Sri Krsna-prema-tarangini - Sri Raghunath Bhagavatacarya

A couple of times in the past I've asked devotees about this book called Krsna-prema tarangini by Bhagavatacarya. Both wrote the same reply, which I later found to be quotation from Haridas dasji's Abhidhan. So I suspect that not many have read or are familiar with this book. Anyway I picked it up in my Gaudiya mission days where it is compusory reading for the members. It is a Bengali versification of the Srimad Bhagavat, and if it is of interest I will try to translate some relevent portions of the publishers nivedan over the next few days on this here thread. It is, I guess, only of interest to the students of Bengali because the Bhagavat is already available in various English renderings. But for those who enjoy rectation of CC and CB in the original, the Krsna -prema tarangini is in a similar form of verse (poyAr) and resonates in the same pleasant manner on the ears. Anyway I'll leave it here for now and come back later.

By the way, Navadvipa has put some pictures of Ganga puja at the Sripat of Bhagavatacrya; if I new how to make a link, but I don't, anway they're under the sacred veiw thread.

From the publishers submission;

"Sri Raghunath Bhagavatacarya's spiritual credentials are found in Sri Kavi Karnapura's "Gauraganodasa Dipika" 203, where it is stated;

nirmitA pustika yena krsnaprematarangini/
srImadbhAgavatAcAryo gaurAngAtyanta vallabhah//

Srimad Bhagavatacarya is extreemly beloved of lord Gauranga, and he is the auther of such a book as Sri Krsna-prema-tarangini.

Although the KPT presents the entire twelve skandhas of the original, skandhas 1-9 are in the form of an abridged versification, whereas the last three, ie.,10, 11 and 12 are given full verse by verse treatment. Still he has taken great care to present the essential points in abridgement, such as the ultimate and singular supreme well-being for mankind being the cultivation of Bhagavat bhakti, the purpose and deeds of the lord's various incarnations and the teachings related thereto, the wonderful life and character of the voteries of Visnu, the indespensable neccesity of sadhu sanga and the pre-eminance of the devotional disciplines of hearing, recounting and contemplating the names, beauties, attributes and divine exploits of Sri Hari. All these topics are expressed in sweetest verse conveyed in a very beautiful mood.
The dexterity with which he has transposed the sanskrt slokas into Bengali couplets is so marked that the reciter sometimes feels that he is pronouncing the origial, so faithfully does it represent the sanskrt slokas.
For example;

nigamakalpatarorgalitam phalam
sukamukhAdamrtadravasamyutam/
pibata bhAgavatam rasamAlayam
muhuraho rasikA bhUvi bhAvukAh// Bhag 1,1,3

nigamakalpataru-vigalita phala/
suka mukhe patita amrta-madhura//
ksititale nipatita "bhAgavata" - nAma/
piya, re bhAvuka bhAi, rasika sujAna//

(to be continued)

Another example;

rahUganaistat tapasA na yAti
na cejyayA nirvApanAd-grhAdvA/
na candasA naiva jalAgnisUryair-
vinA mahat-pAda-rajo'bhisekam// (Bhag 5.12.12)

suna, rahUgana, tattva kahiba tomAre/
tapa, yoga, yanja, kari' nA pAi tAhAre//
dAna-vrata-grha tyAga sannyAsa vidhAne/
agni-jala-sUrya sevA, tIrtha paryatane//
sAdhujana padaraja abhiseka bine/
se Krsna nA pAi, rAjA, vividha vidhAne//

The auther Raghunatha pandit was awarded the title "Bhagavatacarya" by Sriman Mahaprabhu himself. In the Caitanya Bhagavat, Antya khanda, chapter five the narrative runs thus;

"Thereupon the lord arrived at VarAha-nagara, and came to the home of one highly blessed Brahman who was a great exponent of the holy Bhagavat. Observing the lord's arrival, the Vipra began to recite. Hearing that recitation, full of the glories of bhaktiyoga, the lord Gauracandra-Narayana became overwhelmed. Repeatedly lord Gauranga rAy urged him; "speak, speak more!", and as he did so the lord was continually exclaiming loudly and billowing like thunder. The Vipra was emmersed in paramAnanda as he continued to recite, and the lord now unconscious of the external surroundings began to dance in abandon.
As he heard again and again the glorification of Bhakti, the lord rose up and crashed to the ground again and again. Such was the lord's expression of love, but the people were terrified to see him forcefully tumbling on the ground.
In this manner the lord, who is the paragon of virtue, past three praharas of the night in dancing and listening to the Bhagavat. After regaining external awareness the lord Saci-nandana took his seat, and in great satisfaction embraced the Dvija, and doing so said to him; " Never have I heard the Bhagavat so recited as I have from your lips today. Therefore I confer upon you the honoury title "Bhagavatacarya", and aside from that (recitation) you have no other duty to perform"
There was then a great resounding of "Hari Hari!" as the people made approval of the most befitting title awarded by the lord."

(to be continued)

In Sajjana Tosani Thakura Bhaktivinoda identifies Bhagavatacarya in Vraja Lila as Sri SyAmA manjari, whose special seva is singing for the pleasure of Radha-Krsna songs embued with SyAma rasa. And (as depicted in CBh) did not offer formal worship with foot-wash, argya etc. as is customary, but without such formalities sang the slokas of the Bhagavat, such singing being his siddha-seva.

Sri Bhagavatacarya was the disciple of Sri Gadadhara Pandit, and therefore pays reverence to him in his sanskrt mangalacarana;

vande nityamanantabhaktiniratam bhaktapriyam sadgurum
madIsvara-gadAdharam dvijavaram bhrtyaikarUpAkrtim/

I bow to my potent master Gadadhara, foremost of the twice-born, the nitya ananta-bhakti-niratam(?), the worthy preceptor, beloved of the bhaktas and bhrtyaika-rUpAkrtim(?).

Throughout in various places he has made referance to his guru;

pandita gosAi "srIla gadAdhara" nAme/
yAhAra mahimA ghose e-tina bhuvane//
ksititale krpAya karilA avatAra/
asesa pAtakI jIva karite udhAra//
vaikuntha-nAyaka krsna, caitanya-murati/
tAhAra abhinna teha (deha?), sahaje sakati//
mora istadeva guru se dui carana/
deha-mana-vAkye mora sei se sarana//

Pandit GosAi, known by the name Srila Gadadhara, whose glories are celebrated throughout these three worlds, has , out of grace, descended to the Earth, and redeemed the souls of countless sinfull men. He is the innate sakti and therefore the indivisasable counter whole of Krsna, the hero of Vaikuntha, in the person of Caitanya. He is my Istadeva and Guru at whose pair of feet I take refuge with my body (senses), mind and speach.
(KPT 1,1,14-17)

From what I can decifer from the rest are details of how the book was not readily availabe, and by the efforts of revered Bhaktiprasad Puri Goswami, the book was edited and published in 1945. Puri Goswami also made the book available free of charge, having covered the cost of printing with kind donations from wealthy patrons.

Jaya NitAi !