Text 42] The Advent of Lord Caitanya 75

TEXT 42

fawintfs, oacwa, DetwicAa Ns |
BPACHA AAP BAA-APTS ti Br Ul

vidya@pati, jayadeva, candidasera gita
asvadena ramdananda-svarupa-sahita

SYNONYMS

vidyapati—the author of the name Vidyapati; jayadeva—of the name Jayadeva;
cangidasera—of the name Candidasa; gita— their songs; dsyddena—tastes; ramdananda
—of the name Ramananda; svorapo—of the name Svartpa; sahita—along with.

TRANSLATION

The Lord used to read the books of Vidyapati, Jayadeva and Candidasa, relishing
their songs with His confidential associates like Sri Ramananda Raya and Svariipa
Damodara Gosvami.

PURPORT

Vidyapati was a famous composer of songs about the pastimes of Radha-Krsna.
He was an inhabitant of Mithila, born in a bradhmana family. It is calculated that he
composed his songs during the reign of King Sivasintha and Queen Lachimadevi in
the beginning of the Fourteenth Century of the Saka Era, almost one hundred years
before the appearance of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The twelfth generation of
Vidyapati'’s descendants is still living. Vidyapati’s songs about the pastimes of Lord
Krsna express intense feelings of separation from Krsna,and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu
relished al/l those songs in His ecstasy of separation from Krsna.

Jayadeva was born during the reign of Maharaja Laksmana Sena of Bengal in the
Eleventh or Twelfth Century of the Saka Era. His father was Bhojadeva, and his
mother was Vamadevi. For many years he lived in Navadvipa, then the capital of
Bengal. His birthplace was in the Birbhum district in the village Kendubilva. Jn the
opinion of some authorities, however, he was born in Orissa, and still others say that
he was born in Southern India. He passed the last days of his life in Jagannatha Puri.
One of his famous books is Gita-govinda, which is full of transcendental mellow
feelings of separation from Krsna. The gopis felt separation from Krsna before the
rasa dance, as mentioned in the Srimad-8hdgavatam, and the Gita-govinda expresses
such feelings. There are many commentaries on the Gita-govinda by many Vaisnavas.

Candidasa was born in the village of Nannura, which is also in the Birbhum
district of Bengat. He was born of a brahmana family, and it is said that he also took
birth in the beginning of the Fourteenth Century, Sakabda Era. It hasbeen suggested
that Candidasa and Vidyapati were great friends because the writings of both express
the transcendental feelings of separation profusely. The feelings of ecstasy described
by Candidasa and Vidyapati were actually exhibited by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
He relished all those feelings in the role of Sri Radharans, and His appropriate as-
