Chandidas (
Bangla: চন্ডীদাস) (born 1408 CE) refers to (possibly more than one) medieval poet of
Bengal. Over 1250 poems related to the love of
Radha and
Krishna in
Bengali with the
bhanita of Chandidas are found with three different sobriquets along with his name,
,
Dvija and
Dina as well as without any sobriquet also. It is not clear whether these
bhanitas actually refer to the same person or not. It is assumed by some modern scholars that the poems which are current in the name of Chandidas are actually the works of at least four different Chandidas, who are distinguished from each other by their sobriquets found in the
bhanitas. It is also assumed that the earliest of them was Ananta Chandidas, who has been more or less indentified as a historical figure born in the 14th century in
Birbhum district of the present-day
West Bengal state and wrote the lyrical
Srikrishna Kirtan (Songs in praise of
Krishna).
The Srikrishna Kirtan
In 1916, the
Bangiya Sahitya Parishad published the manuscript of the
Srikrishna Kirtan discovered by Basanta Ranjan Roy Bidwatballabh at Bankura. The Srikrishnakirtan as it name suggests, narrates the story of
Krishna and his companion
Radha. The storyline is derived from
Shrimad Bhagavatam, the original book in
Bhakti based
Vaishnavism. However, Baru Chandidas managed to add substantial originality, making it a masterpiece of medieval
Bangla literature. He gives the yearning of
Radha a distinctly
Bengali rendition, and in the process capturing much of the social conditions of the day. As such he is considered to be prominent Early Middle
Bengal poet, however the date of his poem Srikrsnakirtana is still under question, while the text remains one of the most important evidences of early portrayal of the popular story of "Lord Krishna's love for the cowherd girl
Radha." The 412 songs of Srikrsnakirtana are divided into thirteen sections that represent the core of the Radha-Krsna legendary cycle, with many variants providing excellent comparative material. The manuscript clearly suggests that the songs meant to be song, and implies particular ragas for the recitation. There is a considerable debate as to the authenticity of the text that has significant religious meaning.
Humanism in Chandidas
Chandidas is perhaps most well known for his strikingly modern assertion
Shobar upor manush shotto tahar upore nai (Above all is human, none else). Later literature has also often eulogized Chandidas' love for a Rajakini (a female cloth washer), whether this has any historical basis is not known.
References and Notes
See also
Category:Bengali peopleCategory:Bengali poetsCategory:1403 birthspl:Ćandidas
