Paper 5 Dance, Poets and Poetry, Religious Philosophy and Indian Classical Dance

PAPER 5 DANCE, POETS AND POETRY, RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHY AND INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCE MODULE 2 GITA GOVINDA Although many first generation scholars use the spellings “Geeta, Gita, and Geet” we stick with correct meaning of the work: Song of Govinda, hence Geet. It is a common mistake to loosely translate Indian words like Yog as Yoga and Geet and Geeta, especially Sanskrit words ending with halant (:). Jayadeva’s Geet Govinda has a pan-Indian appeal and was written during the Bhakti movement (12th Century). Its effect on people was so significant that this magnum opus of Jayadeva has been translated into all the major languages of India over hundreds of years. Jayadeva was married to Padmavati, whether he wrote for her or for the love of Lord Krishna and Radha is still debated. But, he wrote this for expressional dance is without doubt. Some say that Jayadeva wrote the Geet Govinda to which Padmavati danced. Not only Indians, Europeans have been transfixed with the poetic grandeur and there are about twenty European translations done over the years. In its original Sanskrit, the pan national appeal can be attributed to multi-layered meaning, rich verbal imagery, and rhythmical metrical structure. 1 Ashtapadi / अष्टऩदी is a style of poetics where a song comprises eight couplets and although many poets wrote in the style of ashtapadis, the word has become synonym with Geet Govinda. Among all the known Shringara Kavyas of India, Geet Govinda, consisting of 24 cantos and 92 slokas in 12 Chapters, is the oldest and predates the musical treatise Sangita Ratnakara / संगीत र配नाकर . Unlike other Sanskrit poems which when spread to different parts of India got translated into the regional languages and thus adding their own flavour, Geet Govinda has spread in the original form and textual modifications were minimal.1 Jayadeva’s composition is described as an erotico-mystic poem as it depicts the union of the jivatma / जीवा配मा with the paramatma / ऩरमा配मा using the analogy of nayika and nayaka bheda. On the outset, Geet Govinda is filled with Shringara Rasa / �ींगार रस , bordering on eroticism (Sambhoga Shringara / संभोग �ींगार , to be specific). This was initially reacted with shock by the Europeans with Victorian morals. For each ashtapadi, Jayadeva has indicated which raga and tala can be rendered in. Much research has gone into what these ragas are and currently they act only as guidelines for composers. Musicians and dancers have used both Carnatic and Hindustani ragas set to various melodic tunes. Through the forty-odd commentaries that exist today Kapila Vatsyayan has attempted to trace the history and spread of Geet Govinda in the Indian subcontinent. It is highly probable that Geet Govinda was used as a poetic literature and commentaries describe it terms of rhetoric, poetics (kavya), and grammars on the figures of speech (alamkara), followed by singing the verses in the temple, and then it percolated into the temples for ritualistic purposes. 1, 2 Although the exact origin of Jayadeva’s Geet Govinda is still debatable (either from Bengal or from Orissa), Orissa has been the focal point for Geet Govinda, where the singing of the songs in the temples commenced. According to Kapila Vatsyayan, three types of performances emerged: singing in seclusion in the sanctum, solo performances outside the sanctum involving mime, and dramatized version by men acting as Krishna, Radha, and the sakhi. This last one 1 is known as goshti / गोष्ठी. There is an interesting story of how the Ashtapadi 19 or popularly known as Priye Charushile / प्रिये चा셁शिऱे by dancers, came to be. Jayadeva, while composing this now famous ashtapadi, wrote six couplets and in the seventh described Lord Krishna speaking to Radha as “Place your lovely feet on my head. It will prove the most antidote to love’s deadly poison that has gone up to the brain. Again, it will be the brightest ornament that ever adorned my head. Its cool touch will dispel and calm the raging storm within and lay the fierce fires that consume my very soul. ” 3 After writing this, Jayadeva could not proceed further and wondered if he had committed a crime by mentioning that Krishna allows Radha to place her feet on his head. Confused and unable to decide, he goes for a bath and plans to return back after prayers and meditation. Soon, Padmavati, his wife, hears Jayadeva calling her in the middle of his bath and asking for the manuscript and says that he has got a new inspiration and needs to pen it down before the thought flies away. Dutifully, she brings him the manuscript and Jayadeva writes down the final verses without realizing that he was staining the manuscript with the oil, and then goes back to his bath. When Jayadeva revisits the manuscript after his prayers realizes that someone else has written the ashtapadi and has completed it. In reality, Jayadeva never came back in the middle of his bath to write the ashtapadi. Shocked and bewildered he enquires to Padmavati if she saw someone writing it, to which she answered that Jayadeva himself came and wrote it and was puzzled as to why didn’t notice the oil staining the manuscript, while writing. It was then they both realized that it was none other than Lord Krishna who came in the form of Jayadeva and completed the ashtapadi, indicating that he approves of Jayadeva’s composition and that he had not made a mistake with the seventh couplet. Even today, singers and dancers when they come to this 19th ashtapadi are indeed moved with wonder as to the stamp of approval given by Lord Krishna himself. Geet Govinda can have profound influence if a dancer understands the nuances of it. One such example is the incident of Professor C. R. Srinivasa Iyengar, an expert in Geet Govinda, where he recounts his visit in 1900’s to Vizianagaram, and witnessed a well learned and knowledgeable devadasi in her 50’s depicting the 19th ashtapadi as she was taught by her guru. However, she was open to his interpretation, upon which he explained the nuances of this ashtapadi and he could see that the devadasi was moved beyond words. Few days later, the same devadasi came back to him and informed that she has refashioned the ashtapadi and wished to demonstrate to him. C. R. Srinivasa Iyengar says that she was most magnificent and when describing the eighth couplet she took him off his feet by doing an ekaharya / एकाहायय (changing characters by single performer) depiction of Jayadeva, Padmavati, and Krishna as Jayadeva.3 Story of Geet Govinda The story in Geet Govinda is very simple, yet involves many layers of nayika-nayaka bheda. The story, revolving around Krishna, Radha and her sakhi, is probably borrowed from the theme in Brahmavaivarta Purana involves Krishna’a amorous relations with gopis that leads to separation of Radha and Krishna. Radha waits at the banks of Yamuna for Krishna and realizes that he is enjoying his pastimes with other gopis of Brindavan. Radha, still jealous and estranged, is unable to bear the separation and sends her sakhi to Krishna, who now repents for the estrangement. The sakhi explains the situation to Krishna and pleads him to return to Radha as due to the viraha she is in no position to travel to him. Come evening, Radha’s viraha reaches a peak and she describes her suffering to her sakhi. It is only in the early morning that Krishna returns and cajoles her. However, Radha gets angry and admonishes Krishna for spending the night with someone else. Accused by Radha, Krishna leaves while repentant of his acts. At the insistence of the sakhi, Radha realizes her folly and hopes that Krishna will return back to her again. In the evening, Krishna does return and pacifies her and agrees to meet her at the same meeting spot. Radha bedecks herself and goes to meet Krishna with her gopis. After they are in seclusion, Krishna consoles Radha for the fight and they reconcile. Later that night they have a union and in the early morning, Radha realizes her disheveled state and blames Krishna for it and Krishna redecorates her with her clothes and makeup. With this episode, Geet Govinda ends. 4 Geet Govinda in Bharatanatyam As per records, in Bharatanatyam the usage of Geet Govinda, in the margam / मागयम format as devised by Tanjore Quartet, does not feature at all. However, the dance form has been influenced by the Radha Kalyanam Bhajan / राधा क쥍याणं भजन tradition. This tradition is distinct, where every year in the month of Thai or mid-January Krishna and Radha are wedded in a ritualistic ceremony and the bhajan mandala sings the 22nd and 23rd Cantos of Geet Govinda. Having thus popularized amongst the masses, it was no wonder that certain ashtapadi’s such as Kuru yadunanda / कु 셁 यदꅍु दने , Priye Charushile / प्रिये चा셁शिऱे , Chandana Charchita / चꅍदन च셍चयत , Nindati Chandana / ननꅍदनत चꅍदन were added to the margam repertoire after the varnam. 1 According to C. R. Srinivasa Iyengar, there were very few devadasis who could handle the eroticism of Geet Govinda and depict it properly. At the same time, it was considered as the highest test of proficiency for a dancer. Any devadasi who could do justice to the ashtapadi was considered as a master of dance and music and had no further tests to prove their prowess over the art form. 2 Rukmini Devi’s dance drama on Jayadeva’s Geet Govinda was premiered in 1959, and in one sense was path breaking.

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