Gita Govinda By Jayadeva

Gita Govinda

Gita Govinda (Song of the Cowherd) is a Sanskrit poem written by the 12th century Bengali poet Jayadeva who adorned the court of Lakshman Sena of Sena Dynasty. Divided into 12 sections, Gita Govinda is a series of dramatic lyrics intended for singing, and describes the love of Krishna for Radha and milkmaids. The poem is still sung at the festivals of the Bengali Vaisnavite sects. Its singing is especially prominent at an annual spring fair in the village of Kenduli in West Bengal's Birbhum dıstrict. According to one school of thought, Kenduli in West Bengal is identified as the birthplace of Jayadeva.

Gita Govinda (Song of the Cowherd) Manuscript / Image Credit

Gita Govinda begins with an invocation to the ten incarnations of Vishnu. As a matter of fact, the poem contains one of the earliest lists of incarnations of Vishnu. According to Gita Govinda, Vishnu became Buddha out of compassion for animals in order to put an end to bloody sacrifice.

By the fifteenth century, the Gitagovinda was sufficiently popular in Puri to be incorporated into the ritual of the Jagannatha temple. An inscription located on the left side of the Jayavijaya doorway, written in Oriya language and script and dated A.D. 1499, prescribes the performance of the Gitagovinda in the temple.

Gita Govinda was translated into English by Orientalist Sir William Jones in 1792 and was published in the Transactions of the Asiatic Society in Calcutta. The poem has also been translated into many Indian languages and many other modern European languages.

Comments

Muhammad Shah Rangila

Aurangzeb, the last great Mughal emperor, died in 1707. Muhammad Shah became Mughal emperor in 1719. During the interregnum, Bahadur Shah I , JahandarShah , Farrukhsiyar r, Rafi-ud-Darajat and Rafi-ud-Daula ascended the Mughal throne. Jahandar Shah was murdered on the orders of Farrukhsiyar who had the support of the two powerful Mughal nobles Sayyid Abdullah and his brother Sayyid Husain Ali at that time. They are famous in history as Sayyid brothers, the King-makers. In 1719, Farrukhsiyar were murdered in utter disregard of a Mughal emperor by Sayyid brothers. Rafi-ud-Darajat died of consumption in a few months. Rafi-ud-Daula was addicted to opium and died in 4 months. Sayyid brothers now chose Raushan Akhtar, a son of Jahan Shah (the fourth son of Bahadur Shah I), to be the emperor. Raushan Akhtar ascended the throne under the title of Muhamamd Shah in September 1719. In the beginning Muhammad Shah was a puppet in the hands of Sayyid brothers who soon began to lose their...

Ghaseti Begum: The Begum of Motijheel

Clive meeting Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey, (By Francis Hayman) Ghaseti Begum, originally named Mehar un-Nisa, was the eldest daughter of Alivardi Khan, the Nawab of Bengal. She was married to Nawazish Muhammad Khan. Ghaseti Begum went all out to conspire against her nephew Siraj-ud-Daula who was the last independent Nawab of Bengal. Siraj-ud-Daula was defeated by the British under Lord Clive in the Battle of Plassey in 1757 and was killed on the orders of Miran, the son of Mir Jafar who was now made the Nawab of Bengal by the British. Ghaseti Begum was called the Begum of Motijheel due to her residence at the bend of this reservoir in Murshidabad. Motijheel or Pearl Lake is an oxbow lake in Murshidabad. The lake was created by her husband Nawazish Muhammad Khan. Nawazish Muhammad Khan died of grief when his adopted son Ekram-ud-Daulah succumbed to smallpox at a yo...

Chauth and sardeshmukhi: Two important taxes in the Maratha taxation system

Chauth and sardeshmukhi were the two most important taxes in the taxation system of the powerful Maratha state founded by brilliant Maratha leader Shivaji (1627-1680). According to Mahadev Govind Ranade , a famous Indian scholar and freedom fighter, chauth was a military tribute that was levied as a quid pro quo for protection against the invasion of a third power. But eminent historian Jadunath Sarkar does not ascribe to this view. According to him, chauth, 25% tax on revenue or produce, was realized from the alien territories to save themselves from the unwelcome presence of the Maratha soldiers and civil underlings. Shivaji was not under obligation to guard the territory from foreign invasion or internal disorder. According to another authority S. G Sardesai , chauth was a military tribute paid by the conquered or hostile territories. Since Shivaji was the hereditary sardeshmukh (Chief Headmand) of Maharashtra, he demanded an additional levy of 10 percent know...

Indian History

Search This Blog