The Dialogue of Manuscripts in the Hagiographic Dramaturgy: Quotations from Rupa Goswami’s Vidagdha-mādhava and Lalita-mādhava Cited by Krishnadas Kavirajа Goswami in Caitanya-caritāmṛta

Abstract

In this article we have considered how Sanskrit quotes from Rupa Gosvami’s plays (Vidagdha-madhava and Lalitamadhava) entered by Krishnadas Kaviraja into the Bengali text of Caitanya-caritamrita, highlight the important parts of the hagiography and dramaturgy of the narration. They reveal the very peak of the extensive work of Krishnadas Kaviradja Gosvami, that, in turn, change our perception of Rupy Gosvami’s plays. The excerpts from the works of Rupy Gosvami, interwoven into the ‘fabric’ of this hagiography, are used as an illustration of significant philosophical doctrines in the text of Caitanyacaritamrita. They are also cited as an evidence of the author’s theological thoughts. The listed above Sanskrit and Bengali manuscripts (from The Manuscript Collection Kept at the IOM RAS) enter into the dialogue to emphasize the tectonics and logic of the hagiography development.