Gita Govindam

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Sri Rama Jayam

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Jayadev's Gita Govinda

Jayadeva, the twelfth century poet, was a contemporary of several other poets in

the court of Lakshmana Sena of Bengal, and even at a young age he attained fame

for skill in composing verses in Sanskrit with apt words, as per his own

statement in the introductory verses to Gitagovinda. He further says there that

his mind has been made the residence of Goddess of Learning and he was the king

who made the feet of Padamavati dance to his tunes and beats. The legend goes

that Padmavati was the temple dancer at the Puri Jagannath temple and Jayadeva

married her and settled down there to serve the Lord and Padmavati

simultaneously. This tradition of Devadasi Dance is being continued at Lord

Jagannath Temple to this day. This aspect also is discernible in his

introductory verse wherein he says that those interested in Hari smarana and

those finding pleasure in love sports may read his Gitagovinda kayva.

The Gitagovinda kayva is a lyrical poem, dramatizing the love sports of Krishna

and Radha on the surface and conveying simultaneously the deep ethos of devotion

of the individual soul, its pining for God realization and finally attaining the

consummation in service of God. This Bhava is similar in both god realization

and eroticism and the cloak fits in well.

Since the Gitagovinda was composed specifically for dance performance during the

night worship of Lord Jagannatha, the composition is so deftly made as to be

sung to the beats of a dancer's foot movements. The author himself at the end of

the Kavya again states this fact, where he again emphasizes that the poem was

intended to the Kavya again states this fact, where he again emphasizes that the

poem intended to be a prop for meditation on Vishnu and it is clothed in

Shringara rasa by the kavi Jayadeva pandita immersed in the contemplation of

Krishna. The poem became so popular that within a century or so, it spread to

all corners of the country from east to south, west and north and was adapted to

dance, music, painting and temple worship.

The Gitagovinda consist of twelve chapter, further divided into twenty-four

songs. Each song consists of eight couplets, it is called Ashtapadi. Chapter one

and chapter two, four five and twelve contain two Ashtapadi each; chapters

three, six, eight, nine and ten contain only one ashtapadi each. Thus there are

twenty-four ashtapadis. These ashtapadis can be set to music in different

melodious ragas, which were appreciated and followed by the poets later period.

On which more than hundred commentaries has been written in Sanskrit and over

fifty more than hundred commentaries have been written in Sanskrit and over

fifty in regional languages in India also in many foreign languages.

The first song has four introductory verses, followed by eleven ashtapadi that

describe the purpose of the ten avataras of Vishnu and at the end prostrations

are offered for unhindered completion of the work. This is followed by another

ashtapadi where the hero of the work is hailed. Here the author has indicated

that this ashtapadi is Mangalam - benedictive verse.

In the third song the spring season is described with its multifarious features

like pleasant smelling and cool winds, and sweet sounds of the bees and cuckoos

been thinking of Krishna was being led by her maiden friend to these bowers

where Krishna can be found. In this hope Radha follows her friend.

In the fourth song, the poet describes the delightful dance of love of Krishna

with all gopis in the dark forest of Vrndavana. All the gopis surround him,

embracing him with joy and caress him passionately and he praises them hugging

one, kissing another passionately, glancing at another and smiling with other

maiden in love. Jayadeva says that in reality, Krishna was bestowing bliss on

everyone.

In the eleventh song, the poet describes the vipralambha srngara. Krishna the

God of Love is waiting Radha on the bank of river Yamuna. The poet compares the

embrace of Radha and Krishna with the lightning and the black cloud and with

white crane and dark cloud.

In the twelfth song, the poet describes the pain and distress of Radha on the

separation of impertinent Krishna. Seeing the condition of Radha sitting in her

bower unable to move, filled by passion and setting her mind on Krishna all the

time. The sakhi goes to Krishna to tell of the state of madness Radha, who sees

him everywhere, before her mind's eye and she is alive just with the only memory

of her lover. The sakhi request him to go quickly to meet Radha; who is waiting

fully decked for the arrival of Krishna.