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Home , Gita Govinda, Kapila Vatsyayan

PAPER 5 DANCE, POETS AND POETRY, RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHY AND

MODULE 2 GITA

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 words ending with halant (:). ’s Geet Govinda has a pan-Indian appeal and was written during the 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 of Lord and 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 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 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 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 ’s dance drama on Jayadeva’s Geet Govinda was premiered in 1959, and in one sense was path breaking. While, Geet Govinda is considered as a combination of erotic and mystic poem, the challenge for Rukmini Devi was to project the inner philosophy of Jayadeva rather than the outer picture of banal eroticism.In her defense of removing shringara, Rukmini Devi says that her interpretation of Shringara is different than the way many conceive of it. As an example, she cites her production of Geet Govindam where she depicted the love of a great kind. On the topic of sambhoga sringara (love of union) Rukmini Devi did face challenges, but it was her intuitive capacity that she choreographed sequences in this production. For the first time, Rukmini Devi used pastel colors, which became the trademark for Kalakshetra dance dramas 5 thereafter. In 2012, the Geet Govindam was revived by Kalakshetra based on the notes of Rukmini Devi and directed under the supervision of A. Janardhanan keeping in the spirit of Indianess in the production’s character. 6 In1958, convened the first Dance seminar and along with paper presentations and discussions, there were performances organized. It is interesting to note that Geet Govinda was the main theme for three group performances; Mrinalini Sarabhia’s group presented Geet Govind dance drama in the Bharatantyam style, Radhika by The National Music Association of Cuttack in the Orissi style, and The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan of Bombay presented it in Manipuri style. 7

Geet Govinda in

The saint Narahari tirtha / ननराहारी तीथय is said to have brought a copy of Geet Govinda with him to the Srikakulam math. The dance drama Krishna Leela Tarangini performed in the same period is said to have made a strong impression on Siddhendra Yogi, the patron- saint of Kuchipudi. It is obvious that Krishna Leela Tarangini had an inspiration from Geet Govinda and related texts that expounded the Madhura Bhakti cult. 1 Around the same period, Raja Ramanand Pattnaik, after renouncing his governorship composed the dance drama Jagannatha Natak, which is entirely based on Geet Govinda. An interesting epigraphical information is that the King of the 14th century (200 years after Jayadeva) ordered thattwo groupsof dancers, one from Orissa and the other from Telengana would render via song and dance the Geet Govinda as part of adaily ritual during food offering before their family deity at Puri, Lord Jagannatha.8, 9 The initial ashtapdi of Geet Govinda is in praise of the ten incarnations of or Krishna as Jayadeva puts it. Being a staunch devotee, Jayadeva considers Krishna himself as the supreme personality and thus shows no difference between Vishnu and Krishna. This school of philosophy is well known as the Gaudiya Vaishnava sect, as they consider Krishna and not Vishnu as the supreme godhead. Jayadeva has composed a shloka on Dasavatara and also an ashtapadi on the same. The sholka is a brief description, while the ashtapadi on the ten incarnations are in detail. As mentioned earlier, Jayadeva wrote Geet Govinda with the explicit intention for performance and it is highly probable that his wife, Padmavati, an accomplished dancer from Andhra country used to dance while Jayadeva sang the ashtapadis. This Dasavatara depiction of Jayadeva is very popular that it is a must in every Kuchipudi dance, also it is equally popular among other Indian dancers. Unlike others, Jayadeva does not include Krishna as the eighth and thus includes , Krishna’s elder brother, as the eighth avatar. 10

Geet Govinda in Kathak Although Lord Krishna features prominently in Kathak, very few Kathak dancers have incorporated Geet Govinda in their repertoire. However, it is believed that in the early stages of Kathak, it was performed as a keertan by Rasadharis, where the Ashtapadi was used. In recent years, has presented the Geet Govinda as a dance drama. 1, 2

Geet Govinda in Kathakali In Kerala, the singing of Geet Govinda inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Guruvayoor Temple is most likely played the pivotal role in establishing the spread of the poem. The genre of singing the Geet Govinda inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple is called as Sopana Sangeetham / सोऩान संगीतं , where Sopana means sacred steps and Sangeetham means music. An obscure form of dance drama that was based entirely on Geet Govinda was the Ashtapadiyattam, Very little is known about this dance form. However, it was Ashtapadiyattam / अस्टऩददय配तम that inspired Krishnattam, another allied dance form of Kerala. The Zamorin of Calicut, Manavedan composed Krishnapadi / क्रिष्णऩदी or Krishnageeti / क्रिष्णगीती that is a clever imitation of Geet Govinda.Geet Govinda is also used in the invocatory pieces of 1, 2 Kathakali called Purrapadu / ऩुरयऩाड and Thodayam / थोडयम. It is also said that the King of Kottayam was also inspired by Geet Govinda and composed plays with Shringara rasa. Manjuthara / मंजुथर in Geet Govindawas used as a test to the musicians, accompanied with drums and cymbals, to display their proficiency. At the end the drummers would show their skill. This performance of singing followed by the drummers is called as Melappada / मेऱऩाड. Thus, Kathakali has had a reformation by the Kottayam king is still followed today, where the performance begins with with Thodayam, followed by Purappadu and Melappada before the story is enacted. 11

Geet Govinda in Manipuri The Ashtapadis from Geet Govinda are very popular and still performed in Manipuri dances. Among the earliest person to take Geet Govinda to the East was Shankaradeva / िंकरदेव. Later in the 15th century, Garib Niwaz and Bhagyachandra Maharaj popularized it in Manipur. Also, the kings of Manipur who were exiled in Assam and / वंद ावन were influenced deeply by the Vaishnava cult and overnight they converted the Meitei culture to a Vaishnavaite one that is still rich and vibrant.

Every village in Manipur has a Krishna temple and a rasamandala / रासमंडऱ or a dance hall attached to it. Female dancers perform rasa dance to the Ashtapadis of Geet Govinda. Geet Govinda was performed both inside and outside the temple premises and the amalgamation of the old with the new gave rise to unique traditions of Manipur: Aribapala / अररबऩाऱा, Anoubapala / अनोऊबऩाऱा and the Manohara Sahi Sankirtana / मनोहर साही संकीतयन traditions. Similar to the tradition in Puri, Geet Govinda was sung as part of the morning and evening rituals in front of the deity, and another form of dance performances with Geet Govinda as the theme was performed outside. 1, 2 Geet Govinda in Orissi As mentioned earlier, Geet Govinda became part and parcel of the rituals at the Jagannatha temple in Puri. The three types of performances were singing in seclusion in the sanctum by the maharis, solo performances outside the sanctum involving mime, and dramatized version by the goshti / गोष्ठी. It is believed that the dance drama Payusha Lahari / ऩयुषा ऱहरी by Dimdim Jayadeva / ददम ददम जयदेव, which is based on Geet Govinda set the tone and model for other adaptations of Geet Govinda across India. 1

The Maharis / महारी improvised the the Geet Govinda with abhinaya performances having different bhavas and rasas. The current Orissi dance that evolved from the has Geet Govinda as the central theme, so much so that there is no Orissi dance without one ashtapadi item. 8

Coming from the / गोटीऩुआ tradition, is world renowned to play the role of Radha in an ashtapadi. In the words of “Kelu Babu doesn’t remain a man when he comes on stage. He ‘becomes’ Radha.” It is important to mention that any audience member who has seen him performing the ashtapadi Kuru yadunandana cannot miss the abhinaya skills of the master as alternating between Krishna and Radha. 12 “At once he becomes Radha, in a moment. The moment he does his hair, he's a woman. The way his head bends, the way he combs his hair. Especially where, from Gita-Govinda, he does "Kuru yadu nandana..." As Radha, he asks Krishna to paint a lotus on her breast. And he...he makes you see the breast. Now these are things our people have accepted. In temples as well as outside. And they understand that as ‘spiritual’ or ‘divine’.” In addition to solo performances of ashtapadis, Kelucharana Mahapatra has choreographed a dance-drama based on the Geet- Govinda where Pandit provided the musical score.1

Geet Govinda in Contemporary dance The contemporary dancer Chandralekha had incorporated the ashtapadi Priye Charushile from Geet Govinda as part of her production Mahakal (1995), where there was sort of a role reversal employed. Instead of Krishna and Radha, it was two female dancers who “enveloped each other”. She says 12 “It is very erotic, beautiful. Both have big eyes, big smiles, and their rounded bodies go towards eachother as "Priye Charushile" continues. The audiences liked it.... They thought it was very beautiful.”

Footnotes: 1. Gita Govinda – the processes of diffusion. By Kapila Vatsyayan, Marg, Volume 34, Issue 3, 1981. 2. The Gita Govinda in Dance by Mohan Khokar, Natya, Volume 9, Issue 4, 1966 3. Indian Dance (Natya and Nritya) By C. R. Srinivasa Iyengar. The Blaze publications, 1948. 4. Shree Jayadevar Aruliya Ashtapadi rahasyarthathudan. By Raghavaram Sastri. 1981 5. Kalakshetra quarterly, Volume 8. Issue 3-4. Kalakshetra Publications. 6. Gita Govindam: Revival. Kalakshetra publications, 2012. 7. Nartanam, Volume X, No 4, October –December 2010. 8. Dances of India, Vivekananda Kendra Patrika. 9. Dance in by Kapila Vatsyayan. Abhinav Publications, 1982. 10. Abhinaya Darpanam of Nandikeshwara by Prof. P. S. R. Appa Rao. Natyamala publications, 1997. 11. Kathakali – The Total Theatre. By M. K. K. Nayar. Dances of India, Vivekananda Kendra Patrika. 12. A Conversation with Chandralekha. Marg, Volume 61, Issue 4, 2010.