Krittivasi Ramayan
[3] It was characterised by Dinesh Chandra Sen in 1911 as 'by far the most popular book in Bengal' and 'the Bible of the people of the Gangetic Valley'.
[5]: 168 Some attempts have been made to produce scholarly editions, but, in the view of Philippe Benoît, 'sans résultat probant' ('without convincing results'); in these circumstances, he concludes 'il est impossible de se faire une idée du texte original de Krittibâs' ('it is impossible to formulate an impression of the original text of Krittibas').
There are also puntis preserved in the Silchar Normal School Library, Assam; Jahangirnagar University and the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh; the British Library and the School of Oriental and African Studies in the United Kingdom; and the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
[3][9][10] However, in the assessment of Philippe Benoît,[5]: 167–68 It is especially through a vigorous reorientation of style of the narrative that Krittibâs distinguishes himself from the Valmikian model.
By over-dramatizing a lot, sometimes simplifying, by using a composite language, sometimes literary, sometimes popular, looking to satisfy the expectations of the public, to instruct through a relaxed and often amusing tone, Krittibâs has achieved an equilibrium: while avoiding vulgarity, he entertains and instructs, moves and amuses, in a manner that is accessible to the average Bengali.
His Ramayana is not the sum total of strictly Brahminical culture, written for a literate public; it is no doubt still a medium of Brahminical culture, but Brahminism devoid of its solemnity, meant to inform with affability the perception of this culture by a public of simple people.Ruth Vanita has called attention to the account in multiple versions of Krittivasi Ramayan of the birth of Bhagiratha to two women (widows of King Dilīpa, who dies before he can himself beget the heir which has been divinely ordained to his line): a rare ancient portrayal of human lesbian reproduction.
[11][12][13][7]: 146–60 [14] Notwithstanding the extensive variation in the different manuscripts and printed editions of the text, this representation of Bhagiratha's birth seems to be present in most of the Krittivasi Ramayan textual tradition.
[15] The story appears in the Adi Kanda, the first section of the poem, which recounts the ancestry of Rāmā: Dilipa ruled like Indra, the king of the gods, but was sad as he did not have a son.
He performed a severe penance for countless years, living on water and fasting, but he neither found the Ganga nor became free of his sorrow.
Seeing the child from a distance, Ashtavakra thought: "If you are mimicking me in order to make fun of me, may your body be destroyed by my curse.
[17] The epic of Krittivas has had a profound impact on the literature of Bengal and the North India,Bihar,Jharkhand And Odisha regions.
The story of Rama as depicted by Krittivas Ojha inspired many later-day poets, including Michael Madhusudan Dutt and Rabindranath Tagore.
The text is noted for its exploration of the concept of Bhakti, which would later contribute to the emergence of Vaishnavism in Gangetic Bengal and the surrounding regions.
