বাংলা ও ওড়িয়া ভাগবত : এক তুলনামূলক অধ্যয়ন/ Bangla and Odia Bhagabata : A Comparative Study

Abstract

The ‘Śrīmad Bhāgabata Purāṇa’ is one of the most significant religious and cultural texts in the Bhakti literature of medieval India. Originally composed in Sanskrit, this Purāṇa was subsequently translated, adapted, and reinterpreted into various regional languages, making its philosophical and devotional teachings accessible to the common people. The Bhagabata-based literary traditions in Bengali and Odia represent two important examples of this broader process of translation and regionalization. In Bengali literature, Maladhar Basu’s ‘Śrīkṛṣṇavijaya’ is a remarkable literary adaptation of the Bhagabata narrative centred on the life and deeds of Lord Krishna. In contrast, Atibadi Jagannath Das’s ‘Odia Bhagabata’ is a distinguished cultural translation and creative reconstruction of the Sanskrit ‘Śrīmad Bhāgabata’ Purāṇa, deeply rooted in the religious and socio-cultural ethos of Odisha. Both texts embody the ideals of Krishna devotion (Krishna Bhakti), humanistic values, religious consciousness, and moral instruction. However, they differ significantly in language, poetic style, narrative technique, the incorporation of folk traditions, social context, and the articulation of regional cultural identity. This paper undertakes a comparative analysis of the Bengali and Odia Bhagabata traditions by examining their textual sources, linguistic features, thematic concerns, devotional philosophy, methods of translation and adaptation, and their wider socio-cultural influence.