JAYA JAYADEVA HARE!

- Part I, II AND III

(A look at the Gita Govindam) Dr. P. P. Narayanaswami

The title of this article refers to the refraining lines that appear at the end of each of the eight couplets in the second aSTapadi, shrita kamalAkuca maNDala dh.rta kuNDala kalitalalitavanamAla jaya jayadEva harE Here, the poet Jayadeva, happily shares one of the names of Lord K.rSNa. What are these aSTapadis? How many are there? What are their salient features? We shall attempt to answer these questions. ASTapadi, as it is popularly known, is often heard in karNATilk music concerts, in the post pallavi segment, and one such piece is invariably included in all south Indian bhajans. These aSTapadis are not mere songs with eight padas (literally, feet). They form part of gIta gOvindam, a kAvyam, in fact a mahA kAvyam, composed by the saint poet Shri Jayadeva. It consists of 12 sargams (chapters) comprising of 24 gItams (or aSTapadis) and around 92 highly poetic shlOkams in chaste Sanskrit, sprinkled in between. CLICK BELOW FOR THE COMPLETE TEXT OF GITA GOVINDA MAHA KAVYAM In Sanskrit PDF In diacritical English PDF

Jayadeva
The composer is a wandering saint, JayadEva, who calls himself a poet (kavi) at numerous places in this th poem (e.g. jayadEva kavi bhAratI, shrI jayadEva kavEridam). He lived in the 12 century. He was born in a village kindubilva", which is perhaps the village Kenduli near Puri in Orissa, or Kindubilva in Birbhum district in Bengal. Some authors believe it is a village near Jenjharpur in Mithila. In the last lines of the seventh aSTapadi, in sargam 3, we find a reference to this geographical location: varNitam jayadEvakEna harEridam pravaNena | kindubilva samudra sambhava rohiNI ramaNEna || In the final sargam of gIta gOvindam, JayadEva states that he was born to BhOja dEva and rAmA dEvi: "shrIbhOjadEvaprabhavasya, rAmAdEvIsutashrI jayadEvakasya" Though he was a wandering minstrel, due to a divine prophecy, he married PadmAvati, and lived as a householder, in the service of Lord JagannAtha. He was a disciple of GOvardhanAcArya. His scholarship in sanskrit was immense, with a powerful diction. He was an eminent writer, who wrote the drama called `prasanna rAghava'' and many other classical work. But, he is always remembered for the great work,

gIta gOvindam, which he composed as an ardent devotee, with his heart and soul dedicated to the lotus feet of Lord K.rSNa. This time frame is soon after saint RAmAnuja preached vaiSNavism in Orissa. King LakSmaNasEna (1179 AD 1205 AD), who became a devoted vaiSNavite, was a liberal patron of the Sanskrit language. JaydEva was his court poet. In one of the opening shlOkams of gIta gOvindam., JayadEva states that he is in the company of the scholarly poets, UmApatidhara, SharaNa, GOvardhana and DhOyi, all of whom lived during the same period. The work "sadukti karNAm.rtam" composed by shrIdaradAsa (1205 AD) mentions all these poets, and also includes several shlOkams that are attributed to JayadEva. Some anecdotes in JayadEva's life Jayadeva was proficient in vEdic knowledge, and he started the life as an ascetic. In another part of the town, there lived one Devasharma, who prayed to Lord JagannAtha of Puri for a child, promising that his first child would be offered to Lord JagannAtha. When the beautiful PadmAvati was born, the parents were delighted, but also distraught that they had to offer her to the temple. But, true to their word, they raised her, and when she came of age, took her to the temple dressed like a bride and offered her to Lord JagannAtha. PadmAvati stayed in the temple that night. Meanwhile, Lord JagannAtha came in the dream to the chief priest of the temple, and asked him to take PadmAvati to JayadEva living like a hermit on the banks of the river Kinduli, and get her married to him. Next morning DEvasharma took PadmAvati to Jayadeva and narrated the dream. Though reluctant at first, JayadEva finally yielded to marry Padmavati, since it was the wish of Lord JagannAtha. JayadEva mentions PadmAvati at several places in gIta gOvindam (example: padmAvatI caraNa cAraNa cakravartI). It is said that JayadEva would compose and sing each aSTapadi, and PadmAvati would dance to them at the feet of Lord JagannAtha. The couple lived a long and happy romantic life in the service of Lord JagannAtha. JayadEva composd gIta gOvindam and offered it to the feet of the Lord. His patron, King LakSmaNasEna, who has also composed many devotional poems, was a bit jealous of JayadEvas fame, ordered that no one was to sing anything except his own compositions. The anecdote goes that when the King brought the compositions of himself and JayadEva before Lord JagannAtha, the Lord chose only the gIta gOvindam as his favourite. Thus, convinced of the superiority of the gIta gOvindam, the King shed his ego and took JayadEva as his spiritual advisor. The next anecdote is more well-known, and is mentioned in numerous places, including the vAggEyakAra caritamu chapter in SangIta SampradAya Pradarshini of SubbarAma DikSitar. This poet JayadEva, was composing the eighth couplet in the nineteenth aSTapadi, and the thought came that he should use the following lines. smaragaraLa khaNDanam mama shirasi maNDdanam dEhi pada pallava mudAram (place your foot on my head a sublime flower destroying the poison of love) Hesitating a little, and without writing it down immediately, he handed the tAlapatram (dry palm leaf that was used for writing, during those times) to his wife PadmAvati, oiled his head, and went to the river to take his bath. Soon after, Lord K.rSNa, disguised as JayadEva, came to PadmAvati, with oiled head, got the tAlapatram and the pen, and wrote the very same wording as the one originally occurred to JayadEva, and left. After sometime, JayadEva returned and asked for the tAlapatram. When he was told that he just came a few minutes ago, took the tAlapatram and wrote something, curiously, he looked at it and saw the very same words he had planned to write. He clearly knew it was Lord JagannAtha who must have done this prank. He was overjoyed, and told her Oh! PadmAvati, the Lord has appeared before you; how can I praise your good fortune?" In the eighth line of that aSTapadi, he states:

"jayati padmAvatIramaNa jayadEva kavi bhAratIbhaNitamatishAtam" In the 21 aSTapadi, again, in the last stanza, he wrote: vihita padmAavatI sukha samAjE kuru murArE ma"ngaLashatAni bhaNati jayadEva kavirAjE (These are the only places in the gItam segment, where he specifically mentions his wife PadmAvati). There are numerous other stories that are often heard in the Orissa region, most of them describing some sort of miracles associated with the life of JayadEva, re-affirming his unparalleled devotion to Lord K.rSNa.
st

PART II

UttukkADu vE"nkaTakavi's tribute to JayadEva UttukkADu venkaTa kavi, the well-known pre-trinity composer, and an ardent devotee of Lord K.rSNa, has showered praise, and paid glorious tribute to JayadEva through his popular composition, padmAvatI ramaNam in rAgam pUrvikalyANi. This k.rti, in simple Sanskrit, essentially summarizes all one has to know about JayadEva and his great contribution, the gIta gOvindam. padmAvatI ramaNam rAgam: pUrvikalyANi tALam: tripuTa pallavi padmAvati ramaNam jayadEva kavirAja bhOja dEva suta padmapAda smaraNam kuru mAnasa anupallavi yad-gOpI vadanEndu pada candra cakOram shrI caraNam kindubilva sadanam ati ati divya mangaLa vadanam sundarAnga shubha shObhita madanam sumukhi rAmAdEvi priyakara sutanum

(madhyamakAlam) saha paNDita samUhasEvyam shata manmata jita mahanIyam satata k.rSNa prEma rasamagna samAna rahita gIta gOvinda kAvyam The phrase yad gOpI vadanEndu in the anupallavi is perhaps a reference to the following popular dhyAna shlOkam on Lord K.rSNa, that is chanted in south Indian bhajans, prior to the rendition of an aSTapadi or two. yadgOpIvadanEndumaNDanamabhUt kastUikApatrakaM yallakSmIkucashAtakuMbhakalashE vyAgOcamindIvaram | yannirvANavidhAnasAdhanavidhau siddhA~njanaM yoginAM tannashyAmaLamAvirastu h.rdayE k.rSNAbhidhAnaM mahaH || The popularity of gIta gOvindam JayadEvas dramatic lyrical poem, gIta gOvindam is a unique work and one of the finest sources of religious inspiration in medieval and contemporary VaiSNavism. In Puri, it was already incorporated in the daily temple rituals for Lord JagannAtha. An inscription in Oriya, carved on the left side of the JagannAtha doorway, and dated 1499 A.D., prescribes these rituals. Despite its origin in eastern India, it spread throughout India within the next few centuries, and was first quoted in temple inscriptions in Gujarat, within a century. A stone inscription of King sharngadEva vAghEla of Anahillapattan (1291 A.D.) opens with JayadEvas invocation to K.rSNa on the ten incarnations (first aSTapadi). In Bengal, the singing of gIta gOvindam is mandatory at the spring fair in the village of Kenduli. In Nepal, it is sung during the spring celebration in which worship is offered to Lord KAma (cupid) and his consort, Rati. GIta gOvindam forms an integral part of the most important devotional music, saMkIrtanam, in Gujarat, Orissa, Bengal, and all four southern states in India. Rajput paintings, and Kerala dance forms were inspired by gIta gOvindam as early as the sixteenth century. The sOpAnam music of kathakaLi dances in Kerala features selected aSTapadi gItams. Many mystics like Saint Caitanya, and bhakta mIrAbai and a host of others have been profoundly influenced by this love poem. Audiences throughout the world have placed this poetry at a high pedestal with appreciation for the emotional lyricism replete in every verse. Whether it is heard in the JagannAtha Temple in Puri, or K.rSNa temple in GuruvAyUr, or in a south Indian bhajan, the sensuous imagery of these songs are of a special kind that invoke the madhura bAva (sweetness) and bhakti rasam (devotion) in the minds of every listener. Synopsis of the plot The theme of gIta gOvindam is sh.r:ngaram (erotic), dramatizing the rAsa lIla (sacred love-play) of Lord K.rSNa with the cowherdess RAdha. The agony of separation from a lover (viraha tApam) is predominantly depicted. The entire story takes place during a single night, and only three characters are involved, namely Lord K.rSNa, RAdha, and a sakhi (a chambermaid, who plays the role of a messenger between the hero and heroine). In the opening sargam, in the first aSTapadi, Lord K.rSNa, the supreme and transcendent Lord of the universe, is praised through his ten avartAras (incarnations). JaydEva presents the ten forms as:

mInasharIra (fish), kacchapa sharIra (tortoise), shUkara sharIra (boar), naraharirUpa (half-man, half-lion), vAmana rUpa (dwarf), bh.rgupatirUpa (parashurAma), haladharartUpa (plowman BalarAma), buddha sharIra ( Buddha), and kalki sharIta (Kalki). The story begins with a fine description of the erotic spring season. K.rSna plays the rAsa lIla with the gOpis, and captivates them with his muraLI gAna (flute music). His love-plays are then narrated by her companions to RAdha, who was waiting for his coming at the banks of river Yamuna. Separated from K.rSNa due to her jealousy, she recounts the time she was first united with the Lord. K.rSNa soon becomes disenchanted with other gOpis, and begins to long for RAdha; The sakhi (friend) then describes RAdha's love-torn agony to him. K.rSNa requests the sakhi to bring RAdha to him. The anxiety of K.rSNa is conveyed to Radha, and the sakhi asks her to re-join him. But RAdha is too feeble from longing to move. The sakhi returns to K.rSNa and describe RAdha's sufferings, and convinces him to go to her. Then, K.rSNA deplays and RAdha laments; When she sees the sakhi without K.rSNa, she feels that Lord is playing with others. At dawn, finally, K.rSNa arrives, and bows to her feet, but she scolds him in a fit of jealousy. K.rSNa withdraws, and the friends chide RAdha for her pride and vanity, and once again urge Radha to follow K.rSNa. Then, K.rSNa returns to appease her with loving words and tender flattery. Finally, RAdha pursues him and is entrapped by his beauty. K.rSNa beckons her to bed and they reconcile. In the morning, RAdha discheveled from the playful battle of love asks K.rSNa to dress her and re-do her ornaments and makeup and he complies. The allegorical significance of this story is highly philosophical, and is to be interpreted in a higher plan as follows: RAdha is the human soul (jIvAtma) and is longing to unite with the supreme Lord (paramAtma) for everlasting bliss. The role of sakhi is to be viewed as that of a guru who guides the individual soul through the path to supreme knowledge. The structure of gIta gOvindam The entire poem is deceptively simple in style and choice of words. There are 12 sargams (chapters). Each sargam starts with a few shlOkams, and one or two songs arranged in several couplets and a refraining line to be recited after each couplet. These songs are known by several names, gItam, prabandham, or aSTapadi, since most (but not all) employ eight couplets. JayadEva himself calls them "padAvali"s (madhura kOmala padAvalIM - sargam 1). Since the title of the work is gIta gOvindam, it is more appropriate to refer to these songs as gItams. We shall use the terms gItam and aSTapadi interchangeably. There are more verses that follow each gItam. The number of shlOkams vary anywhere from 70 to a maximum of 92, depending on the particular edition we are looking at. The names of the 12 sargams, and the break-down of the gItams in each chapter are as follows: sargam 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. Title sAmOda dAmOdaram akLesha kEshavam mugdha madhusUdhanam snigdha madhusUdhanam sAkAMkSa puNDarIkam kuNTha vaikuNTham nAgara nArAyaNam vilakSya lakSmIpati manda mukundam Catura caturbhujam sAnanda dAmOdaram suprIta pItAMbaram gItams 1, 2, 3, 4 5, 6 7 8, 9 10, 11 12 13,14,15,16 17 18 19 20,21,22 23,24 No. of shlOkams 13 5 8 7 3 11 3 3 8 10 10 14 92

(The number of shlOkams differ in various publications, but the maximum number available is shown above).

The shlOkams in gIta gOvindam

The Four Opening shlOkams The work commences with four shlOkams that set the proper mood and atmosphere for the plot. mEghairmEduram ambaram vanabhuvaH shyAmAH tamAladrumaiH naktaM bhIrurayaM tvamEva tadimaM rAdhE g.rhaM prApaya | itthaM nandanidEshashcalitayOH pratyadhvaku~njadrumam rAdAmAdhavayOrjayanti yamunAkUlE rahaHkElayaH ||1 || Meaning: The sky is thick with clouds; the forest area is dark with the tamAla trees; the night frightens him (K.rSNa); Oh RAdha! you take him home; This is the command from Nanda. But, RAdha and MAdhava stray to the tree on the banks of river Yamuna, and their secret love sport prevails. This is one of the most debated verses, with conflicting commentaries and interpretations of the exact meaning of the phrase nanda nidEshita. One commentator has devoted an entire chapter explaining the meaning of this particular shlOkam! In the second verse, which serves as a colophon to the work, the author provides an introduction of himself: vagdEvatAcaritacitritacittasadmA padmAvatIcaraNacAraNacakravartI | shrIvAsudEvaratikElikathAsamEtam EtaM karOti jayadEvakaviH prabandham || 2 || Meaning: The poet JayadEva, the wandering bard, who is an abode of thoughts elaborated by the deeds of the Goddess of speech (Sarasvati), who is at the feet of PadmAvati, composes this great work comprising of the tales of the love plays of shrI and vAsudEva. Then the poet goes on listing a host of talented scholars in whose company he is penning this work, thus assuring us of the superior quality of his work. vAcaH pallavayatyumApatidharaH sandarbhashuddhiM giram jAnItE jayadEva Eva sharanaH shlAghyO durUhUdrutE | sh.r"ngArOttara satpramEyaracanairAcAryagOvardhanaspardhI kOpi na vishrutaH shrutidharO dhOyI kavikSmApatiH || 3 ||

Meaning: Umapatidhara is eloquent and blossoms with speech; Sharana is famous for his subtle flowing verses; but only JayadEva knows the regular coherence of divine words; no one rivals AcArya Govarddana for compositions that are in erotic mood and sacred truth; And DhOyI is the king of poets. The poet, then declares that he is going to commence the composition, and prescribes the necessary qualifications to read the work: yadi harismaraNE sarasaM manO yadi vilAsakalAsu kutUhalam | madhura kOmala kAnta padAvalIM shruNU tadA jayadEva sarasvatIM || 4 || Meaning: If your mind is passionate in remembering Hari, if it is curious about the amorous plays, then listen to the speech of JayadEva, in the sweet tender loving string of verses

PART III

dashAvatara shlOkam The shlOkam that immediately follows the very first aSTapadi is the most popular one, and it salutes the Lord on ten incarnations: vEdAnuddharatE jagannivahatE bhUgOlamudbibhratE daityaM dArayatE baliM chalayatE kSatrakSayaM kurvatE | paulastyaM jayatE halaM kalayatE kAruNyamAtanvatE mLEccAnmUrccayatE dashAk.rtik.rtE k.rSNAya tubhyam namaH || Meaning: Salutations to Lord K.rSNa, the one who assumed the ten forms, lifting up the vEdas, supporting the universe, raising up the globe, tearing the demon (HiraNyakashipu) to pieces, outwitting the King Bali, destroying the kSatriyas, conquering Paulastya (RAvaNa), bearing the plough (BalarAma), extending compassion, and deranging the barbarians. Two concluding shlOkams yadgAndhgarvakalAsu kaushalamanudhyAnaM ca yadvaiSNavaM yacch.rngAravivEkatatvamapi yatkAvyESu lIlAyitam |

tatsarvaM jayadEvapaNDitakavEH k.rSNaikatAnAtmanaH sAnandAH parishOhayantu sudhiyaH shrIgItagOvindataH ||| Meaning: The skill in the arts of gAndharvas, concentrated meditation, vaiSNavam, playful creations in poems, which are literary works on the truth of the discrimination in erotic, --- may the wise people joyfully understand all these according to shrI gIta gOvindam of the poet and scholar JayadEva, whose soul is solely directed towards Lord k.RSNa. shrIbhOjadEvaprabhavasya rAmAdEviisutashrIjayadEvakasya | parAsharAdipriyavargakaNThE shrIgItagOvindakavitvamastu || Meaning: May the poetic skill of shrI gItagOvindam of shrI JayadEva, son of rAmAdEvi and bhOjadEva, be in the throats of friends, parAshara, and others. The metric structure of the shlOkams The shlOkams employ a variety of poetical v.rttams (metres) of the Sanskrit language , the most notable being shArdUlavikrIDitam. Specifically, the author has used the following metres: (the numbers in brackets indicate the number of shlOkams in which the particular metre is used, among the collection of 72 shlOkams that appear in one particular publication). shArdUlavikrIDitam (26), hariNi (10), vasantatilakam (9), shikhariNi (5) (the metre of the popular Saundarya Lahari), anuSTubh (4), mAlini (3), puShpitAgra (3) , vamshasta (3) , drutaviLambitam (2) , upEndravajra (2), prithvI (1), upajAti (1) , and Arya (3). In five shlOkams, JayadEva cleverly incorporates the v.rtta mudra (name of the metre) for the metres shArdUlavikRIDitam, puSpitAgra, p.rthvI, shikhariNi, and upEndravajra , using the art of shlESam (double meaning): kandarpOpi yamAyatE viracayan shArdUlavikRIDitam (sargam 4) ciravirahENa vilOkya puSpitAgrAm (sargam 4, last verse) ahO vibudhayauvataM vahasi tanvI p.rthvIgatA (sargam 10) prasUtiscUtAnaM sakhi shikhariNIyaM sukhayati (sargam 2) upEndravajrAdapi dAruNOsi (sargam 4) Some of the shOkams are sweet tongue-twisters, indulging in a variety of word play, alliterations, and lengthy construction. Here is a typical illustration from sargam 1. unmIlanmadhugandhalubdhamadhupavyAdhUta cUtA"kurakrIDatkOkilakAkalIkalakaairudgIrNakarNajvarAH nIyantE pathikaiH kathaMkathAmapi dhyAnAvadhAnakSaNaprAptaprAnasamAsamagamarasOllAsairasI vAsarAH || (sargam 1)

The Structure of the gItams (aSTapadis)

The style of the gItams There are 24 gItams, spread over the 12 sargams. Sargams 1 and 7 have four gItams each, sargam 11 has three, sargams 2, 5, and 12 have two each, and the rest have just one each. This particular musical form is referred to by various names, gItam, aSTapadi, padAvali, etc. Even though the phrase aSTapadi technically means having 8 pada (feet), some of the gItams do not have 8 padas. Except gItams 1, 2 and 10, all have 8 padas (couplets); the first has 11, the second 9, and tenth has only five padas! Gitams 2, 5 and 22 have lines that are fairly short, whereas gItams 9, 12, 14, 16 and 21 have very lengthy lines. There is a constant refrain passage in each aSTapadi, that is to be repeated at the termination of each couplet. The title of this article, jaya jayadEva harE is the refraining segment in the second aSTapadi. All the gItams, without exception, contain a last caraNam - called JayadEva bhaNitam --- the poet's signature like the vAggEyakAra mudra). Examples are: shrIjayadEvakavEridamuditamudAram (aSTapadi 1) shrIjayadEvabhaNitamidamuditam (aSTapadi 3) haricaraNasharaNajayadEvakavibhAratI (aStapadi 13) bhaNati jayadEvakavirAjE ( aSTapadi 21 ) The lyrical beauty of the gItams The language of the gItams is simple and elegant, conveying lofty ideas According to JayadEva, they are madhura kOmala kAnta padAvali. The gItams indulge in anuprAsa (alliteration) throughout. Each couplet universally features antAnuprAsa (end syllable rhyme), serving to indicate an end of the metrical cycle. For example, in aSTapadi 3, all lines end in the "E" sound like-: samIrE, kuTIRE, vasantE, duranTE, vilApE, kalApE, tamAlE, jAlE, vikAsE, vilASE, cUtE, pUtE Another feature is the usage of very lengthy compound words knitted together from extremely short and simple words. In gItam 3, we see each line is just one long word; this feature is again repeated later in gItam 5 and 22. See for example: lalitalava"ngalatAparishIlanakOmalamalayasamIrE madhukaranikarakarambitakOkilakUjitaku~njakuTIrE ( aSTapadi 3)

maNimayamakaramanOharakuNDalamaNDitagaNdamudAram pItavasanamanugatamunimanujasurAsuravaraparivaram (aStapadi 5)

vadanakamalaparishIlanamilitamihirasamakuNDalashObham smitaruciruciramullasitAdharapallavak.rtaratilObham (aStapadi 22)

The rAgas of the aSTapadis Just as in the case of rAgams mentioned in the rAgAdhyAya chapter of sa"ngIta ratnAkaram', the rAgams set by JayadEva for the aSTapadis and his recommendations somehow became out of usage, and perhaps lost for ever. The recommendations to follow the rAgams and tALams, which were set by the music scholars for these twenty four aSTtapadis about three hundred years ago, are in usage now. Some ancient editions of the work mention the following rAga scheme for the 24 aSTapadis. rAgams mAlava (gauDa) gurjari vasanta rAmakari karNATa dEshAkSi (dEshAkhya) dEshi varADi guNaka (nATA) bhairavi varADi vibhas aStapadis 1, 6, 13 2, 5, 7, 11, 15 and 18 3, 14, 20 4, 24 8 9, 16 10, 19 12 17 21, 22 23

But hardly anyone sings the gItams in these prescribed rAgams. Nowadays, in each region, the aStapadis are sung in a variety of rAgams. In South India, the rAgams followed are those set by (late) Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer in his writing: "gIta gOvindam with musical notations (TrippuNittura Sanskrit College, 1962). The tamil edition, by the south Indian bhajana exponent Pudukkottai Gopalakrshna Bhagavatar prescribes the following rAgams sequentially for the 24 gItams: mALava/saurASTram, bhairavi, vasanta, pantuvarALi, todI, kAMbhOji, bhUpalaM, saurASTram/kAnaDa, dEshAKSi/bilahari, Anandabhairavi, kEdAragauLa, shankarAbharaNam, Ahiri/nIlAmbari, sAranga, sAvEri, punnAgavarALi, Arabhi, yadukulakAmbhOji, mukhAri, kalyANi, ghaNTa, madhyamAvati, saurASTram/nAdanAmakriya, mangaLakaishika. The tALa structure/metric units in aStapadis Some ancient texts of gIta gOvindam specify some tALa structure, but it is not currently followed. tALam rUpaka nissAra yati Eka aSTa tAla aSTapadis 1, 10, 12, 16 and 21 2 3, 4, 5, 7, 13, 14, 17, 18, 20, 22, 24 6, 8, 9, 11, 15, 23 19

The south Indian editions employ the standard karNATik tALams like Adi, rUpakam, tripuTa, jhampa, cApu, and so forth. The metres of the gItams have striking resemblance to the metres employed in medevial poetry in the vernacular language, known as apabhramsha. Most of these can be identified

with Jain apabhramsha poetry. The most prominent metre in gIta gOIvindam songs repeat a pattern of couples structured into lines of seven (or fewer) four-beat measures exemplified by the following: lalitala 1111 madhukaa 1111 vanga la 211 nikaraka 1111 tApari 211 raMbhita 211 shIlana 211 kOkila 211 KOmaLa 211 KUjita 211 malayasa 1111 kunjaku 211 Mire 22 tirE 22

(here 1 represents a laghu (soft syllable) , and 2 is a guru (heavy syllable)) This four beat subdivision seem to suggest a tALa designation. Most of the gItams (4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 17, 20, 22, 23) are arranged in groups of 4 beats of the above type; Gitams 9, 12, 14, and 18 have four units of 4 beats; gItam 16 has 3 four beats followed by the pattern 21; gItam 15 has six four beats and a pattern 12; The first gItam has couplets in unequal lines of 16 ans 20 beats, identified as kIrtidhavaLa chandas in the work, SangItarAja by Kumbha... Similarly, the last gItam (24) has unequal lines identified as mangaLa chandas in the same work. The refrains usually contain one or two rhyming lines of uneven length. The refrain lines that appear in each gItam follow the same pattern of beat combinations present in the gItam lines, but the only difference is in the length, and occasionally on beats of the end syllables. Here is an example of the refrain lines in the third aSTapadi. viharati 1111 n.rtyati 121 virahija 1111 haririha 1111 yuvatija 1111 Nasya du 121 sarasava 1111 nEnasa 211 rantE 12 santE 12 mamsakhi 121

However, the pattern exhibited by the refrain lines is vastly different in gItams 9, 10, 14, 15 and 18. abhinaya for gIta gOvindam it is obvious that these aSTapadis are composed with the intention of employing them as dance pieces for n.rtta in the presence of the Lord. JayadEva clearly states that he sang these songs to the accompaniment of n.rtya by his wife PadmAvati (padmAvatI caraNa cAraNa cakravartI). The abhinaya poses for these gItams have been prescribed in due course by tradition, and preserved till today. The abhinaya for every single word of the aSTapadis are to be found in two old manuscripts, preserved at the Sarasvati Mahal Libraray at Ta~njore (TanjAvUr). However, in both manuscripts, the text abruptly breaks th at the end of 17 aStapadi. There is clear evidence that these manuscripts have come from the North. The gestures mentioned in these works are simple, highly expressive and graceful, and follow the techniques laid down by Bharata in the nAtya shAstra. These include the 26 asamyuta hasta (single handed mudra), 13 samyuta hasta (mudras using both hands), 4 hasta karaNas (winding movements), and 13 movements of the head. Their definitions are found in Chapters 8 to 10 of the nAtya shAstra, and are also explained in abhinaya darpaNam of nandikEshvara. The material has been published in 1950 (reprinted in 1963) under the title gIta Govinda with abhinaya. Ta~njore Sarasvati Mahal series No. 6, Edited by K. VAsudeva sAstri. Commentaries of gIta gOvindam A great number of commentaries by prominent scholars are available for this important composition. The following is a partial list of some important commentaries of gIta gOvindam.

Rasa ma~njari by Shankara mishra Rasikapriya by KuMbhakarNa, a King of Mewar TippaNika by MAnAka SarvAngasundari by NArAyaNadAsa Shrutira~njani vyAkhyA by LakSmIdhara RasakadaMbakallOlini by Bhagavad dAsa BalabOdhini by CaitanyadAsa Audio recordings In the popular five-LP set, BalAji pa~ncaratnam of the 1970s, the doyenne of karNATik music, M. S. Subbulakshmi has sung the dashAvatAra aSTapadi as a rAgamAlika. Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna usually renders an aSTapadi song in all his concerts, and has given audio recordings of a few of them from time to time. Bombay Sisters have a twin cassette (Keertana label, Astapadi I and II, CA 527/528), where they sing all 24 aSTapadis. But, as the case of most recordings, they just sing only the first couplet and the last one (JayadEva bhaNitam part). Again, this is the norm in all south Indian concerts. Also, Vani Jayaram has rendered a few aSTapadis in an audio cassette (V J Bani 4BMC4). Under the title, rAdhEshyAm: Songs of JayadEvas gIta gOvindam, singers, Ramesh Narayan and R. Shyama have rendered a few aSTapadis in Hindusthani style (S&S Audio, Trivandrum). Swami Haridass Giriji has given a 2CD set under Amrita Music label). A multimedia CD ROM/DVD ROM on gIta gOvindam, conceived by Dr, Kapila Vatsyayan, and produced by IGNAC is also available. Reference Miller, Barbara Stoler, Love Songs of the Dark Lord , (Jayadevas Gitagovindam), Columbia University Press, New York (1977)