Caitanya in Vraja
Another Construction
Keywords:
Religious narratives, Chaitanya, Vraja, pilgrimage, religious ecology, Kavikarṇapūra, Caitanya-candrodaja-nāṭakam, lila, sacred space, Vaishnavism, Hindu traditions, narrative construction, dramatic mode, devotee participation, transformationAbstract
Gerald T. Carney’s "Caitanya in Vraja: Another Construction" explores the richness of religious narratives, emphasizing their layered, participatory nature. Focusing on diverse accounts of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s 1514 pilgrimage to Vraja, Carney demonstrates how varying portrayals reshape devotional experience and religious meaning. He contrasts the complex “religious ecology” of Vraja—with its blend of sacred geography, myth, and multiple Hindu traditions—with the simplified representations often presented to modern pilgrims. Analyzing Kavikarṇapūra’s Caitanya-candrodaja-nāṭakam, particularly the ninth act, Carney highlights how its indirect, allegorical structure invites devotees to actively experience and internalize Chaitanya’s lila as a lived, transformative reality.
