9/8/2019 Braj Bhasha - Wikipedia

Braj Bhasha
Braj Bhāshā is a Western Hindi language. Along with Awadhi (a variety of
Eastern Hindi), it was one of the two predominant literary languages of
Braj Bhasha
North-Central India before the switch to Khariboli in the 19th century. ज भाषा
Native to India
Brij Bhasha is spoken by people in the nebulously defined region of Vraja
Region Braj region of Uttar
Bhoomi, which was a political state in the era of the Mahabharata wars. Pradesh, Rajasthan,
According to ancient Hindu texts such as the Bhagavata Purana, the Haryana, , Madhya
Kingdom of Surasena is described as spreading through the Brij (also Pradesh, and Delhi
known as Vrija or Vraja), where the incarnation of Vishnu, Krishna was 1,556,314 (2011
Native
born and spent his childhood days. This region lies in the Agra-Mathura- speakers census)[1]
Aligarh area, and stretches as far as the environs of Delhi. In modern India, Census results conflate
this area lies mostly in northwestern Uttar Pradesh, the eastern extremities some speakers with
of Rajasthan i.e. Bharatpur & Dholpur and the southern extremities of Hindi.[2]
Haryana. Northern regions of Madhya Pradesh like Morena are also Language Indo-European
included.[4] Today Braj Bhoomi can be seen as a cultural-geographical family
Indo-Iranian
entity rather than a proper state. It is the vernacular of the region and
Indo-Aryan
boasts a rich culture and literature by famous poets like Surdas, Bhai
Gurdas and Amir Khusro. Brij Bhasha is very close to Awadhi, spoken in the Central (Hindi)
neighbouring Awadh region. Western Hindi

Much of the Hindi literature was developed in Braj in the medieval period. Braj Bhasha–
Kannauji
However, today Khariboli dialect has taken its place as the predominant
Braj Bhasha
standard dialect of Hindi.

Writing Devanagari
In modern India, Braj Bhasha exists as an unofficial dialect spoken
system
colloquially by natives of the region of Braj Bhoomi, with great cultural and
Language codes
religious significance. Much of Hindi poetry, especially that of 'Bhakti' or
devotional poetry is in this language. Some devotional poems for Krishna ISO 639-2 bra (https://www.loc.
gov/standards/iso639-
are also composed in Braj Bhasha. The pioneering Urdu poet Amir
2/php/langcodes_name.
Khusrow, also spoke and composed poetry in this language. Famous Braj
php?code_ID=63)
Bhasha folk songs or poems include Chhaap Tilak Sab Chheeni by Amir
Khusro, and the popular devotional song, Main Naahin Maakhan Khaayo ISO 639-3 bra

by Surdas. Braj Bhasha is also the main language of Hindustani classical Glottolog braj1242 (http://glot
music compositions. tolog.org/resource/la
nguoid/id/braj1242)[3]

Contents
Geographical distribution
Literature
Basic Phrases of the Brij Bhasha (Sample sentences)
See also
References
Further reading
External links
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braj_Bhasha 1/4
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Geographical distribution
Braj Bhasha is mainly a rural tongue currently, predominant in the nebulous Braj region centred on Mathura & Agra in
Uttar Pradesh and Bharatpur & Dholpur in Rajasthan. It is the predominant language in the central stretch of the
Ganges-Yamuna Doab in the following districts:

Hathras
Mathura
Agra
Aligarh
Firozabad
Auraiya
Etah
Mainpuri
Etawah
Bulandshahr
Noida
Farrukhabad
Kasganj
Badaun
Morena
Gwalior
It stretches across the Ganges into the non-Doabi districts of Badaun and Bareilly and goes up to the foothills of
Nainital at Udham Singh Nagar in Uttarakhand.

Besides Uttar Pradesh, it is spoken in the bordering areas of Rajasthan, mainly in the following districts:

Bharatpur
Dhaulpur
as well as parts of Karauli, from where onwards it merges into Rajasthani languages.

It is also spoken in the western areas of Uttar Pradesh, mainly in Mathura district and eastern areas of Palwal and
Noida districts.

In Madhya Pradesh it is spoken in the districts of Bhind, Morena, Gwalior, and Shivpuri.[4] It is spoken in several
villages of Mathura, specially in Vrindavan, Madhuvan, Kaman, Kosi Kalan, Chhata, Baldeo, and all other villages
belongs to Braj Area with Bajna, Surir, Bhidauni,

Literature
Most Braj Bhasha literature is of a mystical nature, related to the spiritual union of people with God, because almost all
of the Braj Bhasha poets were considered God-realised saints and their words are thus considered as directly
emanating from a divine source. Much of the traditional Northern Indian literature shares this trait. All traditional
Punjabi literature is similarly written by saints and is of a metaphysical and philosophical nature.

Another peculiar feature of Northern Indian literature is that the literature is mostly written from a female point of
view, even by male poets. This is because the saints were in a state of transcendental, spiritual love, where they were
metaphorically women reuniting with their beloved. (In its inversion of the conventional genders of worshipper and
worshippee, Maulana Da’ud's Chandayan departs from this tradition.)

Important works in Braj Bhasha are:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braj_Bhasha 2/4
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Yugala Shataka by Swami Sri Sribhatta Devacarya; known as the first 'Vani' book in Vraja Bhasha composed in
the 14th Century AD as a part of Nimbarka Sampradaya tradition of Radha Krishna worship.
Vinaya Patrika by Tulsidas
Sur Sagar by Surdas[5]
Buddha Charit by Acharya Ram Chandra Shukla
Sufi poetry by Amir Khusro
Eulogies by Kavi Bhushan
Vrind Satsai by Vrind (1643 - 1723), court poet of ruler of Kishangarh[6]

Basic Phrases of the Brij Bhasha (Sample sentences)

Brij Bhasha Meaning
Kahan ja rao he (to a male, Kahan ja rai hai (to female) ? Where are you going?
kaa kar rao he ( to male), kaha kar rai hai (to female)? What are you doing?
tero naam kaah hai (to male )? What is your name?
kaah khayo? What did you eat?
kaah hai rayo hai? What's going on?
moye na pato. I don't know.
toy kaah dikkat hai ? What is your problem?
kaha koye re tu? What's the name of your place?
Ghar kon- kon hai re? Who's at home?
tero ghar kahan hain? Where is your home?
Roti khaay layi kaah? Had your meal?
kaah haal-chal hai? How are you?
batayo toh I told you.
je lali meri hai . She's my daughter.
je humaro lalla hai He's my son.
tu kab awego ? When you will be coming?
Tero hi baat dekharo. I was waiting for you.
Tero byah hai go kaah? Are you married?
Kahan koon/ kit koon jaro hai? Which place you are going to?
yahah / nyah aa . Come here.
humbe hanji Yes/no both with expression
chalo chalo lets move
chup hai ja silent
Non diyo nek so Give me little salt
mere jhore nai I don't have
je bus kitau ja rai hai? Where will this bus go?
jyada mat bol don't speak too much

See also
Hindi literature

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Brajavali dialect
Brajabuli

References
1. "Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues - 2011" (http://www.censusindia.go
v.in/2011Census/Language_MTs.html). www.censusindia.gov.in. Office of the Registrar General & Census
Commissioner, India. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
2. "Census of India: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues –2001" (http://www.censusindi
a.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement1.aspx). censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved
16 July 2015.
3. Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Braj" (http://glottolog.org/resource/langu
oid/id/braj1242). Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
4. "International Encyclopedia of Linguistics" (https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=sl_dDVctycgC&pg=PA291&lpg=P
A291&dq=Braj+Bhasa+morena&source=bl&ots=4Y2B90Sgc_&sig=CfN_Q103lnt5C4KdJX_ge6cCRYI&hl=en&sa=
X&ei=z4jDVJXtN4GuUpiIgbgN&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=Braj%20Bhasa%20morena&f=false).
google.co.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
5. "Google Notebook" (http://www.google.com/notebook/public/03553967701179803178/BDQs4SwoQx5vXjbQh).
google.com. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
6. Sujit Mukherjee (1998). A Dictionary of Indian Literature: Beginnings-1850 (https://books.google.com/books?id=Y
CJrUfVtZxoC&pg=PA425). Orient Blackswan. pp. 425–. ISBN 978-81-250-1453-9.

Further reading
Rupert Snell, The Hindi Classical Tradition: A Braj Bhasa Reader 0728601753

External links
https://web.archive.org/web/20070524104936/http://www.ciil.org/Main/Languages/indian.htm

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