Vaishnava Padavali
Encyclopedia
The Vaishnava Padavali ) movement refers to a period in
medieval Bengali literature from the 15th to 17th c., marked by an efflorescence of Vaishnava poetry often focusing on the Radha
-Krishna
legend. The term padAvalI (also written padaabali) has the literal meaning "gathering of songs" (pada=short verse, lyric; +valI = plural; collection).
The padAvali poetry reflects an earthy view of divine love which had its roots in the Agam
poetry of Tamil
Sangam literature
(600BC-300AD) and spread into early medieval Telugu
(Nannaya, Annamayya
) and Kannada literatures (Dasa sahitya
). The poetic themes spread rapidly as part of the religious Bhakti movement
that proposed an intensely personal form of devotion, following the philosophy of Ramanuja
and opposing caste
distinctions and other brahmin
istic measures implicit in the theism of Adi Shankaracharya. The movement spread out and attained a pan-India status during the 13th–17th centuries.
The accompanying literary movements were marked by a shift from the classical language of Sanskrit
, to the local languages (apabhramsha
) or derivatives, e.g. the literary language of brajabuli
adopted by Vidyapati
(14th c.).
in Orissa (13th c.), Vidyapati in Mithila (14th c.) and Chandidas
(late 14th c.) in Birbhum. Chandidas was among the earliest poets in the nascent Bangla language, and many of his poems deal with the Radha-Krishna theme.
In 1474, Maladhar Basu
translated the 10th and 11th cantos of the Sanskrit
Srimad Bhagavatam (composed ca. 9th c.), into the Bangla poem Srikr^ShNavijay. Maladhar focused on Krishna's divine life, with the 10th canto relating the legends of Krishna as a child, and his lIlA with the gopis in Vrindavana. He was honoured by Rukunuddin Barbak Shah
with the title Gunaraj Khan.
Although neither Chandidas nor Maladhar Basu were Vaishnavas, they were to lay the foundation for much of the following Vaishnava poetry in Bengal.
Major poets in the ensuing padAvali tradition included Murari Gupta
(srikriShNachaitanyacharitrAmr^ta), Narahari Sarkar, Basudev Ghosh, Lochandas, Jnanadas, Govindadas, Balaram Das, Syed Sultan and Dwija Chandidas (16th c.). The 17th c. saw the work of
Kaviranjan (chhoto Vidyapati),
Kavishekhar, Radhaballabh Das, Ghanashyam Das and Ramgopal Das; and were followed in the
18th century by Vaisnavadas, Chandrashekhar, Radhamohan Thakur (padAmr^tasamudra),
Narahari Chakravarty (gItachandroday), Yadunandan and others. Many of the original texts are lost (some may never have been composed, as the songs came down in the kirtan
tradition). The later anthology pAdakalpataru collects about 3000 Vaishnava lyrics by 150 poets.
and Krishna
, on the banks of the Yamuna
in Vrindavana; their secret trysts in the forests, Krishna's charms including his magic flute, the love of the gopi
s for Krishna, Radha's viraha on being separated from Krishna and her anguish on seeing him sporting with the other gopis. Much of the poetry, though written by men, focuses on the feelings of a woman in love. Here is a poem from Chandidas
, where Radha is talking to a friend:
How can I describe his relentless flute,
which pulls virtuous women from their homes
and drags them by their hair to Shyam
as thirst and hunger pull the doe to the snare?
Chaste ladies forget their wisdom,
and clinging vines shakes loose from their trees,
hearing that music.
Then how shall a simple dairymaid withstands its call?
Chandidasa says, Kala the puppet master leads the dance.
– trans. Edward C Dimock and Denise Levertov
, In praise of Krishna, p.18
Many of the poets were influenced by the Maithili
poet Vidyapati
, and some, such as Govindadas, also composed in the brajabuli
language.
, who spent some time in the court at Bengal
, was exposed to the Vaishnavite tradition. With the rise of Vrindavana 14th c. onwards, there was an admixture of the strains of devotional music from different regions of India. Followers of Vallabhacharya of Andhra and Nimbarkacharya of Maharashtra
rubbed shoulders with Vaishnava composers from Bengal and Bihar. Eminent musicians such as Swami Haridas
(16th c.), reputedly the teacher of Tansen
, lived here.
The songs are often set to a romantic raga
such as Pilu
or Desh
, and borrow freely from folk tunes and other traditions.
This musical tradition continues to be popular in Bengal
with the Baul
s and other kirtan
iya groups, who include Sufi muslims among their practitioners.
was deeply impressed by this music, and wrote many vaishnava and bAul pieces. His opera bhAnusingher padAvalI was composed in the brajabuli
language of Vidyapati
.
medieval Bengali literature from the 15th to 17th c., marked by an efflorescence of Vaishnava poetry often focusing on the Radha
Radha
Radha , also called Radhika, Radharani and Radhikarani, is the childhood friend and lover of Krishna in the Bhagavata Purana, and the Gita Govinda of the Vaisnava traditions of Hinduism...
-Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
legend. The term padAvalI (also written padaabali) has the literal meaning "gathering of songs" (pada=short verse, lyric; +valI = plural; collection).
The padAvali poetry reflects an earthy view of divine love which had its roots in the Agam
poetry of Tamil
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
Sangam literature
Sangam literature
Sangam literature refers to a body of classical Tamil literature created between the years c. 600 BCE to 300 CE. This collection contains 2381 poems composed by 473 poets, some 102 of whom remain anonymous The period during which these poems were composed is commonly referred to as the Sangam...
(600BC-300AD) and spread into early medieval Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
(Nannaya, Annamayya
Annamayya
Annamayya is a 1997 Tollywood film directed by K. Raghavendra Rao starring Akkineni Nagarjuna, Ramya Krishnan, Mohan Babu, and Roja. The music director is Keeravani...
) and Kannada literatures (Dasa sahitya
Dasa Sahitya
Dasa Sahitya is the literature of bhakti movement composed by devotees in honor of Lord Vishnu or one of his Avatars. Dasa is literally servant in Kannada and sahitya is literature. Haridasas were preachers of bhakti to Lord Vishnu or one of his avatars. The bhakti literature of these Haridasas...
). The poetic themes spread rapidly as part of the religious Bhakti movement
Bhakti movement
The Bhakti movement is a Hindu religious movement in which the main spiritual practice is loving devotion among the Shaivite and Vaishnava saints. The Bhakti movement originated in ancient Tamil Nadu and began to spread to the north during the late medieval ages when north India was under Islamic...
that proposed an intensely personal form of devotion, following the philosophy of Ramanuja
Ramanuja
Ramanuja ; traditionally 1017–1137, also known as Ramanujacharya, Ethirajar , Emperumannar, Lakshmana Muni, was a theologian, philosopher, and scriptural exegete...
and opposing caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
distinctions and other brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
istic measures implicit in the theism of Adi Shankaracharya. The movement spread out and attained a pan-India status during the 13th–17th centuries.
The accompanying literary movements were marked by a shift from the classical language of Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
, to the local languages (apabhramsha
Apabhramsha
Apabhraṃśa is a term used by Sanskrit grammarians since Patañjali to refer to dialects that deviate from the norm of Sanskrit grammar. The term in Sanskrit literally means "corrupt" or "non-grammatical language". It is used as a cover term for the dialects forming the transition between the late...
) or derivatives, e.g. the literary language of brajabuli
Brajabuli
Brajabuli is an artificial literary language developed in the sixteenth century. It was created primarily due to the influence of Vidyapati's lyrics on the love of Radha and Krishna on the Bengali poets of the medieval period....
adopted by Vidyapati
Vidyapati
Vidyapati Thakur , also known by the sobriquet Maithil Kavi Kokil was a Maithili poet and a Sanskrit writer. He was born in the village of Bishphi in Madhubani district of Bihar state, India. He was son of Ganapati...
(14th c.).
History
The tradition of songs on the Radha-Krishna legend were already popular with the works of JayadevaJayadeva
Jayadeva was a Sanskrit poet circa 1200 AD. He is most known for his composition, the epic poem Gita Govinda, which depicts the divine love of Krishna-an avatar of Vishnu and his consort, Radha, and it is mentioned that Radha is greater than Hari, and is considered an important text in the...
in Orissa (13th c.), Vidyapati in Mithila (14th c.) and Chandidas
Chandidas
Chandidas refers to medieval poet of Bengal. Over 1250 poems related to the love of Radha and Krishna in Bengali with the bhanita of Chandidas are found with three different sobriquets along with his name, , Dvija and Dina as well as without any sobriquet also...
(late 14th c.) in Birbhum. Chandidas was among the earliest poets in the nascent Bangla language, and many of his poems deal with the Radha-Krishna theme.
In 1474, Maladhar Basu
Maladhar Basu
Maladhar Basu was an early Bangla poet known for the work Sri Krishna Vijaya, composed between 1473 and 1480. The long poem is a translation of the 10th and 11th cantos of the Sanskrit Srimad Bhagavatam Maladhar Basu (fl. 15th c., b. Kulingram, Bardhaman district) was an early Bangla poet...
translated the 10th and 11th cantos of the Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
Srimad Bhagavatam (composed ca. 9th c.), into the Bangla poem Srikr^ShNavijay. Maladhar focused on Krishna's divine life, with the 10th canto relating the legends of Krishna as a child, and his lIlA with the gopis in Vrindavana. He was honoured by Rukunuddin Barbak Shah
Rukunuddin Barbak Shah
Rukunuddin Barbak Shah was the son and successor of Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah. Barbak Shah was appointed the governor of the Satgaon region during the reign of his father...
with the title Gunaraj Khan.
Although neither Chandidas nor Maladhar Basu were Vaishnavas, they were to lay the foundation for much of the following Vaishnava poetry in Bengal.
Vaishnavism in Bengal
Vaishnavism in Bengal was given a tremendous boost by Sri Chaitanya (1486–1533), whose intense spiritualism infected many and started a movement across many regions of India. Chaitanya emphasized the role of merely uttering God's name in obtaining emancipation, and songs, sung passionately and leading to a trance-like state, were central to the path of bhakti. Chaitanya himself wrote many songs on the Radha-Krishna theme, and certainly encouraged the composition of new songs.Major poets in the ensuing padAvali tradition included Murari Gupta
Murari Gupta
Murari Gupta was a noted Bangla Vaishnava poet, author of the Sanskrit work srikr^ShNachaitanyacharitAmrita , a poetic biography of Sri Chaitanya...
(srikriShNachaitanyacharitrAmr^ta), Narahari Sarkar, Basudev Ghosh, Lochandas, Jnanadas, Govindadas, Balaram Das, Syed Sultan and Dwija Chandidas (16th c.). The 17th c. saw the work of
Kaviranjan (chhoto Vidyapati),
Kavishekhar, Radhaballabh Das, Ghanashyam Das and Ramgopal Das; and were followed in the
18th century by Vaisnavadas, Chandrashekhar, Radhamohan Thakur (padAmr^tasamudra),
Narahari Chakravarty (gItachandroday), Yadunandan and others. Many of the original texts are lost (some may never have been composed, as the songs came down in the kirtan
Kirtan
Kirtan or Kirtana is call-and-response chanting or "responsory" performed in India's devotional traditions. A person performing kirtan is known as a kirtankar. Kirtan practice involves chanting hymns or mantras to the accompaniment of instruments such as the harmonium, tablas, the two-headed...
tradition). The later anthology pAdakalpataru collects about 3000 Vaishnava lyrics by 150 poets.
Poetry and theme
The subject matter of the poetry is the love of RadhaRadha
Radha , also called Radhika, Radharani and Radhikarani, is the childhood friend and lover of Krishna in the Bhagavata Purana, and the Gita Govinda of the Vaisnava traditions of Hinduism...
and Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
, on the banks of the Yamuna
Yamuna
The Yamuna is the largest tributary river of the Ganges in northern India...
in Vrindavana; their secret trysts in the forests, Krishna's charms including his magic flute, the love of the gopi
Gopi
Gopi is a word of Sanskrit origin meaning 'cow-herd girl'. In Hinduism specifically the name gopi is used more commonly to refer to the group of cow herding girls famous within Vaishnava Theology for their unconditional devotion to Krishna as described in the stories of Bhagavata Purana and...
s for Krishna, Radha's viraha on being separated from Krishna and her anguish on seeing him sporting with the other gopis. Much of the poetry, though written by men, focuses on the feelings of a woman in love. Here is a poem from Chandidas
Chandidas
Chandidas refers to medieval poet of Bengal. Over 1250 poems related to the love of Radha and Krishna in Bengali with the bhanita of Chandidas are found with three different sobriquets along with his name, , Dvija and Dina as well as without any sobriquet also...
, where Radha is talking to a friend:
How can I describe his relentless flute,
which pulls virtuous women from their homes
and drags them by their hair to Shyam
as thirst and hunger pull the doe to the snare?
Chaste ladies forget their wisdom,
and clinging vines shakes loose from their trees,
hearing that music.
Then how shall a simple dairymaid withstands its call?
Chandidasa says, Kala the puppet master leads the dance.
– trans. Edward C Dimock and Denise Levertov
Denise Levertov
-Early life and influences:Levertov was born and grew up in Ilford, Essex.Couzyn, Jeni Contemporary Women Poets. Bloodaxe, p74 Her mother, Beatrice Spooner-Jones Levertoff, came from a small mining village in North Wales...
, In praise of Krishna, p.18
Many of the poets were influenced by the Maithili
Maithili language
Maithili language is spoken in the eastern region of India and South-eastern region of Nepal. The native speakers of Maithili reside in Bihar, Jharkhand,parts of West Bengal and South-east Nepal...
poet Vidyapati
Vidyapati
Vidyapati Thakur , also known by the sobriquet Maithil Kavi Kokil was a Maithili poet and a Sanskrit writer. He was born in the village of Bishphi in Madhubani district of Bihar state, India. He was son of Ganapati...
, and some, such as Govindadas, also composed in the brajabuli
Brajabuli
Brajabuli is an artificial literary language developed in the sixteenth century. It was created primarily due to the influence of Vidyapati's lyrics on the love of Radha and Krishna on the Bengali poets of the medieval period....
language.
Music
Vaishnava music was extremely influential in the evolution of Indian musical tradition. In the 14th c., Amir KhusroAmir Khusro
Ab'ul Hasan Yamīn ud-Dīn Khusrow , better known as Amīr Khusrow Dehlawī , was an Indian musician, scholar and poet. He was an iconic figure in the cultural history of the Indian subcontinent...
, who spent some time in the court at Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
, was exposed to the Vaishnavite tradition. With the rise of Vrindavana 14th c. onwards, there was an admixture of the strains of devotional music from different regions of India. Followers of Vallabhacharya of Andhra and Nimbarkacharya of Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
rubbed shoulders with Vaishnava composers from Bengal and Bihar. Eminent musicians such as Swami Haridas
Swami Haridas
Swami Haridas was a spiritual poet and classical musician. Credited with a large body of devotional compositions, especially in the Dhrupad style, he is also the founder of the Haridasi school of mysticism, still found today in North India. His work influenced both the classical music and the...
(16th c.), reputedly the teacher of Tansen
Tansen
Mia Tansen is considered among the greatest composer-musicians in Hindustani classical music. He was an extraordinarily gifted vocalist, known for a large number of compositions, and also an instrumentalist who popularized and improved the rabab .He was among the Navaratnas at the court of the...
, lived here.
The songs are often set to a romantic raga
Raga
A raga is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music.It is a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is made...
such as Pilu
Pilu
Pilu is a raga of Indian classical music. It is mostly used in light-classical forms, like the Khayal, of north Indian classical style.-Aroha & Avaroha :Arohana'P 'N S g m P N S''N S G m P N S'S G m P D S'S R m P N S'Avarohana...
or Desh
Desh (raga)
Desh is a Hindustani classical raga.-Technical description:The raga is of Audav-sampurna nature, i.e., in its arohana only five notes are used, whereas the avarohana uses all the seven notes....
, and borrow freely from folk tunes and other traditions.
This musical tradition continues to be popular in Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
with the Baul
Baul
Baul .Though Bauls comprise only a small fraction of the Bengali population, their influence on the culture of Bengal is considerable. In 2005, the Baul tradition was included in the list of "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO.-Etymology:The origin of the word...
s and other kirtan
Kirtan
Kirtan or Kirtana is call-and-response chanting or "responsory" performed in India's devotional traditions. A person performing kirtan is known as a kirtankar. Kirtan practice involves chanting hymns or mantras to the accompaniment of instruments such as the harmonium, tablas, the two-headed...
iya groups, who include Sufi muslims among their practitioners.
Literary influence
Vaishnava padAvalI left a lasting mark on Bangla literature. Among others, Rabindranath TagoreRabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
was deeply impressed by this music, and wrote many vaishnava and bAul pieces. His opera bhAnusingher padAvalI was composed in the brajabuli
Brajabuli
Brajabuli is an artificial literary language developed in the sixteenth century. It was created primarily due to the influence of Vidyapati's lyrics on the love of Radha and Krishna on the Bengali poets of the medieval period....
language of Vidyapati
Vidyapati
Vidyapati Thakur , also known by the sobriquet Maithil Kavi Kokil was a Maithili poet and a Sanskrit writer. He was born in the village of Bishphi in Madhubani district of Bihar state, India. He was son of Ganapati...
.