The Text-Problem of the Krsnakarnamrta

Summary

In 'The Text‑Problem of the Krsnakarnamrta', an anonymous scholar (likely summarising the arguments of Dr. S. K. De) examines the structure of the devotional poem Krsnakarnamrta (KK) attributed to the South Indian poet Bilvamangala. Dr. De contended that the Bengali recension of the KK, which consists of a single canto (asvasa), represented the original work, and that the additional two cantos found in the South Indian recension were later accretions. The article reviews the evidence for this thesis. First, it notes that the Bengali tradition, stemming from the 16th‑century scholar Caitanya and his disciples, knows only the first canto; early commentaries like the Subodhini by Gopala Bhatta and the Sarojangi by Krsnadasa also treat only the first canto. Second, the article examines South Indian manuscripts and notes that early Kerala commentaries, such as that of Madhusudana Sarasvati’s Locana, accept the existence of three cantos and that some verses in the second and third cantos appear in other works attributed to Bilvamangala. Third, it surveys evidence from Rupa Gosvamin’s Padavali, which contains verses found in the later cantos, implying that these verses were known by the 15th century. The article critiques De’s argument that differences in literary quality prove spuriousness, noting that quality is subjective and that later verses may reflect stylistic evolution. It also notes that apocryphal works like the Sankarananda, Bhartrhari Satakatraya and Amaru Sataka show how compilations can accumulate verses from various sources. The article concludes that while the first canto is undoubtedly ancient, the second and third cantos may not be wholly spurious; instead, they may represent later compilations of verses associated with Bilvamangala. The author calls for a critical edition that collates all available manuscripts to determine the evolution of the text.