Vaishnava Padavali
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The Vaishnava Padavi (Bengali: বৈষ্ণব পদাবলী) movement refers to a period in
The padavali poetry reflects an earthy view of divine love which had its roots in the Agam poetry of
The accompanying literary movements were marked by a shift from the classical language of
History
Vidyapati in Mithila (14th century) and
In 1474,
Although neither Chandidas nor Maladhar Basu were Vaishnavas,[1] they were to lay the foundation for much of the following Vaishnava poetry in Bengal.
Vaishnavism in Bengal was given a tremendous boost by
Major poets in the ensuing padavali tradition included
Poetry and theme
The subject matter of the poetry is the love of Radha 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 gopis 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 [2]
Many of the poets were influenced by the Maithili poet Vidyapati, and some, such as Govindadas, also composed in the brajabuli language.
Music
Vaishnava music was extremely influential in the evolution of Indian musical tradition. In the 14th century,
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
Literary influence
Vaishnava padavali left a lasting mark on Bengali literature. Among others, Rabindranath Tagore was deeply impressed by the works of Govindadas, and wrote many Vaishnava and Baul pieces. His opera Bhanusingher Padavali was composed in the Brajabuli language and included the song Sundari Radhe Awe Bani written by Govindadas. [4]
References
- ^ a b Ahmed, Wakil (2012). "Vaisnava Literature". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
- ^ Dimock, Edward C. (trans.); Denise Levertov; In Praise of Krishna: Songs from the Bengali, 1967. Read the whole poem (and other excerpts): book excerptise
- ^ ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Hindustani Classical music: Chronology
- ^ Tagore, Rabindranath; Tony K. Stewart, Chase Twichell (tr.);
The Lover of God (orig: Bhanusimher Padavali)
Copper Canyon Press (Lannan Literary Selections), 2003, 121 pages
ISBN 1-55659-196-9, 978-1-55659-196-9