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Emergence of Sri Chaitanya Cult in Bengal
PRODUCTION SCRIPT:
SCENE 1
VO:
Early 16th Century Bengal. A young man, Visvambhar Mishra was on his way to Gaya to perform the last rites of his father, Jagannath Mishra. Tall handsome and fair, Viswambhar was a bright scholar reputed in his home town, Nabadwip as Nemai Pandit. He seemed destined to be an eminent scholar and grammarian.
[Enacted Scene]
[ A young man walking along a village path in early morning, carrying a small bundle. A baul song is heard in the background.]
The passing baul greets him and asks him his whereabouts.
SCENE 2
VO
But fate had other ideas for the bright young man. At Gaya a look at the lotus feet of Vishnu at the temple brought about a wave of emotions in him. He was overcome by an overwhelming burst of love for the lord. In the corner of the temple was Ishwar Puri a noted Vaishnab saint of the time. He initiated Viswambhar to the Lord and brought to the fore the man who would take Bengal by storm. This was the start of the holy journey of Sri Chaitanya, considered by followers as an incarnation of Lord Krishna himself.
[Enacted Scene]
SCENE 3
VO
The signs had been potent since his birth. He had been born on the day of Lunar eclipse when the devotees were chanting harinaam on the banks of the Bhagirathi in Mayapur, Nadia. His mother called him Nemai as much as for being born under the Neem tree as in the hope that the bitterness of the tree would ward off the Death God who had taken away eight of her children. The neighbours called him Gouranga for his looks and gold like complexion. On one occasion the child lay cuddled with a hooded serpent. The serpent slowly disappeared on seeing other humans. On his annaprasana he touched the Bhagavatha from among rice gold and silver. The signs were clear. This was no ordinary child.
[Visual Mix, enactment, stills, graphics etc]
SCENE 4
VO
Nemai returned from Gaya a changed man. And then the wave of Chaitanya spread far and wide. Sankirtan echoed in the air. Hare Ram Hare Krishna was heard throughout the land.
[A Vaishnav procession shot on a special occasion. Village visuals along with sound effects]
Expert speaks on the existence of Vaishnavism Pre-Chaitanya and the emergence of Gauriya Vaishnavism as propogated by Chaitanya.
One of the basic tenets of Chaitanya’s teaching was equality of all.
VO+GFX
“It is immaterial whether one is a Chandal or a Muslim…With love and devotion we shall make everybody sing and dance in our gathering”
Jayananda – Chaitanyamangal, 1548 to 1560.
Listen my dear children, everybody has one god, only Hindus and Muslims name them differently. The essence of Koran and Puran is the same, one, pure, eternal, indivisible God makes the human heart his permanent abode.
Brindaban Das, 16th Century
Expert speaks on the backdrop of the emergence of Chaitanya and the impact of Chaitanya on religion and society in Bengal at that time.
[A Baul song on Chaitanya’s teachings]
[A Baul sings in an outdoor location]
VO+Expert
Temples of Vishnu across Bengal…Pata paintings and other visual representations of Chaitanya…
Chaitanya had travelled widely to preach and to learn. He had visited the Deccan, North and West India and exchanged ideas with other contemporary Bhakti saints. He also brought many texts from these places. Subsequently there are indications of the influence of these texts in Bangla literature. He finally settled in Puri, in 1516 under the patronage of the king of Puri. Thousands of devotees visited him in his lifetime. He died a silent and mysterious death which surprisingly no biographer has recorded in detail.
Chaitanya did not write much. His teachings have been compressed into the Siksastaka (Lesson in eight verses)
Expert briefly summarises Siksastaka.
Chaitanya’s Impact
VO+Intercut of Expert and visuals:
Chaitanya is considered the propagator of Gauriya Vaishnavism in Eastern India. Vaishnavism did exist in Bengal before him, but he provided a surge to it that took on the shape of a religious movement in his lifetime. This impacted Bangla literature, language, architechture, art and music.
With Chaitanya emerged a new form of Vaishnav Padabali.. Gourlilamrita…
Expert on the impact of Chaitanya on language & literature..
Chaitanya’s paintings have emerged in Bengal in Murshidabad i.e. Gousash painting, Rajput miniatures, Kalighat pata paintings. Chitrakars of Medinipur paint Chaitanya sories in their scrolls even today. Leading Bengal school painters like Abanindranath have painted Chaitanya and Gour Netai and his Bera dancing.
The figurine of Krishna took a new shape in Bengal stone and wooden sculpture. The two were often created along similar lines.
People including those from lower strata built Vaishnava temples with figures of Chaitanya and Samakirtan.
Keertana took a new form with the emergence of Chaitanya and his Samakirtan.
[Expert on Chaitanya and Keertana. He renders keertana to explain the influence of Sri Chaitanya]
Perhaps the largest existence of Chaitanya’s Gaudiya Vaishnav cult is the International Society for Krishna Consciousness or ISKON. Created in 1966 in Mayapur the birthplace of Sri Chaitanya, the organization today has over 600 centres worldwide.
Interview: ISKON representative with visuals of Mayapur….
Thus Nemai Pandit, the scholar of Bangla grammar lives on today after 500 years. The wave that he had created in the fifteenth century has survived even today. Vaishnavs although a minority community today, are still prominent in every sphere of life. So lives on Sri Chaitanya….
A song on Chaitanya performed by Bauls. [A song composed by Lalan]
The following are the topics to be addressed by the experts:
Questions for experts -
1. Situation of Bhaisnavism in pre-Chaitanya Bengal
2. How Chaitanya cult brought renessant in Bengal
3. Chaitandev spread message of love and equality how it spread and lost
4.Chaitanya cult’s impact on literature music dance and art
5 Relationship of Chaitnyadeb with Gouriya Bhaisnabism
6. Chatanya devs visit to south and north India ,how the philosophers thinking influenced chaitanya
7 Chaitanyadebs stay in Odhissa , it that the reason of split in Bengal Chaitanya cult ?.
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