hinduism, characterized by devotion to the god Vishnu and his incarnations (avatars). A devotee of Vishnu is called a Vaishnava. The devotional Vaishnava literature that emerged in Sanskrit and in vernacular writings from the 10th through the 16th century continues to be a part of Vaishnava worship, though it is often supplemented by later philosophical and narrative texts, both written and oral1.
For Vaishnavas, absolute reality (brahman) is manifested in Vishnu, who in turn is incarnated in Rama, Krishna, and other avatars. Through his avatars, Vishnu defends traditional righteousness in keeping with the moral law (dharma). The most popular of the avatars are Rama and Krishna. Rama is often depicted in Hindu art and literature with his consort Sita. Krishna manifests his true identity as Vishnu to his warrior friend Arjuna in the Bhagavadgita, but he is often portrayed as a handsome youth in the company of Radha or other Gopis (milkmaids)1.
The various sects of worshippers of Vishnu pray to him in different ways. For some, the goal of religious devotion (Bhakti) to Vishnu is liberation (Moksha) from the cycle of birth and death (Samsara). For others, it is health and prosperity in this life, good crops, success in business, or thriving children. Most Vaishnavas hope to spend eternity in Vishnu’s presence after death1.
Vaishnavism comprises many sects and groups that differ in their interpretation of the relationship between the individual and God. The Srivaishnava sect, for example, emphasizes the doctrine of Vishishtadvaita (“qualified nondualism”) of Ramanuja, according to which, although the differentiated phenomenal world is illusory (Maya), it is nevertheless the medium through which devotees may gain access to God. Another group professes the Dvaita (“dualism”) of the philosopher Madhva, the belief that God and the soul are separate entities and that the soul’s existence is dependent on God. The Pushtimarg sect maintains the Shuddhadvaita (“pure nondualism”) doctrine of the theologian Vallabhacharya, which does not declare the phenomenal world to be an illusion. The Gaudiya sect, founded by Chaitanya, teaches achintya-bhedabheda (“inconceivable duality and nonduality”), the belief that the relation between God and the world is beyond the scope of human comprehension. In addition to these philosophical sects, many other Vaishnava groups are scattered throughout India, often centered in local temples or shrines1.
The first epic on Radha and Krishna was Jaydev’s 12th century Sanskrit epic Gitagovindam. In the 14th century Baru Chandidas composed Shrikrshnakirtan in Bangla, the first epic in the language. Its 418 lyrics on Radha and Krishna, which are meant to be sung, indicate their respective raga and tal. As a lyrical play, Shrikrsnakirtan is incomparable even today. In the second half of the century, Chandidas composed many lyrics on the story of Radha and Krishna. In the 15th century, vidyapati (circa1380-circa1460) of Mithila composed many lyrics on the same theme in brajabuli. The lyrics became so popular that subsequently many Bangali poets, both Hindu and Muslim, composed Vaisnava lyrics in Brajabuli. Rabindranath Tagore also composed his Bhanusingha Thakurer Padavali (1884) in this language. In 1474 Maladhar Basu of Kulingram in Burdwan translated the 10th and 11th cantos of the Sanskrit Shrimadbhagavata about Krishna into Bangla and named it Shrikrsnavijay. In Shrikrsnavijay, Maladhar Basu concentrates more on Krishna’s divine side than on the human side of the mischievous youth and lover of Radha. The most important sacred text of the Vaisnavas is Vyasadeva’s Bhagavatpurana. The Muslim poet Afzal also composed some lyrics on the romance of Radha and Krishna at about the same time2-5.
There is no accurate account of how many Vaisnava poets there were or how many lyrics they composed. The manuscripts of most of these lyrics have not been found. It is possible that the poets did not write down their lyrics and that they were sung by kirtan singers and passed orally from one singer to another. The names of the composers can be known from their compositions. Some lyrics dating from the beginning of the 18th century have been found, including Bishwanath Chakravarty’s Ksanadagitachintamani (1705), Radhamohan Thakur’s Padamrtasamudra, Vaisnavadas’ Padakalpataru (1760) and Narahari Chakravarty’s Gitachandroday. Padakalpataru is a compilation of about 3,000 Vaisnava lyrics by nearly 150 poets. The lyrics have been arranged according to the Vaisnava concept of aesthetics and are based on different episodes in Krishna’s life: his childhood, his relationship with the Gopis, his romance with Radha, his estrangement from Radha, etc2-5.
Some prominent Vaisnava poets of the 16th century were Murari gupta, Narahari Sarkar, Basudev Ghosh, Lochandas, Jnanadas, Govindadas, Balaram Das and Dwija Chandidas; some of the 17th century poets were Kaviranjan (Chhoto Vidyapati), Kavishekhar, Radhaballabh Das, Ghanashyam Das and Ramgopal Das; some of the 18th century poets were Vaisnavadas, Chandrashekhar, Radhamohan Thakur, Narahari Chakravarty and Yadunandan. Vidyapati excelled in composing lyrics on separation, Chandidas on love and union, Jnanadas on affection and Govindadas on trysts. Their lyrics were religious in theme but show considerable literary and artistic qualities. In describing the relationship of Radha and Krishna, the Vaisnava poets also drew upon human psychology. The poets skillfully merged human love with spiritual love in their poems, thus blurring the boundary between religion and literature. The lyrics of Vidyapati, Chandidas, Jnanadas and Govindadas are so rich in ideas and artistic qualities that they can easily claim a place in world literature2-5.
During the medieval period, considerable Vaisnava literature was written about Krishna, the romance of Radha and Krishna, the life and work of Chaitanyadev, and about religion. Much of this writing was inspired by the unique personality and religious thoughts of Chaitanyadev. The wide range of subjects dealt with in Vaisnava literature has greatly enriched Bangla language and literature. Through the lyrics the poets expressed their perception about human beings, narrated the numerous events in their lives, and revealed their deeply felt religious thoughts. Although the Vaisnava lyrics were about a particular religion, they possess great literary value and this has made them widely popular2-5.
References:
- Retrieved from the topic: Vaishnavism, Hindu sect, by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica;
[Link: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Vaishnavism]
- Retrieved from the topic: Vaisnava Literature on the Banglapedia main page of the National Encyclopaedia of Bangladesh;
[Link: https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Vaisnava_Literature]