A Great Vaisnava Poet

Kavi Karnapura

When Kavi-karnapura was only seven years old, he was initiated by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu into the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. He later became the greatest poet among the Vaisnavas acaryas.

Sivananda Sena was the father of Paramananda Sena, who was also known as Puri Dasa or Kavi-karnapura. Paramananda Sena wrote in his Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (176) that two of the gopis of Vrndavan, whose former names were Vira and Duti, combined to become his father. Srila Sivananda Sena guided all the devotees of Lord Caitanya who went from Bengal to Jagannatha Puri, and he personally bore all the expenses for their journey. This is described in the Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila, Chapter Sixteen, verses 19 through 27. Srila Sivananda Sena had three sons, named Caitanya Dasa, Ramadasa and Paramananda. As mentioned above, this last son later became Kavi-karnapura and wrote the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika. His spiritual master was Srinatha Pandita, who was Sivananda Sena’s priest. Due to Vasudeva Datta’s lavish spending, Sivananda Sena was engaged to supervise his expenditures.”

Sri Sivananda Sena actually experienced Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's features of Shakshat, avesha and avirbhava. He once took along a dog while on his way to Jagannatha Puri, and it is described in the Antya-lila, First Chapter, that this dog later attained salvation by his association. When Srila Raghunatha Dasa, who later became Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami, fled his paternal home to join Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, his father wrote a letter to Sivananda Sena to get information about him. Sivananda Sena supplied him the details for which he asked, and later Raghunatha Dasa Goswami's father sent some servants and money to Sivananda Sena to take care of Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami. Once Sri Sivananda Sena invited Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu to his home and fed Him so sumptuously that the Lord felt indigestion and was somewhat sick. This became known to Sivananda Sena’s eldest son, Caitanya Dasa, who gave the Lord the kinds of food that would help His digestion, and thus Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was very pleased. This is described in Antyalila, Tenth Chapter, verses 142 through 151.