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ISSN 0970-8669 Review

Vaishnavism in the Medieval Odisha

Prof. Sarbeswar Kar

he great literary atmosphere of Odisha during Chaitanya influenced Raya Ramananda to accept Tthe reign of Gajapati Prataprudra Dev was his faith and to resign from his job. On the other at its height. The Panchasakha (five comrades of hand, it is known from “Sri Chaitanya Odishan ) had their various literary Charitamrita” that Raya Ramananda told Chaitanya works under the patronage of Prataprudra (1497- about the dalliance of and on the 1533-34 AD). Besides, there were other great riverbank of Godavari. scholars in his court. Sri Chaitanya, a famous Krishnadas Kaviraj writes that king Vaishnav monk, had a great influence over the Prataprudra expressed his desire before Odishan’s at that period. In various works of that Sarbabhauma and Sarbabhauma sought age, Sri Chaitanya and Vaishnavism are depicted Chaitanya’s kind permission if the king would be and exaggerated diversely in “Chaitanya allowed to meet Sri Chaitanya and the king was Charitamrita” by Krishnadev Goswami. It has allowed then. But on the other hand, the king was been narrated that Sri Chaitanya took his birth in mentally depressed after the death of his son 1407 SakaEra i.e. 1486 AD and died in 1455 Virabhadra. Further, according to a treaty made SakaEra i.e., 1533 AD at the age of 48 at Puri. by himself with Krishnadeva Ray, the emperor of Sri Chaitanya renounced the world in Vijayanagar, the king had to give his daughter 1510 AD and in the month of February of the Jaganmohini in marriage with Krishnadev Ray and same year he proceeded to Puri. His mother, there she had to be neglected. These deplorable Sachidevi insisted him to stay at Puri. After two incidents brought a wider resentment and anguish years of stay at Puri he went on a pilgrimage to in Prataprudra’s mind under which consequences the south from there to Brindaban. After two years he made himself pious and converted into stay in Brindaban he came back to Puri and there Chaitanya’s faith unhesitatingly for the restoration he spent his last seventeen years of his life till his of a little mental peace as is likely to be believed. death. There are two sects of Vaishnavism During Chaitanya’s tour to south India, Odishan Vaishnavism and Goudia Vaishnavism. Raya Ramananda, the then Governor of The Panchasakha (five associates of Vaishnavism) Rajmahendri, appointed by Prataprudra Dev, met like Das, Das, Balaram him and converted himself to Chaitanya’s faith. Das, Yashobant Das and Sisu Anant Das were But some historians are of the opinions that the principal advocates of Odishan Vaishnavism.

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They believed in the theology of devotion of Lord disciples, among whom the most prominent were Jagannath. But the “Madhura rasa upasana” (the Gajapati Prataprudra, Bhabanananda Pattnaik devotion towards Lord Jagannath through the and his two son, Ramananda and . These conjugal of Radha and Krishna) of Sri brothers were the governors of Rajamahendry and Chaitanya, the famous Goudia saint, shook the Midnapore respectively. The place of sex in backbone of Odishan Vaishnavism and the very Odishan and Gaudia Vaishnavism was no more Vaishnava trend flooded in Odisha with effect from significant. Sir Chaitanya’s attitude towards sex the stay of Sri Chaitanya at Puri. Odishan and women was detached. Even if he didn’t permit Vaishnavas became the ardent followers of Sri his devoted female follower Madhavi Dasi to meet Chaitanya. In those literary works of him. Panchasakha, we can find enormous eulogies and Besides the Odishan and Gaudiya exaggeration relating to Sri Chaitanya described Vaishnavism there was another Vaishnavism prior as Mahaprabhu. Even they took Chaitanya as an to the advent of Sri Chaitanya to Puri called incarnation of Lord Jagannath. In a literary work sahajiya type of Vaishnavism during Pratap like “Chaurasi Agna” composed by either Rudra’s reign that formed the theme of the ‘Gita Yashobant Das or Sudarsana Das, a disciple of ’. Yashobant (there is a great controversy regarding the real composer of this work. P. Mukharjee and The work Gita Govinda was Pandit Surya Narayan Das mention Yashobant introduced by the king Prataprudra as an essential and Bansidhar Mohanty mentions Sudarsan Das ritualistic element. As a result, orders were issued as the composer of this work). We can evaluate to exhibit dance performances at the time of these :- bhoga of Jagannath from the end of the evening till the time of the badasinghar or bedtime. The “Janama hele Bhagabana, dancing girls were to dance before Lord Jagannath Chaitanya Prabhu boli jana.” in the temple reciting the cantos of Gita Govinda. “Tanka Ajnaru Panchasakha, From this it is very clear that the then Janama hoi sange lekha.” Odishan and king and people had already (The God himself took his birth as Sri Chaitanya accepted the ‘sahajiya’ form of Vaishnavism prior and five comrades of Vaishnavism took their birth to the coming of Sri Chaitanya to Puri in 1510 at Sri Chaitanya’s honorable order.) AD. The spiritual way of Odishan Vaishnavism At the juncture of Prataprudra’s reign, the was different from that of Sri Chaitanya. They ‘ movement’ was at its Zenith. accepted neither the way of pure devotion nor The passing away of Chaitanya is covered the way of love but there was the mixture of with mysticism. When he went to the Jagannath devotion and love. This is the only extraordinary temple, his soul merged with the soul of Lord symptom of our great heredity that is Odishan Jagannath as he was one of embodiments of Lord cultural tradition. Though the Odishan Vaishnavas Jagannath. had fervent relations with Sri Chaitanya, still they stood on their own gospels. When Sri Chaitanya at Puri, a large Prof. Sarbeswar Kar, Principal, JSS, Ayurvedic Medical number of Odias came to him to become his College, 41/E, Lalithadripura, Alanahalli, Mysuru.

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