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PAPER 10
SHABDAM, ASTAPADI
MODULE 19 The Importance of Astapadi in Classical Dance
styles
SRI JAYADEVA GOSWAMI
1. Social &Cultural history of society prior to Jayadeva’s
time:
Codaganga Deva, the founder of Ganga dynasty essentially
followed Vaishnavism. He and his son were deeply influenced
by the Vaishnavite saint-philosopher Ramanuja. But before
Ganga rule, the place was influenced by the Shaiva/Shakta
worshippers. The Ganga dynasty’s policy of religious tolerance
towards the Southern kingdoms aided both Shaiva and
Vaishnava faiths, with many scholars thronging to Orissa. Since
the Gangas were great patrons of art and music, it was but
natural that Jayadeva who lived in their age blossomed into an
inspirational composer.
His highpoint though is that in Gitagovinda, he has merged
many of the sects by portraying an amalgam of different
Vaishnava cults such as the Vishnu cult, the Krishna cult, the
Govinda cult. He was also daring enough to show a confluence
or coming together of the Radha and Krishna cult, something
not accepted at the time.
2. Historical details of Jayadeva:
Shri Jayadeva Goswami made his appearance at Kendubilva
gram within the district of Birhum, during the 12th -
13th
centuries. Some scholars believe that Jayadeva was a court
pandita during the reign of Raja Laksmana Sena of Gauda. His
father's name was Bhojadeva and his mother’s name was
Radhadevi.
At an early age Jayadeva embraced vairagya and
migrated to Purusottamakshetra (Jagannatha Puri) after visiting
many holy places. He lived there by offering seva to
Purusottama. A certain childless brahmana, worshiped Lord
Jagannatha and was blessed with a daughter, who was named
Padmavati, When she grew up, the brahmana received a
command from the Lord asking him to give Padmavathy in
marriage to Jayadeva. Despite Jayadeva’s reluctance,he had no
other alternative but to marry Padmavati and become a
householder again. He then installed a Deity of Narayana in the
house, to which both Padmavati and Jayadeva were completely
devoted. While floating on the waves of Krishna-prema he
composed the book of verses entitled Gita-govinda. While
Jayadeva was writing this book he had described various rasas
and bhavas within his writings.
While writing about the pastimes of Radharani as she repented
after Krishna had gone away, Jayadeva became lost in
thought. He did not have the courage to depict Lord Krishna,
the Jagatpati, Paramapurusa, touching the feet of Radhika, the
prakrti. Not being able to decide whether or not he should
write that particular verse regarding Krishna becoming the
servant of his devotee, he decided to first take his bath and
return to his writing later. While Jayadeva was taking his bath,
Jagannatha Himself personally appeared in the form of
Jayadeva, with His very own hand wrote down the verse
"Dehipadapallavamudaram" in Jayadeva's manuscript book, the
same verse which Jayadeva had been considering whether to
write or not!
3. Popularity and spread of The Gita Govinda:
Gita-govinda quickly became the joy of the Vaishnava
community. Shri Gita-Govinda is full of intimate pastimes of
Shri Radha-Govinda and is therefore meant for those who have
acquired sufficient spiritual piety, and the Gita-govinda itself
states,
"For those who relish the remembrance of the pastimes
of Shri Hari and are always anxious to hear those
transcendental divine narrations, these verses, sweet as honey,
have been composed by Jayadeva with the blessings of Mother
Saraswati."
At the time, Gajapati Purusottamadeva was the provincial
king. He was openly envious of Jayadeva and soon posed an
ill-fated challenge. The king considered himself a master poet,
on par with Jayadeva, and composed a work called Abhinava
Gita-Govinda. One day, he summoned his advisors and asked
them to widely circulate his work, in an attempt to make it more
popular than Jayadeva's.
A controversy soon arose, and the brahmanas decided
that the matter would be settled by placing both manuscripts
before the Deity of Lord Jagannatha for the night. When the
devotees went to greet the Deity the next day, they found
Jayadeva's Gita-Govinda clasped against the Deity's chest, and
the king's manuscript scattered about the floor. The decision
was clear.
It is recorded in Bhaktamala that Krishna took pity on Jayadeva
who was trying to build his cottage under the searing sun. He
began to drill holes in covering the sheets, with the work
getting done in no time. Only later Jayadeva realized that he
was helped by Lord Hari and offered humble prayers to him
with renewed devotion. It is believed that when Padmavathi
died on hearing a rumour that Jayadeva was no more, Jayadeva
himself revived her by chanting the holy name in her ear.
Soon after, Jayadeva went to Vrndavana with his deity Radha-
Madhava and stayed at Kesighata, where a devotee,
constructed a temple for the Lord. During the last stage of his
life, Jayadeva returned to his home at Kenduli village and lived
there till the end. It is said that Jayadeva used to go for a bath
in the Ganges daily about 36 miles away from Kenduli. One day
he was unable to go and to alleviate the distress of her devotee,
Gangadevi, came roaring in a stream up to the village. Jayadeva
breathed his last at Kenduli village on Pausa Sankranti. In his
memory a mela is held every year which more than fifty
thousand devotees attend yearly.
4. Jayadeva’s numerous contributions:
The fame of Gita-govinda spread far and wide. The book has
been translated into Hindi, Bengali, Odiya, Assamese and also in
many other foreign languages. The following persons have
written commentaries on Gita-govinda: Udayanacarya,
Kamalakara, KumbhakarnaMahendra, Krishnadatta, Krishnadasa,
Gopala, Chaitanyadasa, Narayana Bhatta, Narayanadasa,
Pitamvara, Bhagavad dasa, Bhavacarya, Mananka, Ramatarana,
Ramadatta, Rupadeva Pandita, Laksmana Bhatta, Laksmana Suri,
Vanamali Bhatta, Viththala Diksita, Visvesvara Bhatta, Sankara
Misra, Shriharsa, Hridayavarana and others. Besides this, two
books of tika entitled Valavodini and Vacanamalika by some
unknown authors are also available on Gita-govinda. Jayadeva
Goswami also composed a book named Candraloka.
Apart from the Gita Govinda, Jayadeva popularized the
Dasavatara, the ten incarnations of Vishnu in another
composition, Dasakritikrite. Two hymns, possibly composed by
Jayadeva, have been incorporated in the Guru Granth Sahib, the
holy book of the Sikh religion. The hymns are written in a
mixture of Sanskrit and eastern Apabhramsa. There are records
narrating how Jayadeva's work had a profound influence on
Guru Nanak during his visit to Puri.
Furthermore many credit the popularity of the classic Tribhangi
(threefold) posture of Krishna playing the flute to him. He also
institutionalized the Devadasi system in Oriya temples.
Devadasis were women dancers specially dedicated to the
temple deity, and as a result of the great poet's works, Oriya
temples began to incorporate a separate Natamandira, or
dance hall, within their precincts for Odissi performances.
5. Symbolism in Gita Govindam
a). Union of the individual self with the Universal Self:
"Jiva Brahma Aikya Vedanta Rahasya" or the "Union of the
individual soul with the Universal soul" is in brief the theme and
the essence of Gita Govindam.
Radha (Nayaki or Jivatma), Krishna (Nayaka or Paramatma) and
Sakhi (the friend or preceptor who leads the devotee on to the
path of Mukti or liberation) are the main characters of this
poem. The mutual love of Radha and Krishna, represents the
concept of Madhura Bhakti (adoration of the God), which is the
essence of Vaishnava cult.
In a departure from standard religious texts, Gita Govinda is not
centered on the God, but on relation between Radha, the
human and Krishna, the superhuman character. This is the story
of two opposites merging together. The initial situation
(conflict) is shown though the eyes of Radha, then Krishna, then
Sakhi (the go-between Radha and Krishna), and finally all Gopis.
Life and environment, represented by Sakhi, gopis, forests and
seasons, are all necessary to understand what is right and what
is wrong. Human love sublimated to utmost level, so it becomes
comparable with love to God, the story told by the poet, his
wife and the God himself.
Jon Higgins, in his book "The Music of Bharata Natyam" defines
love"…Hindu conception of love as both passion and freedom
from passion. When the tide of unfulfilled passion threatens to
overwhelm her, the heroine seeks refuge in a state of spiritual
tranquility altogether free of distress. The implication seems to
be that one may acquire real knowledge of god by first
undertaking the tortuous search for human love."
Mutual ecstasy of impassioned lovers is the only experience
comparable to final union with the God. "In the embrace of his
beloved, a man forgets the whole world — everything both
within and without". Thus, Krishna’s sporting with Gopis has two
sides. He appears as the one who experiences romantic love,
"the most exalted experience in life", and who gives experience
of romantic love in its highest and the most intense form.
"In Jayadeva’s environment of springtime (Sarasavasanta),
Radha and Krishna are vehicles (Vibhava) for the
universalization of erotic emotion. These youthful figures with
gleaming flesh and lotus-petal eyes manifest signs of emotion
(vyabhicaribhava, sattvikabhava) to communicate the passion of
their separation. For Jayadeva, their longing and reunion is the
concrete example of religious experience in which the
disquieting distinction between "I" and "mine" versus "you" and
"yours" is calmed. The esthetic experience of their love is the
means for breaking the imaginary barrier dividing human from
divine."
Dr. Pappu Venugopal explains meaning of Bhakti in the context
of Gita Govindam as follows:
"Narada in his bhakti sutras defines bhakti as "the fear of being
separated again" (punarvislesha bheerutvam parama bhakti
rucyate). This means, that once you feel closer to God you don’t
want any distance from him, that is bhakti."
Jayadeva’s ashtapadis express the intimate power of the Divine
love in contrast to Ras Leela, where devotion to God is part of
social intercourse and God showers benevolence on all
devotees without distinction.
b) Ras Leela or Rasa Krida
The point of God playing with feelings of human being is to
evoke hidden power of love, to let it pour out free, in all
intensity and to direct this power to highest levels of existence.
Another side of Leela (play) is the emergence of the ‘creative’
due to the release from boundaries of necessity. According to
Hindu beliefs, such humans belong to divine sphere. Free spirit
creates not because of necessity, but because creation is its
nature. He seeks no purpose, no reward, and no goal.
In Hindu cult, particularly in Bhakti cults, the mark of a great
devotee is often the ‘uselessness’ of his life. Saints do not act
according to the laws of cause and effect, so their actions
appear motiveless and aimless. Indeed, they are in many ways
like the gods because they do not work but play. ... The saints
have transcended the human condition and have entered the
divine sphere, and an important indication of this fact is the
spontaneous and superfluous nature of their lives."
C) Krishna and Cowherd-girls
Gopis are embodiment of plurality, God is the Unity and gopis
are parts of this unity. God recreates himself and the formless
or one form is seen in the multiple forms and merges back in
the formless or the one form. This is symbolism of Ras Leela.
Krishna as cowherd is spontaneous, irresponsible and free. So is
his love for the cowgirls, free and voluntary. His whole life
among the cowherds is simple, natural and pleasing. Cowgirls
adore Krishna, as through him they feel all pleasures of life and
sheer joy of being alive:
"Krishna’s flute symbolizes the call of God which caused the
souls of men (the cowgirls) to forsake their worldly attachments
and rush to love him.… In circular dance (Ras Leela), by inducing
every cowgirl to think that she and she alone was his partner,
Krishna was proving how God is available to all. …In deserting
their husbands and homes and willfully committing adultery,
Radha and the cowgirls were therefore setting God above
home and duty, they were leaving everything for love of God
and surrendering their honor, were providing the most potent
symbol of what devotion meant."
d)Radha
The name of ‘Radha’ is derived from Sanskrit ‘radhas’, which is
Vedic literature means ‘perfection’, ‘success’, ‘wealth’. Thus,
Krishna became the Lord of Success (radhaspati) by winning
Radha, the female personification of radhas. There are no direct
references to Radha in Harivamsa, Vishnu Purana and
Bhagavata Purana. Radha is mentioned by name and referred to
in Brahmavaivarta and Padma puranas (written later on, after 12
century).
"In Gita Govindam, Radha is neither as wife nor a worshipping
rustic playmate. She is an intense, solitary, proud female who
complements and reflects the mood of Krishna’s passion. She is
Krishna’s partner in a secret and exclusive love, contrasted in
the poem with the circular Rasa dance Krishna performs with
the entire group of cowherdesses. Krishna disappears after this
dance, deserting the cowherdesses; but he stays with Radha to
admire and ornament her. Her relationship with Krishna
culminates in their union and mutual "victory" (jaya) over each
other. In Jayadeva’s view, the profound intimacy of Krishna’s
concentration on Radha, in contrast with the diffusion of erotic
energy in his play with the cowherdesses, is the perfection of
Krishna’s nature."
Radha’s personality itself makes her to fall in love, suffer torture
of ambivalent feelings and finally, empowered with love and
attachment to her beloved, to overcome possessive and
illusionary intentions and reunite with her beloved on the
higher level of understanding.
Here Sakhi comes into picture. Intensity of love relationship
supersedes all other connections – parents, relatives. Yet close
friendship with somebody, who understands you better then
yourself is a special relationship, that is –the sakhi. Who knows
everything about you, and still loves you. Now Sakhi supports
Radha’s steps back to her beloved, this time in real life.
Thus, the context of the plot of Gita Govindam is given. And
there the drama begins, the story of Radha and Krishna
estrangement caused by his love for other girls, Radha’s
anguish and Krishna’s neglect, Radha’s sorrow and Krishna’s
regret, Radha’s withdrawal and Krishna’s remorse, and finally
mutual rapture of the two which brings them back to each
other, making thus their love complete.
e)Significance of Dasavataram as Purvaranga
"God creates this world, enters into it and like an actor who
assumes different roles on the stage performs various acts"
(Bhagvad Purana). Jayadeva (which is also one of the names of
Vishnu, meaning ‘Lord of Triumph’) composed his poem to be
danced before Lord Jagannatha at Puri. The poem was
composed purposely for being staged as full fledged dance-
drama. The inscriptions certify the fact: Gajapati ruler
Prataprudradeva’s inscription at Jagannatha temple of 1499 AD
states that Gita Govindam Nat should be performed before the
deity by dancing girls.
Dashavatar ashtapadi appears at the beginning of the poem
and forms Purvaranga of the dance-drama. In refrain of
Dashavatari Ashtapadi, the Lord is addressed as Jagadisha,
which means "Lord of the World", and indicates Krishna as
cosmic supreme soul.
Puranas prescribe to use dance, drama, music to appease the
Gods. Bharata Muni says that drama is the best service one can
offer to Vishnu.
"The Gods are never so pleased on being worshipped with
scents and garlands, as they are delighted with the
performance of dramas" (NS, XXXVI.81-2)
In Bhagavata Purana Vishnu says that the devotees should on
festive religious occasions enact his Leelas (playful activities,
often denotes dances) before his image in the temple.
Correspondingly, temple worship ritual comprised dramatic
performance, via dance and music. Thus, worship of Dashavatar
influenced and fostered development of numerous dramatic
forms.
f) Structure and Form of the Gita-Govinda:
Ashtapadis of Gita Govindam are examples of ancient
Prabandhas, compositions which were used in ancient Sanskrit
dramas. Unique character of this poetical composition is, that it
was composed especially to be staged as a dance drama.
Jayadeva mentions the names of the ragas and talas for each
Ashtapadi.
There are 72 verses included in the Gita Govindam followed by
24 ashtapadis. Each Ashtapadi is started with a Dhruvapada
(one of five essential angas or constituting parts of Prabandha,
which corresponds to Pallavi (refrain) in Carnatic music). This is
followed by 8 padas (stanzas), which correspond to Caranas
(couplets of the song). In the last stanza the name of the author
is given (this is also very old tradition, prescribed by the rules of
Prabandha and adhered up to our time, as "mudra" of
composer is usually mentioned in the last line of Anupallavi,
which serves as a connecting couplet in Carnatic compositions).
Nineteen of 24 ashtapadis are set to four beat metre (lines of 7
four measures, i.e. 7x4). Five ashtapadis are set to 3 five beat
measures, but the first line of each couplet is lengthened by the
addition of a final heavy syllable.
Synopsis of Gita Govindam
Radha sees Krishna singing and dancing in the company of
other Gopis. Heart-broken at his neglect, she sends her Sakhi
(companion) to ask him to come to her. Meanwhile Krishna also
realizes his mistake and longs to be reunited with Radha. But in
her loneliness, Radha imagines that Krishna forgetting her is
happy in the company of another Gopi. Angered by this
though, she rejects her beloved Krishna when he comes to her.
Radha’s Sakhi is shocked by this childish behavior and upbraids
her. Radha then realizes her mistake and is reunited with
Krishna.
References
1. Gita Govinda with Abhinaya. ed. K. Vasudeva Sastri.
Thanjavur: Thanjavur Maharaja Serfoji Sarasvati Mahal
Library Society, 1950
2. Religion And Theatre by Manohar Laxman Varadpande,
Abhinav Publications, New Delhi, 1983
3. Romance Of The Raga by Vijaya Moorthy, Shakti Malik
Abhinav Publications, New Delhi, 2001
4. Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Devraj to Jyoti, Volume
2, by Amaresh Datta, Sahitya Academy, New Delhi, 1988
5. The Loves of Krishna in Indian Painting and Poetry
(Illustrated Edition) by W. G. Archer, The Echo Library,
Middlesex, England, 2007
6. S Sarada: Reminiscences of Rukmini Devi dance dramas,
Madras, 1983
7. Rukmini Devi: A Quest for Beauty. ed by Gowri
Ramnarayan, Sruti Magazine, Issue 7, May 2012
8. Gitagovinda of Jayadeva: Love Song of the Dark Lord by
Jayadeva, Barbara Stoler Miller, Columbia University Press,
1977
9. Sri Kamakoti Pradipam, Volume 3,4., Srinivasa Somadeva
Sharma April, May 1980
10. Jayadeva, Suniti Kumar Chaterji, Sahitya Academi,
New Delhi, 1973
11. Sacred and Profane dimensions of love in Indian
traditions as exemplified in the Gitagovinda of Jayadeva,
Lee Seigel, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 1978
12. Jayadeva's GeetaGovinda - A love song,
GeetaRadhakrishna, Published by Radha Krishna Menon,
Third Revised Edition 2010, Mumbai.
13. Philosophy of Indian Music - Contribution of the
Trinity, John Christopher Kommalapudi, Akansha
Publishing youse, New Delhi, 2010
14. The Gitagovinda of Jayadeva, Love song of the Dark
Lord, Barbara Stoler Miller, Motilal Banarsidass, Varanasi,
Reprint 2007.
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