Temples, texts, and taxes: the Bhagavad-gita and the politico-religious identity of the Caitanya sect

Abstract

The Sarartha-varsini is an orthodox Guariya vaisnava commentary on the Bhagavad-gita. This research project aimed to use the text of the Sarartha-varsini as the starting point for an investigation into the Gauriya sect around the time of its composition. The project began by establishing a scholarly edition of the text with the aid of extant manuscripts and available printed editions. A critical edition and translation of the first three chapters are presented in the appendix. As the project progressed, interesting archival material surfaced, and the relationship of the sect with the state of Amber/Jaipur became the focus. The role of Gauriya religious dignitaries in religious debate in Jaipur was investigated, and the issue of sectarian affiliation emerged as an issue for which the text if the Sarartha-varsini was particularly illuminating. Joseph O’Connell and Klaus Klostermaier had done fine academic research on works by the same author and had even touched on this work. Nevertheless, a large amount of groundwork remained to be done to ascertain basic issues such as names, dates, claims of authorship, and other biographical details. Section One and Two of this dissertation review previous scholarship and tradition on these issues and provide new insights from textual analysis and archival investigation. With regard to the politico-religious milieu in Rajasthan, V.S. Bhatnagar, Monika Horstman and Irfan Habib had already performed significant archival research and published extremely useful findings. My study therefore greatly assisted in this area, and this dissertation was able to build on the very solid foundation established by these fine scholars. This study contains reference to many archival documents already published by them, and it introduces a good deal of previously unpublished archival records. Of particular interest are the new records regarding the influence of Visvanatha Cakravarti, Krnadeva Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, and Baladeva Vidyabhusana. Section Three combines old and new material to create for the first time a ‘historical’ snapshot of these Gauriya dignitaries and the politico-religious issues of their times. The analysis of the sectarian influences on the text of the Sarartha-varsini (Section 4) brings together the historical issues of the era and the edited text. This section provides clear empirical analysis on the sectarian affiliation of the sect in matters of doctrine. The textual evidence clearly indicates that the Gauriya-Madhva affiliation was merely an ‘official’ stance. Evidence from the text points to a much stronger doctrinal allegiance to Sridhara Swami and the Bhagavata-purana. The Bhagavad-gita commentary has provided an invaluable common platform from which to compare the Gauriya sect with other established sects and important commentators.