‘পদরত্নাবলী’ : তত্ত্ব থেকে সাহিত্যের অভিমুখে পদাবলীর যাত্রা/ ‘Padaratnavali’ : The jouney of padavali from theory to literature

Abstract

Vaishnava Padavali stands as an eternal treasure in the history of Bengali literature. Traditionally, this body of work has long been interpreted through the rigid lenses of religious dogma and Gaudiya Vaishnava philosophy. This essay explores a modern and ‘non-sectarian’ (A-Vaishnava) literary perspective, centered specifically on ‘Padaratnavali’, an anthology compiled by Rabindranath Tagore and Srish Chandra Majumdar. The discussion illustrates that Padavali is not merely a transcendental pastime of celestial deities in Vaikuntha, but a sublime expression of the eternal love, separation, and longing of mortal human beings. The core theme of this analysis focuses on how Rabindranath’s literary consciousness transcended conventional Rasatatva (canonical aesthetics) to establish Padavali as a successful precursor to modern lyric poetry. Furthermore, it examines how the unique arrangement of verses in ‘Padaratnavali’ elevated it to the status of a pure literary anthology. By incorporating evaluations from Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay to Professor Sisir Kumar Das, and analyzing the historical context, this essay demonstrates that 'Padaratnavali' is not just a collection, but a singular document of the humanistic and aesthetic evolution of Padavali literature.