Whatever is left over from the archives of the old Raganuga.Com forums after most of the substantial threads were moved to the relevant areas of the main forums.
Radha Rasa Sudhanidhi - Who is the author?
Raga - Fri, 15 Feb 2002 23:55:48 +0530
QUOTE
(Radha Rasa Sudhanidhi- Sri Hita Hari Vamsha)
[A reference as it appeared at "Daily Meditations"]
To the best of my understaning, Radha Rasa Sudhanidhi is a title by Prabhodhananda Sarasvati, though it is sometimes attributed to Hita Harivamsa due to reasons unknown to me.
Our scholars here, any comments? [_]
Nitai Das - Sat, 16 Feb 2002 07:54:35 +0530
This question got me wondering why the Radha-rasa-sudhanidhi is sometimes ascribed to Hita Harivamsa. Here is what I found:
SK De says in a footnote on page 132 of his Vaisnava Faith and Movement:
"A stotra kavya, named Radharasasudhanidhi, printed in two parts from the Bhakti-prabha Office, Hugli 1924, 1935, is wrongly ascribed to Prabodhananda. The first and last verses of the printed text pay homage to Caitanya, but these verses are missing in the MSS noticed by Eggeling (India Office Catalogue ...), Aufrecht (Bodleian Catalogue ...), Haraprasad Sastri (Descriptive Catalogue of the ASB Collection ...) and Notices (2nd series ...), while the work is uniformly ascribed in these to Hitaharivamsa son of Vyasa. It is obviously a case of appropriation by the Caitanya sect of a work composed by Hitaharivamsa of the Radhavallabhi sect!"
It looks like the manuscripts favor the idea that this is work of Hitaharivamsa. It doesn't really matter much. It is a lovely work and should be treasured on its own merits. Should the Gaudiya tradition be the only one Srimati smiles on?
Haridasa Dasa in his Gaudiya Vaisnava Sahitya says that he believes this work and four others to be by Prabodhananda Sarasvati and thinks that Probodhananda is different from Praksasananda. He also says that Probodhananda was at one point a resident of Kasi, but moved to Vrndavana under the influence of Sri Caitanya.
Raga - Sat, 16 Feb 2002 17:05:14 +0530
QUOTE
Jagat:
Only around here, it's Prabodhananda Saraswati and not Hita Harivamsh who wrote Radha-rasa-sudha-nidhi. Didn't I send you those articles showing you the evidence...
QUOTE
Nitai:
It is a lovely work and should be treasured on its own merits. Should the Gaudiya tradition be the only one Srimati smiles on?
Dear everyone,
Please do consider that most of the people at Raganuga Discussions are affiliated with the Gaudiya lineage. If there are known controversies, like the one at hand, we are better off posting just "Radha-Rasa-Sudhanidhi" without the author's name to avoid unnecessary friction.
-- Sys Admin --
anuraag - Sat, 16 Feb 2002 20:52:01 +0530
Nitai Das:
QUOTE
It looks like the manuscripts favor the idea that this is work of Hitaharivamsa. It doesn't really matter much. It is a lovely work and should be treasured on its own merits. Should the Gaudiya tradition be the only one Srimati smiles on?
Namaste. Jaya Sri Radhey!
I have never read Sri Prabodhananda's RRS but I have at hand the original Sanskrit text of RRS by Sri Hita Harivamsha, from which I have quoted.
I will not consider the articles of speculation as an evidence for determining the authorship.
The 'Nectarean content' of RRS should be meditated upon by 'sAra grAhiNi'.
May be, we all could be more "RADHAANUGA" rather than being sectarian "Gaudiya".
Raga - Sun, 17 Feb 2002 00:46:40 +0530
QUOTE
Anuraag:
May be, we all could be more "RADHAANUGA" rather than being sectarian "Gaudiya".
The term "Gaudiya" is not a mere symbol of a particular sectarian affiliation by followers of Sri Caitanya, inasmuch as the concept "sectarian" is loaded with negative attributes. Being a follower of Sri Caitanya inevitably includes the following of a particular body of theology and precepts of bhajan unique to the Caitanyite tradition.
While we are certainly all "Radhanuga", we are such in allegiance with a particular guru-pranali, and we can never neglect the established insights of our predecessors.
Given the fact that the website is founded by, maintained by and visited mainly by devotees considering themselves "Gaudiya", followers of Sri Caitanya, it is appropriate to consider this and carefully amend the postings accordingly in the spirit of being a sara-grahi.
While all discussions and well-founded debates are welcome, comments such as "what you wrote is speculation" etc. based on our individual belief and conviction are not. Debates based on "I believe" are fruitless and should not be held at the premises of Raganuga.org . If anyone is to debate, we invite you to proceed with well-grounded statements with facts verifiable for everyone.
-- Sys Admin --