Nisikanta Sanyal -- Sree Krishna Chaitanya

[Nitaidas]

Greetings All,

I have an idea to post a scanned text I have for the sake of discussion. I am working on volume one of S. K. Ghosh's Lord Gauranga and that has put me in mind of other treatments of Sri Caitanya that I come across in my many years on this planet. One that has always stuck in my mind was that of Nisikanta Sanyal called Sree Krishna Chaitanya. It was one that I was impressed with when I was a member of IGM. Now, I find it problematic and rather insulting, as just about all IGM products are, to other Vaisnavas. When Sanyal criticizes other treatments of Sri Caitanya he surely has Ghosh's in mind even though he does not mention it. What other treatments were there in 1933? And what is the flaw in Ghosh's treatment? It is not written by a disciple of Bhaktisiddhanta, I guess. As always he and his gurubhais are not specific. Nevertheless, Sanyal was an academic, a historian who taught college in Orissa. So, his treatment deserves our attention, even in its arrogance and self-tumescence. I would like to have a discussion with the followers of this forum, if there still are any, about this text. So I plan to post links to its various parts. It is around 1000 pages long and I have scanned it at a relatively high resolution. The files will therefore be somewhat large. Nevertheless, let's give it a try. At the least it will be an addition to our collection of books on Caitanya Vaisnavism.

Those who like the text can get a reprint of it from the GM. Reprints often are flawed, however. This is the original. The book has the added attraction of having a foreword by Bhaktisiddhanta himself. It is an opportunity to read something he wrote in English. His English writing has always befuddled me. Is he just inept at writing clear English? Is he trying write English that sounds more profound than his message really is? Have a look and see what you make of it.

Here is the title page of the book.

Here is the first half of the foreword by Bhaktisiddhanta

Here is the second half of the foreword.

[Nitaidas]

Here are the prefaces and table of contents of the Sree Krishna Chaitanya.

[Nitaidas]

What? No comments? Ah well. I guess we are ready for the first introduction. Actually it is not an introduction, but a mangalacarana. Perhaps if Professor Sanyal had done fewer introductions he would have gotten further with the story of Sri Caitanya. Here is the Mangala.


I've decided one of the things I like better about S. K. Ghosh's Lord Gauranga is its greater use of Murari Gupta's Kadaca, Kavi Karnapura's first poem on the life of Sri Caitanya (Sricaitanya-caritamrta-mahakavya) and, of course, Vrndavana Das's text (Sricaitanya-bhagavata). Oh, and Locanadas's Sricaitanya-mangala is also reflected in Ghosh's text. I don't think he has mentioned the work of Krsnadas Kaviraja anywhere. In Sanyal's work it is everywhere. There is a certain purity and simplicity to the early works of hagiography that is lost in the "final word." Anyone else recognize a kind of sectarian arrogance and intolerance about Krsnadas Kaviraj's work? The Caitanya-caritamrta of Krsnadas Kaviraj represents the movement after it lost its innocence.

Next week Introduction I.

[Nitaidas]

Well, it has been longer than a week. Sorry about that. Time is hard to master in this world. Anyway, here is the next installment of the Sree Krishna Chaitanya by Nisikanta Sanyal. This is Introduction 1 This is the first of no less than nine introductions. More to come.

Any comments one might have will appreciated. This the second major representation of the Life of Sri Caitanya in English, even though it is incomplete. The first was that of Shishir Kumar Ghosh called Lord Gauranga, or, Salvation for All (1897-8). Our new edition and expansion of that is about ready for release.

[madanmohandas]

Greetings Nitai. After a long absence from here, it was interesting to note this thread. I used to very much enjoy Sanyal's academic style. He also translated the Caitanya Bhagavat, Adi Kanda and some of the Madhya in blanc verse which was serialized in the Harmonist. Ghose's treatment was a breath of fresh air, I particularly appreciated his take on Advita acarya's scepticism, which compared with Vrndavan Dasa's treatment, seems to be more explicit where Vrndavan Das only implies or at least shows it in accordance with more the grand style of his narrative. As for Krsna Das Kaviraj, well, he certainly writes in a period when doctrines and dogmas had been developed to a degree of sophistication that presuppose or represent certain things that none would have thought or said during Caitanya's life.

[Nitaidas]

Jan 31, 2015 15:52:35 GMT -6 madanmohandas said:

Greetings Nitai. After a long absence from here, it was interesting to note this thread. I used to very much enjoy Sanyal's academic style. He also translated the Caitanya Bhagavat, Adi Kanda and some of the Madhya in blanc verse which was serialized in the Harmonist. Ghose's treatment was a breath of fresh air, I particularly appreciated his take on Advita acarya's scepticism, which compared with Vrndavan Dasa's treatment, seems to be more explicit where Vrndavan Das only implies or at least shows it in accordance with more the grand style of his narrative. As for Krsna Das Kaviraj, well, he certainly writes in a period when doctrines and dogmas had been developed to a degree of sophistication that presuppose or represent certain things that none would have thought or said during Caitanya's life.

Greetings Madanmohandasji,

I am pleased to see you here again. Wish I had noticed earlier. Unfortunately, I don't spend much time on the forum any more. I find I am too busy trying to get more books out. Malatidasi and I were discussing you just recently and we both wondered where you were and what you were up to. It is nice to know that you look in once in a while. Yes, I remember my first exposure to Sanyal's book. I was amazed and charmed. Of course, I was ISKCON in those days. It has always stuck in my mind. Do you have the book? I will continue posting more sections of this book. I think it was never finished and have noticed that one of the GM organizations has republished it. I did not know about his translation of the Caitanya-bhagavata. Do you have a copy?

How are your own translations going? Do you still work on them?

Best

Nitai das

[Nitaidas]

Well, it has been many months. Sorry about that. Time just slips away from me. Here is the next set of installments of the Sree Krishna Chaitanya by Nisikanta Sanyal.

This is Introduction 2
This is Introduction 3
This is Introduction 4
This is Introduction 5
This is Introduction 6
This is Introduction 7
This is Introduction 8
This is Introduction 9
This is Chapter 1
This is Chapter 2
This is Chapter 3
This is Chapter 4
This is Chapter 5
This is Chapter 6
This is Chapter 7
This is Chapter 8
This is Chapter 9
This is Chapter 10
This is Chapter 11
This is Chapter 12
This is Chapter 13
This is Chapter 14
This is Chapter 15
This is Chapter 16
This is Chapter 17
This is Chapter 18
This is Chapter 19
This is Chapter 20
This is Chapter 21
This is Chapter 22
This is Chapter 23
This is Chapter 24
This is Glossary
This is Index

Any comments one might have will appreciated. This the second major representation of the Life of Sri Caitanya in English, even though it is incomplete. The first was that of Shishir Kumar Ghosh called Lord Gauranga, or, Salvation for All (1897-8). Our new edition and expansion of that is about ready for release.