Three devout KrishNa Bhakthaas : Sri JayadEvA , Sri naarAyaNa TheerthA and Sri KshEthrayyA .
From the Bhakti List Archives
• September 22, 1999
Dear Sri KrishNa BhakthAs : Sri Haresh BalasubramaNian of Singapore and the creator of the excellent Sri Krishna Home pages (http://shrikrishna.homepage.com) requested me to write on few more Sri krishna BhakthAs , who have performed NaadhOpaasanA . I am happy to do so. The BhakthAs coming to my mind are Sri Jaya DevA , Sri NaarAyana Theerthaa and KshEtrayyaa .There is a general belief that Sri Jaya DevA reincarnated as NaarAyaNa Theerthaa first and then as KshEthrayyaa to celebrate the theme of a NaayikA's love for Lord KrishNA . Let me start with Sri JayadEvA . Sri KrishNArpanam asthu V.Sadagopan SRI JAYADEVA : THE WANDERING MINISTREL *************************************** Sri JayadEvA of the Ashtapadhi fame , who inserted the refrain " JAYA JAYADEVA HARE " in his immortal poem, Gita Govindam , described himself as the wandering king of bards. He asserted his special love for Sri Krishna with the above refrain that he placed at the end of each of his song . He was a native of Orissa-Bengal region and lived during the latter half of the twelfth century .This was soon after AchArya RaamAnujA's dhig vijayam to Puri JagannAth . AchArya RaamAnujA had grown the community of Sri VaishNavAs in and around Orissa, Bengal and Assam during that visit . Sanskrit scholarship and VaishNavism were dominant in those times among the community of Brahmins there .The ruling king of the sEnA dynasty of Jaya DevA's time was LakshmaNa sEnA known as a parama VaishNavA . AchArya RaamAnujA had converted the king of Puri earlier into Sri Vaishnavam and had introduced Sri ViashnavA rituals in the JagannAth temple of Puri .Sri JayadEvA came during his wanderings as an ascetic-poet to Puri and came under the influence of the Sri JagannAth worship and married the lovely temple dancer , PadmAvathi .Gita Govindam was born there and took roots there as the only song to be sung in front of the Elder Lord (BalarAmA ) and the Younger Lord ( Jagannaath) from their evening meal time to their bed time. That practise is followed even today spanning a period of seven centuries. In JayadEvA's time , the eleven RaagAs used for singing the Gita Govindam slOkams were : Maalavai, Gurjari ,VasantA , Raamakari ,KarnAtA ,DesAkhyA , DesavarAdi,Naata ,Bhairavi, VirAdi and VibhAsa . Some of these eleven RaagAs are not in vogue now. Some modern day musicians sing the First song on the mood of Joyful KrishNA celebrated as DasAvathAran in MeLa Raagams , KanakAngi, RathnAngi , GhAna Moorthy , Vanaspathi , Maanavathi , DhAna Roopi et al . The song of JayadevA has touched every corner of India during these centuries and great mystic saints like Chaithanya prabhu , Bhaktha MeerA Bhai and a host of others have been profoundly influenced by this illustrious , dramatic lyrical poem with eight stanzas (ashtapadhi)in each of the individual songs . The lilting words and the enchanting rhythmical beat are embellished further by "the repetitious sound patterns of alliteration , assonance, consonance and end rhyme ". The sensous imagery of the songs of Gita Govindam are of a divine kind and create madhura BhAvam and sabdhAlankAram echoing the particular mood , time and season .Eleven aptly chosen raagAs are used by jayadEva kavi to express the intimate power of divine love and the samslEsaha - VislEsha anubhavams of the visEsha Naayikai (RaadhA) for her Naayakan ( Jagadhisan , Lord KrishNA ).The Bhakthi rasam experienced by us in hearing these songs of Gita Govindam is an anubhavam without parallel .KrishNA's special love for RadhA ,not highlighted by Bhaagavatha PurANam , is the theme of Gita Govindam and is an allegory of the relationship between the ParamAthman and the JeevAthman. As we hear these songs in front of Lord JagannAth at Poori or in front of Sri GuruvAyUrappan at KeraLA , tears well up in our eyes .The anubhavam of ParAnkusa , ParakAla and Venkata Naayakis come to our minds. There are twelve parts to Gita Govindam and the moods of the Lord inlove play are aptly indicated by the titles of the sargams : 1. The Joyful KrishNA (SaamOdha DhaamOdhara:) 2. The Careles KrishNA (aklEsa Kesava:) 3. The Bewildered KrishNA (Mugdha Madhusoodhana:) 4. The Tender KrishNA (Snighdha Madhusoodhana:) 5. The Lotus-Eyed KrishNA longing for Love (SaakAnksha PuNdarIkAksha:) 6. The Indolent KrishNA ( Kunta Vaikunta:) 7. The Cunning KrishNA ( Naagara NaarAyaNa:) 8. The Abashed KrishNA ( Vilakshya LakshmI Pathi:) 9. The Languishing KrishNA ( Mandha Mukundha:) 10.The Four Quickening Arms ( Chathura Chathurbhuja:) 11.The Blissful KrishNA ( Saanandha DhAmOdhara:) 12.The Ecstatic KrishNA ( SuprItha PeethAmbhara:) Each of these slOkams are lyrical master pieces . Inview of the need to be brief , I will content myself with limited translations of specific slOkams: " Listen to the perfect invocation of poet JayadEvA Joyously evoking the essence of existence ! You take the tenfold cosmic form , KrishNA . Triumph , Hari , Lord of the World !--Sargam 1.15 Sri JayadEva kavEritdhamudhitham udhAram SruNu Sughadham Subhadham Bhava saaram Kesava dhrutha dasavidha Roopa Jaya Jaya JagadhIsa HarE !-- Sargam 1.15 For upholding the World (VedhAnuddharathE) For Supporting the earth (JagannivahathE) For raising the World ( BhUgOLamudhbhibrathE) For tearing the demon asunder ( Dhaithyam DhArayathE) For Cheating bali ( Bhalim ChalayathE) For destroying the warrior Class (Kshathra Kshayam KurvathE) For Conquering ravaNA (Poulasthyam jayathE) For Wielding the Plow (Halam KalayathE) For spreading Compassion (KaaruNyam AathanvathE) For routing the barbarians (MlEcchAn MoorchayathE) Homage to You , KrishNA ,(KrishNAya Thubhyam Nama:) In Your ten incarnate Forms!" ( DasAkruthi KruthE)--Sargam 1.16 Sri KrishNAya Thubhayam namO Nama: Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan
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