How Love Poems of Radha And Krishna Happened?
A chance reading of Vidyapati’s Classic ‘Love Songs’ of Radha and Krishna translated by Duben Bhattacharya struck a chord in my then love-warming heart, which resulted in these poems. They were written during the dulcet days when I was courting my own ‘Radha ‘.
Love is beyond all rules and laws. In fact, it is law unto itself. It evokes every shade of emotion in the heart it smites. Having been love-smitten, I have tried to capture its contours.
The Influence of Vidyapati
I had been so influenced by the poems of Vidyapati that the reader can notice my feeble verses reverberating to his ‘Majestic Muse’. This I am not in the least ashamed of. The reason is simple: I have followed ‘Love’ . Moreover, like Vidyapati, I believe that ‘the divinity of Krishna and Radha is of little consequence, since it is as lovers that they are commemorated’ in these poems.
The Symbols of Radha and Krishna
Every lover is Krishna and every beloved is Radha. The legend of their love is experienced by all that have felt Love’s ‘electrifying touch’. I share the opinion that ‘Krishna and Radha symbolize the Embrace of Yin and Yang, the Unification of Masculine and Feminine energies, the merging of Humanity and the Divine. When one transcends and a wakens to the Truth, one sees that we are all united with the universe and that we are never alone. When our energies balance, we manifest our own reality. That is the essence of Krishna and Radha, the Divine Embrace’.
The Inspiration of Vidyapati
At the time of writing these poems, I must confess that I did not have the slightest idea of who Vidyapati was. It then did not matter. However, my good sense prevailed and I wrote the following in the margin of my notebook: Vidyapati’s Classic ‘Love Songs’ of Radha and Krishna, translated by Duben Bhattacharya. I am thankful that my heart has been tutored by no less a poet than Vidyapati.
Vidyapati (1352-1448) was born in the village of Bisapi in Madhubani, on the eastern side of north Bihar. He was a courtier,scholar, and prose-writer. Though a Bengali poet, he is primarily known for his love-lyrics composed in Maithili, a language spoken in the towns and villages of Mithila.Vidyapati’s love-songs recreate the amorous world of Radha and Krishna, the major symbols of love in Indian mythology and literature, in the well-known tradition of the love-inspiring early Indian poem called ‘Gita Govinda’ by Jayadeva. Such poems convey the devotion of Krishna’s worshippers through the metaphor of human love.
Vidyapati, Jayadeva and My Poems
While Jayadeva’s poem celebrates Krishna’s love and pays comparatively little attention to Radha the woman, Vidyapati is primarily concerned with the intense passion of Radha’s love. I, with my mortal heart, have attempted to strike a balance between the two. At times, I have clothed my emotions with the garb of Krishna and at other times with the bashful apparel of Radha. I have played both the parts within myself: personally and vicariously.
Love Bites or Hickeys: Signs of Passion
The mention of bites and fingernail marks is found in many a poem. They are considered signs of passion in Indian tradition.
They express the emotive power of the union between the lover and the beloved. It must be mentioned here that ‘the associations are not sadistic, but more like ‘hickeys’ in American tradition or ‘love bites’ in the British tradition’.
Why I Call the Poems ‘The Fire of Love’?
I have called these poems ‘The Fire of Love’ in the sense that love, like fire, is all-consuming and all-purifying. The longing heart holds the inferno of a thousand suns. The cool shower of the sweetheart’s sight soothes the searing soul. I can vouch for it .
A Sincere Thanks to…
I am most grateful to Sri Duben Bhattacharya whose translation fanned the flames of love in my heart. Again I owe my gratitude to Mr. K.V. Purneshwara Rao, author of ‘The Cave of Wonders’ for working in me the wonder of noble aspiration.
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