Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu bestows mercy on a Poetic Scholar Keshava Kashmiri
20 Aug: Once on a full moon night the Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was sitting on the bank of the Ganges with his many students and discussing literary topics. Coincidentally, Keshava Kashmiri Pandita came there. While offering his prayers to mother Ganges, he met Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The Lord received him with adoration, but because Keshava Kashmiri was very proud, he talked to the Lord very inconsiderately.
He said, “I understand that You are a teacher of grammar and that Your name is Nimai Pandita. People speak very highly of Your teaching of beginner’s grammar. I understand that You teach Kalaapa – vyaakarana. I have heard that Your students are very expert in the word jugglery of this grammar.” The Lord replied, ‘Yes, I am known as a teacher of grammar, but factually I cannot impress My students with grammatical knowledge, nor can they understand Me very well.” “My dear sir, whereas you are a very learned scholar in all sorts of scriptures and a very much experienced in composing poetry, I am only a boy (Lord was around 11 years of age or so) – a new student and nothing more. Therefore I desire to hear your skill in composing poetry. We could hear this if you would mercifully describe the glory of mother Ganges.”
When Keshava Kashmiri, heard this, he became more puffed up, and within one hour he composed one hundred verses describing mother Ganges. The Lord praised him, “There is no greater poet than you in the entire world. Your poetry is so difficult that no one can understand it but you and mother Sarasvati, the goddess of learning. But if you may explain the meaning of one verse, we can all hear it from your own mouth and thus be very happy.”
Keshava Kashmiri inquired which verse Lord wanted to be explained. The Lord then recited one of the hundred verses Keshava Kashmiri had composed.
Mahattvam gangaayah satatam idam aabhaati nitaraam
Yad eshaa shri-vishnosh carana-kamalotpatti-subhagaa
Dvitiya-shri-lakshmir iva sura-narair arcya-caranaa
Bhavaani-bhartur yaa shirasi vibhavaty adbhuta-gunaa
(The greatness of mother Ganges always exists brilliantly. She is the most fortunate because she emanated from the Lotus Feet of Sri Vishnu, the Personality of Godhead. She is the second goddess of fortune, and therefore she is always worshipped both by demigods and by humanity. Endowed with all wonderful qualities, she flourishes on the head of Lord Shiva.)
When Lord Chaitanya asked him to explain the meaning of this verse, the champion, was astonished and he inquired from the Lord, ‘I recited all the verses like the blowing wind. How could You completely learn by heart even one among those verses?’ Lord replied, ‘By the grace of the Lord someone may become great poet, and similarly by His grace someone else may become a great ‘shruti-dhara’(one who can memorize anything immediately).’
Satisfied thus, the Brahmin, Keshava Kashmiri explained the quoted verse. Then the Lord said, ‘Now kindly explain the special qualities and faults in the verse.’ The Brahmin said, ‘There is not a tinge of fault in that verse. Rather, it has the good qualities of similies and alliteration.’ Lord replied, ‘Sir, I may say something to you if you will not become angry. Can you explain the fault in this verse? There is no doubt that your poetry is full of ingenuity, and certainly it has satisfied the Supreme Lord. Yet if we scrutinizingly consider it we can find both good qualities and faults. Now, therefore, let’s carefully scrutinize this verse.’ The Brahmin said, ‘Yes, the verse You have recited is perfectly correct. You are an ordinary student of grammar. What do You know about literary embellishments? You cannot review this poetry because You do not know anything about it.’
Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, ‘Because I am not on your level, I have asked you to teach Me by explaining the faults and good qualities in your poetry. Certainly I have not studied the art of literary embellishments. But I have heard about it from higher circles, and thus I can review this verse and find in it many faults and many good qualities.’ The Brahmin poet said, “All right, let me see what good qualities and faults you have found.”
The Lord replied, ‘Let Me speak, and please hear Me without becoming angry. In this verse there are five faults and five literary ornaments. Kindly hear Me and then give your judgment. In this verse the fault of avimrishta-vidheyaamsa occurs twice and the faults of viruddha-mati, bhagna-krama and punar-aatta occur once each. The glorification of the Ganges is the principal unkown subject matter in this verse, and the known subject matter is indicated by the word ‘idam’, which has been placed after the unknown. Because you have placed the known subject at the end and that which is unknown at the beginning, the composition is faulty and the meaning of the words become doubtful.’
‘In the word ‘dvitiya-shri-lakshami’, the quality of being a second Lakshmi is the unknown. In making this compound word, the meaning became secondary and the originally intended meaning was lost. Because the word ‘dvitiya’ is the unknown, in its combination in this compound word the intended meaning of equality with Lakshmi is lost. Not only is there the fault avimrishta-visheyamsa, there is also another fault, which I shall point out to you.’
‘Here is another great fault. You have arranged the word ‘bhavaani-bhartri’ to your great satisfaction, but this betrays the fault of contradiction. The word ‘bhavaani’ means ‘the wife of Lord Shiva’. But when we mention her husband, one might conclude that she has another husband. It is contradictory to hear that Lord Shiva’s wife has another husband. The use of such words in literature creates the fault called viruddha-mati-krit.’
‘The statement by the word ‘vibhavati’ is complete. Qualifying it with the adjective ‘adbhuta-guna’ creates the fault of redundancy. There is extraordinary alliteration in three lines of the verse, but in one line there is no such alliteration. This is the fault of deviation. Although there are five literary ornaments decorating this verse, the entire verse has been spoiled by these five most faulty presentations. If there are ten literary ornaments in a verse but even one faulty expression, the entire verse is nullified. One’s beautiful body may be decorated with jewels, but one spot of white leprosy makes the entire body abominable.’
‘Similarly an entire poem is made useless by a fault, despite alliteration, similies and metaphors. Now hear the description of the five literary embellishments. There are two ornaments of sound and three ornaments of meaning. There is a sound ornament of alliteration in three lines. And in the combination of the words ‘shri’ and ‘lakshmi’ there is the ornament of tinge of redundancy.’
‘In the arrangement of the first line the letter ’ta’ occurs five times, and the arrangement of the third line repeats the letter ‘ra’ five times. In the fourth line the letter ‘bha’ occurs four times. This arrangement of alliteration is a pleasing ornamental use of sounds. Although the words ‘shri’ and ‘lakshmi’ convey the same meaning and are therefore almost redundant, they are nevertheless not redundant. Describing Lakshmi as possessed of shri offers a difference in meaning with a tinge of repetition. This is the second ornamental use of words. The use of words ‘lakshmir iva’ manifests the ornament of meaning called upama. There is also the further ornament of meaning called virodhabhasa.’
‘Everyone knows that lotus flowers grow in the water of the Ganges. But to say that Ganges takes birth from a lotus flower seems extremely contradictory. The existence of mother Ganges begins from the lotus feet of Lord. Although this statement that water comes from a lotus flower is a contradiction, in connection with Lord Vishnu, it is a great wonder. In this birth of Ganges by the inconceivable potency of the Lord, there is no contradiction although it appears contradictory. Everyone knows that lotus flowers grow in the water but water never grows from a lotus. All such contradictions, however, are wonderfully possible in Krishna: the great river Ganges has grown from His lotus feet.’
‘The real glory of mother Ganges is that she has grown from the lotus feet of Lord Vishnu. Such a hypothesis is another ornament, called anumana.’
‘I have simply discussed the five gross faults and five literary embellishments of this verse, but if we consider it in fine detail we will find unlimited faults. You have achieved poetic imagination and ingenuity by the grace of your worship-able demigod. But poetry not well reviewed is certainly subject to criticism. Poetic skills used with due consideration is very pure, and with metaphors and analogies it is dazzling.’
After hearing such from Lord Chaitanya, the poet was wonder-struck. He was stunned and could not say anything. He then began to consider in his mind that this boy has blocked my intelligence. I can therefore understand that mother Sarasvati has become angry with me. The wonderful explanation given by this boy is not possible for a human being. Therefore mother Sarasvati must have spoken personally through His mouth. He then said, ‘Dear Nimai Pandita! Hearing Your explanation, I am simply struck with wonder. You are not a literary student and do not have long experience in studying scriptures. How have you been able to explain all these critical points?’ Mahaprabhu replied, ‘I do not know what is good composition and what is bad. But whatever I have spoken must be understood to have been spoken by mother Sarasvati.’ Upon hearing this, poet sorrowfully wondered why mother Sarasvati wanted to defeat him through a small boy.
When the poetic champion was thus defeated, all the Lord’s disciples sitting there began to laugh loudly. But Lord Chaitanya asked them not to do so and He told the poet, “Your are the most learned scholar and the topmost of all great poets, for otherwise how could such fine poetry come from your mouth? Even in the poetic compositions of such great poets as Bhavabhuti, Jayadeva and Kalidasa there are many examples of faults. Such mistakes should be considered negligible. One should see only how such poets have displayed their poetic power. I am not even fit to be your disciple. Therefore kindly do not take seriously whatever childish impudence I have shown. Please go home, and tomorrow we may meet again so that I may hear discourses on the scriptures from your mouth. Then all went to their respective places of stay.
Poet worshiped mother Sarasvati at night. In a dream the goddess informed him of Lord’s position, and the poetic champion could understand that Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. The next morning he came to Lord Chaitanya and surrendered unto His lotus feet. The Lord bestowed His mercy upon him and cut off all his bondage to material attachment. The poetic champion was certainly most fortunate. His life was successful by dint of his vast learning and erudite scholarship, and thus he attained the shelter of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.