Gita-govinda of Jayadeva (comparative study)
by Manisha Misra | 2012 | 56,963 words
This essay contains an English study of the Gita-Govinda by Jayadeva and the 鈥淜ishore Chandrananda Champu鈥� by Kabisurya Baladev. (1) The Gitagovinda is a Sanskrit Kavya poem of 12th century composed by Jayadeva, who was a devotee of Lord Krishna/Jagannatha and a patron of Odisha culture. The Gitagovinda had widespread influence on Indian art and li...
3. Origin of Campu
The literary form of Campu [Champu] and its many definitions are collected by Studies in campu literature. He has C.R. Despande in his work entitled discussed the origin of campu from the Vedic Akhyanas. The ease of prose and rhythm of verse embellished the narration of early Akhyanas; the combination was then availed of in philosophical discussions too. As time went on, artificiality crept in and the full-fledged campu came into existence. At this 8. Patnaik, Asutosh, Vaisnava Sahityatattva, p.55 9. Ibid, p.56 10. Ibid, p.60 91
time, Mahakavyas and Gadyakavyas were being developed on their lines. The campu-authors picked up their styles and amalgamated them. It is not possible to say when exactly this must have taken place. It is not necessary to assume for this, the period posterior to Bana, for prose romance did exist long before him. Even Patanjali (2nd Century B.C) mentions in his Mahabhasya, Akhyayikas like the Vasavadatta, the Sumanottara, the Bhaimarathi and Panini is credited with the composition of the Mahakavyas like Jambavatiparinaya and Patalavijaya. If we say that Bana was referring to the Vasavadatta mentioned by Patanjali and that it was written in the campu style, then Sanskrit campu date from a period much earlier than 2nd Cent. B.C. Many works in Sanskrit have been irrevocably lost. Campu available at present are only second rate works. Perhaps their predecessors also did not maintain a higher standard and sank into insignificance before the works of Bana and Dandin.11 According to Ashok Dash- The superior part of that prose composition which comes under the mixed poem and includes in the audible poetry is the Campu poem. All the definitions and explanations of campu are present in the external outline of that poem. No scholar has given stress on the identification of the emetic definition of campu. So to define a campu, the story, size and characters are not important, only the style of writing is taken for consideration. 12 11. Despande, C.R., Studies in campu literature, p.67 12. Dash, Ashok, Kahita nuhai bharatire (Odia), p.86 92