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"Satsanga-prabhava-varnana" from the 18th century Braja poet

Priyadasa (trans. by G. A. Grierson, 1909):

 

"The tree of Faith was but a sapling, that might be stunted by a

single kid. It was given the fence of discrimination, and sprinkled with

the water of consort with the Holy. It began to wax great, and branches

and twigs did it put forth on every side. It climbed to the sky, and its

glory spread manifold over the earth, for the basin from which its roots

drew moisture was the bosom of the Holy. Glorious and widespread was its

shade. All things that live found coolth, and drew fresh life beneath

it. Mark well its growth. Once it was a feeble thing for whose sake we

feared a goat, and now shackled to that wondrous tree, contentedly sway

mighty elephants."

 

MDd

[Guest guest]

On Mon, 14 May 2001, Krishna Kathamrita Bindu wrote:

> What a beautiful quote.

> You mention 1909. Does that mean that this translation from

> G.A.Grierson was published that year? If so what was the title?

 

It's from George A. Grierson's, "Gleanings from the Bhakta-mala" in the

Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

(London: Royal Asiatic Society, 1909). This article was his partial

translation of the Hindi Bhaktamal, a circa 1600 hagiography by the

Ramanandi Nabhadasa which forms the earliest information available for

many of the famous bhakti poets of medieval Braj.

 

 

 

> Any information on who Priyadas is?

Yes. He was a Gaudiya vaisnava who wrote the most informative

(Braja-bhasa) commentary on the Bhaktamala, Bhakti-rasa-bodhini-tika, in

1712. The section I quoted was from his introduction. He was a disciple

of Manoharadasa in the line of Gopalabhatta Gosvami. A further reference

is R.D. Gupta's "Priya Das, Author of the Bhaktirasabodhini." Bulletin of

the School of Oriental and African Studies. XXXII.1 (1969): 57-70. I

hope this is helpful.

 

 

MDd