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Contributing Scholar Bharatiya Shastras

Prolay Nandi

Research Scholar Department of Sanskrit and Philosophy, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute, Belur Math, Howrah, West Bengal (India)
PID: PV-2026-1202
prolay.nandi.vedvid@gmail.com
Peer-Reviewed Articles
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Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles (PIJCACE)

2 articles
Aesthetics and Art Philosophy Open Access
Jun 05, 2026

Śrī Caitanya Deva as a Connoisseur of Sāhitya Śāstra: A Critical Study of the Pañcadoṣa and Pañcālaṅkāra in Keśava Bhaṭṭa's Verse

Authors: Dr. Rakesh Das; Prolay Nandi , Prolay Nandi · PIJCACE Vol. 2, No. 1

Śrī Caitanya Deva, revered in Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava tradition as the combined manifestation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Śrī Rādhā, is widely recognized for his philosophical contributions and devotional movement. This article highlights a less-explored dimension of his genius–his profound mastery of Sāhitya Śāstra (literary theory and poetics)–through a critical examination of his scholarly encounter with the Kashmirian digvijayī scholar Keśava Bhaṭṭa, as detailed in Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta and Caitanya Bhāgavata. During their meeting on the banks of the Gaṅgā, Keśava Bhaṭṭa, renowned for his extemporaneous composition (ghaṭikāśataka), composed one hundred verses glorifying the Gaṅgā. Caitanya selected one verse in the Śikharinī metre and subjected it to a masterful critique based on the principles of Alaṅkāraśāstra. He identified five poetic defects (pañcadoṣa)–two instances of avimṛṣṭavidheyāṃśa, viruddhamatikṛt, bhagnakrama, and punarātta–and five literary ornaments (pañcālaṅkāra): anuprāsa (alliteration), punaruktavadābhāsa, upamā (simile), virodhābhāsa (semblance of contradiction), and anumāna (inference). The article provides detailed definitions and textual analysis of each doṣa and alaṅkāra, drawing from authoritative texts like Sāhityadarpaṇa and Alaṅkārakaustubha. It demonstrates how Caitanya’s analysis reveals both the aesthetic strengths and compositional flaws of the verse, underscoring the primacy of doṣa-guṇa vicāra (critical evaluation of defects and merits) in poetic composition. This episode not only affirms Caitanya’s extraordinary erudition in Sanskrit poetics alongside grammar and philosophy but also exemplifies his humility and spiritual magnetism, which ultimately led to Keśava Bhaṭṭa’s surrender. The study thus illuminates Caitanya’s multifaceted brilliance as a consummate connoisseur of Sāhitya Śāstra.

DOI: 10.63752/pijcace.0201S01
Aesthetics and Art Philosophy Open Access
Mar 07, 2026

Sādhāraṇīkaraṇa : Underlying Process for Experiencing Rasa

Authors: Dr Rakesh Das , Prolay Nandi , Prolay Nandi · PIJCACE Vol. 1, No. 2

This article examines the concept of sādhāraṇīkaraṇa (generalization) as the indispensable condition for the experience of rasa in classical Indian poetics. While rasa is traditionally regarded as the soul of poetry, its realization requires the dissolution of specific spatial, temporal, and personal associations embedded in poetic elements such as vibhāva, anubhāva, vyabhicāribhāva, and sthāyibhāva. Through the process of generalization, these elements are freed from worldly limitations, allowing the sahṛdaya to experience emotions in a purified, universalized form. The study further argues that sādhāraṇīkaraṇa operates through a distinctive mode of aesthetic cognition that cannot be reduced to ordinary forms of knowledge such as illusion, doubt, or resemblance. By temporarily transcending self–other distinctions and worldly dualities, aesthetic experience approaches a Vedāntic state of non-duality and bliss. Thus, sādhāraṇīkaraṇa is shown to function not merely as a poetic mechanism but as a bridge between aesthetic enjoyment and metaphysical insight.

DOI: 10.63752/pijcace.0102W02