Alankar Kaustubh

Author(s): Ravishankar Nagar
Publisher: Parimal Publications

Page 7

INTRODUCTION
Kavi-Karnapura-The author of the Alamkāra-Kaustubha.
Kavi-Karnapūra alias Parmananda-dasa Sena hailed from Bengal and was a well known Vaişnava belonging to the Vaidya family. He was son of Śivānanda. From the study cf his works it is evident that he was a Vaişpava of the Gaudiya sect. and an ardent follower of Chaitanya, the founder of the sect. He composed a poem Caitanya Caritämstam in a metrical form which depicts the life of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Besides he wrote a drama Chaitanya Candrodaya on the life of Caitanya. By birth he inherited the tradition of Vaişpva thought for his father Sivānanda was an older disciple of Caitanya and used to organise and lead the devotees of Caitanya to Puri from Bangal. As the author writes in the colophon that his drama Caitanya Candrodaya was written in Saka 1494 or 1501 =1572 or 1579 A.D., his date can thus be determined round about the middle of 16th century. Rajendralal Mitra who edited his drama Caitanya Candrodaya says in introduction that Kavi-Karpapūra was born in 1524 A.D. at Käncanapalli in Nadiya a few year before Caitanya's death.
Kavi Karpapūra belongs to the galaxy of Vaişnava authors like Rūpa and Jiva Goswami who through their deep devotion to Lord Sri Krspa attempted to bring Vaişpava ideas to bear upon the general theme of poetic Rasa and endeavoured to establish Bhakti as supreme relishable sentiment.
HIS WORKS
(a) Caitanya Caritamstam a poem in metrical form on the life
of Caitanya. It was published from Murshidabad (Bangal) in 1884.
(b) (I) Caitanya Candrodaya-a drama on the life of Caitanya.
It was edited by Rajendralal Mitra and was published in Bibl. Indi. 1854.