Essay name: Gita-govinda of Jayadeva (comparative study)
Author:
Manisha Misra
Affiliation: Utkal University / Department of Sanskrit
This essay contains an English study of the Gita-Govinda by Jayadeva and the “Kishore Chandrananda Champu� by Kabisurya Baladev. The Gitagovinda is a Sanskrit Kavya poem of 12th century composed by Jayadeva whereas The “Kishore Chandrananda Champu� was written in the 18th century and was intended for a connection between the medieval poetry and modern literature.
Chapter 2 - The background and plot contents of Jayadeva’s Gitagovinda
5 (of 34)
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kalpa 10. During these twenty-four groups of four-era when a Dvāparayuga comes rotationally named as Subāhu that is the time of incarnation of Krsna on this earth 11. He is the central figure of Indian religion and literature. And above. all the incarnation of Kṛṣṇa is the starting point of the vaiṣṇavite theory of incarnation ¹². There are many verses about the incarnation in the Vedas. Lord 12 Śrīhari manifested himself in many forms/ shapes to protect the dharma in each
era. His birth is mysterious. In the Kṛṣṇāvatāra he evidents himself with the
glory of full-moon and holding the sixteen kalā-s or the sixteen divine symbols
of his body in the prison house of the demon Kaṃsa. In the Bhagavadgita,
Kṛṣṇa frequently says to Arjuna that he has taken many incarnations and live
as an earthly creature. But his life is not controlled by the illusion like others.
His incarnated life is divine, under self-control and made for the welfare of
others and to establish the virtuous qualities like peace, honesty, dutifulness,
truth, sacrifice and kindness 13. In the Chandogyopaniṣad Śrīkṛṣṇa is named as
Devakiputra. So the incarnation of Kṛṣṇa is still mysterious and some scholars
do not accept all the Kṛṣṇa characters narrated in different texts as one
incarnation 14. Above all Kṛṣṇa is accepted as one of the heroic figures who
devote their lives in fighting all kinds of evil represented in the shapes of wicked
men, terrible animals and powerful demons and who champion the cause of the
good and the righteous. 15 In the Bhaktirasāmṛtasindhu, the character of Kṛṣṇa,
his glorious incarnations, divine qualities are beautifully described. The theory
10. These names present some puranic / historical period of time, for detail see glossary.
11. Rath, Minati, Gargasaṃhitārahasyam, pp. 31-37
12. Mishra, R.P., Growth of the theory of incarnation, p.254
13. Srimad Bhagabadgītā, iv.9
14. Upadhyaya, Baladeva, Bharatiya Vanmayame Śrīrādhā, p.32
15. Gonda, J., Aspects of early visṇuism, p.156
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