Nāyikās of the Gītagovindam

Abstract : Gītagovindam is widely performed and has many translations and commentaries to its credit. ‘Nāyikās of the Gītagovindam’ is a research paper written to find out the various situations that Rādhā has been placed in cleverly by the poet, so as to fit into the traditional delineations while maintaining the plot. Original verses from Gītagovinadam and Sanskrit treatises have been used to substantiate the findings. Commonly, the eight states of the heroines that are the aṣṭa vidha nāyikās are delineated or compared with the nāyikā avasthas of Gītagovindam. This research paper tries to delineate the nāyikās not at level of the eight nāyikās but to layers deep within. Nāyikās like Anyasambhogaduḥkhitā, Mānavatī, Sakhivañcitā are not commonly known to dancers, these are sub varieties of the aṣṭāvasthas. Understanding the various sub varieties of the known nāyikā gives a better perspective for rendition on stage.

Gīta Govindam is a lyrical poem written by the great poet Jayadeva of the twelfth Century A.D. The poem presents in dramatic form the story of the two lovers – Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, their attraction, estrangement, yearning and final reconciliation through the help of a Sakhī   (female confidant). While on the surface this poem conveys the love sport of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, in the deeper layers, devotion of the individual soul, it’s pining for God realization and finally attaining the consummation in service of God is interwoven.

Characters of Gīta Govindam– There are three major characters in Gīta Govindam. They are Kṛṣṇa, the hero. He is the supreme Godhead. Then it is Rādhā the heroine who is a depiction of Jīvātma, which yearns for the union with the lord and the third and last character is the Sakhi, friend of Rādha who acts as her messenger and also advices Rādhā at times. She is the one who is instrumental in uniting the estranged lovers.

Rādhā – The heroine of Gīta Govindam is a simple cowherd damsel who is in love with her Kṛṣṇa. Here Rādhā is Parakīyā Nāyikā meaning a lady who is not the wife of a hero.

This “Jayadeva, Vidyāpati and Caṇḍidāsa were the primary sanctifiers of Parakīyā. Rādhā was identified with the eternal Parakīyā who loves the man other than her husband. In their lyrics, Rādhā is considered a Paroḍhā who has to face many hardships created by the vigilant husband, family members and the gossip mongers of the society. The power and single mindedness of her love for Kṛṣṇa render her oblivious to the hardships through which she must pass on her way to meet him (Kṛṣṇa).”[1]

“Denial by the society creates a challenging zest in the Parakīyā . Adultery in which physical possession becomes a sheer impossibility, is, therefore, conceived as an apt ideal for delineating this clandestine relationship of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇā.”[2] “The love between the gopis (particularly Rādhā) and Kṛṣṇa has been delineated as the love of the real woman for a real man.”[3]

The Nāyikā-s of Gīta Govindam

The first Aṣṭapadī is actually not an Aṣṭapadī it has eleven verses in total, in praise of the ten incarnations of Kṛṣṇa. The second Aṣṭapadī is a salutation to the lord. The third Aṣṭapadī is a description of the Vasanta Ṛtu, vernal season by the sakhi to Rādhā who roams about the forest in search of Kṛṣṇa. The fourth Aṣṭapadī is the description of Hari sporting with the Gopis. This is pointed out by the friend to Rādhā. With this the first canto named Sāmodadāmodaram comes to an end.

Seeing the dalliance of Hari with the other Gopis, Rādhā retreated to the bower in solitude. Here the fifth Aṣṭapadī depicts Rādhā as an ‘Anya saṃbhoga duhkhitā’, a variety of Vipralabdhā.

atra dūtī sambhogena dūtī samāsakti prayatnena itaranāyikāratiśravaṇena vā nāyakaparokṣam duḥkhitā anya sambhoga duḥkhitā ǀ[4] sā tridhā- dūti sambhogaduḥkhitā, dūtisamāsaktiduḥkhitā, itararatiśrutikhinnā ceti ǀ [5]

To be precise, this aṣṭapadī is an example of itara rati śruti khinnā of Anya Sambhoga Duḥkhitā.

rāse harimiha vihitavilāsam smarati mano mama kṛtaparihāsam ǀ- dhruvam

My heart remembers that Hari who is frolicking in the Rās dance, mocking at me. The word ‘Parihāsam’ indicates her association with Vipralabdhā.

kvacit saṅketamāvedya dayite nātha vañcitā

smarārthā vipralabdheti kalāvidbhiḥ prakīrtyate ǀǀ[6]

Experts in the field of arts say that Vipralabdhā is one who comes for the meeting and gets cheated by her lover and thus afflicted by love. The seventh verse before the third Aṣṭapadī clearly states Rādhā searching for Kṛṣṇa in the forest. Thus in, the fifth Aṣṭapadī, Rādhā is a Vipralabdhā.

The sixth Aṣṭapadī depicts Rādhā reminiscing their previous union and requesting her friend to bring that Hero, Kṛṣṇa. Reminiscing, Smṛti is one among the daśa kāma avasthā.

prathame tvabhilāṣaḥ syāt dvitīye cintanam bhavet ǀ

anusmṛtistṛtīye tu caturthe guṇakīrtanam ǀǀ[7]

udvegaḥ pañcame prokto vilāpaḥ ṣaṣṭha ucyate ǀ

unmādaḥ saptame jñeyā bhavedvyādhistathāṣṭame ǀǀ

navame jaḍatā caiva daśame maraṇam bhavet ǀ

strīpuṃsayoreva vidhirlakṣaṇam ca nibodhata ǀǀ

These ten states of love have been associated by Bharata Muni to Ayoga Śṛṅgāra, but the vast amount of literature found has made it viable to associate it to Viprayoga Śṛṅgāra too. Here, the recollections are about the previous union thus suggesting Viprayoga Śṛṅgāra. Though she is recollecting the past, Rādhā continues to insist her Sakhi to go and bring him. The past refers to her as an Abhisārikā.

nibhṛtanikuñjagṛham gatayā niśi rahasi nilīya vasantam

cakitavilokitasakaladiśā ratirabhasabhareṇa hasantam ǀ

The fact that she went at the dead of the night to the tryst for union proves her to be an Abhisārikā. Requesting her Sakhi to bring Kṛṣṇa is also an attribute of an Abhisārikā.

nātham sarati yā nārī dūtīm vā sārayatyasau ǀ

proktābhisārikā loke nāyikābhedavedibhiḥ ǀǀ[8]

Thus the sixth Aṣṭapadī shows Rādhā as an Abhisārikā. With this the second canto ‘Akleśakeśava’ comes to an end.

The seventh Aṣṭapadī describes Kṛṣṇa lamenting his neglect of Rādhā. He is wondering what she must be undergoing seeing him flirting with the other damsels. The words ‘manmathena dunomi[9]’ proves him to be a Virahī here. Kṛṣṇa assumes Rādhā to be jealous.

tanvi ! khinnamasūyayā hṛdayam tavākalayāmi ǀ

tanna vādmi kuto gatāsi na tena tēnunayāmi ǀǀ

‘The jealousy in her mind makes her angry on him, yet she does not abuse him; instead she removes herself from his vicinity indicating her anger in silence.’

jñātēnyāsaṅgavikṛte khaṇḍiterṣyākaṣāyitā ǀǀ[10]

The heroine who is jealous due to the knowledge of the hero’s dalliance with another woman is a Khaṇḍitā Nāyikā says Daśarūpaka.

priyāparādhajanitakopajanyamaunameva mānaḥ ; mānōsyā astīti mānavatī. [11]

Māna is the silence born out of anger caused by the mistake committed by the lover. The lady who has Māna is a Mānavatī. Thus she is a Manavatī, a type of Khaṇḍitā. With this the third canto ‘Mugdhamadhusūdhana’ comes to an end.

The Sakhi of Rādhā describes the viraha of Rādhā in the eighth and the nineth Aṣṭapadī, to the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa. Here, Rādhā is a Virahotkaṇṭhitā.

cirayatipreyasi viraheṇākulitā virahotkaṇṭhitā ǀ[12]

The words ‘viraha’ in both the songs clearly show her pining for Kṛṣṇa.

sā virahe tava dīnā ǀǀ (dhruvam)

That poor girl clings to you, mentally on account of pangs of separation – says the eighth Aṣṭapadī

rādhikā virahe tava keśava ǀǀ (dhruvam)

Keśava, Radhā pines for you – says the nineth Aṣṭapadī.

With this the fourth sarga named ‘Snigdhamadhusūdana comes to an end. The fifth sarga starts with Kṛṣṇa requesting the sakhi to bring Rādhā to him. The tenth Aṣṭapadī is a description of Kṛṣṇa’s viraha by the sakhi to Rādhā.

tava virahe vanamālī sakhi sīdati ǀǀ

His lack of interest to sport other Gopis makes him an Anukūla Nāyaka. He is also a Virahi here.

The eleventh Aṣṭapadī also follows the same tone as the previous, with the sakhi asking Rādhā to go to Kṛṣṇa to fulfill his desires. The poet has portrayed Kṛṣṇa as a nāyaka equal to a vāsakasajjā.

patati patatre vicalati patre śaṅkitabhavadupayānam ǀ

racayati śayanam sacakitanayanam paśyati tava panthānam ǀǀ

Thus ends the fifth sarga Sākāṅkśapuṇḍarīkakśa.

The twelfth Aṣṭapadī is a description of the weak Rādhā who is unable to go to Kṛṣṇa. Here, the sakhi describes the plight of Rādhā to Kṛṣṇa. Here, Rādhā is a Vāsakasajjā who is bordering a Virahotkaṇṭhitā.

The Vāsakasajjā who awaits her hero as defined in Pratāparudriyam –

priyāgamanavelāyām maṇḍayantī muhurmuhuḥ ǀ

kelīgṛham tathātmānam sā syādvāsakasajjikā ǀǀ[13]

The one who decorates herself and the bedroom again and again eagerly around the expected arrival time of the lover is called a Vāsakasajjikā.

Jayadeva has also used the term Vāsakasajjā to denote his nāyikā in the seventh caraṇam.

bhavati vilambini vigalitalajjā ǀ

vilapati rodati vāsakasajjā ǀǀ

Dressing herself appropriate for dalliance, she waits for you. While you idle here, she abandons her shyness, wails and laments for you. The words ‘vilapati’ and ‘rodati’ indicate her to be bordering with the Virahotkaṇṭhitā.

vārāhani kelīgṛhe yasyā na patirūpaiti ǀ

śocantī tadanāgamamutkaṇṭhitāmavaiti ǀǀ[14]

The nāyikā who is yearning and wailing beyond control as her husband has not come and is not near her in the bedroom, is called an Utkaṇṭhitā. Thus this Aṣṭapadī shows Rādhā to be in a grey area between a Vāsakasajjā and a Virahotkaṇṭhitā.  With this the sixth canto named Dhṛṣṭa Vaikuṇṭha.

The thirteenth Aṣṭapadī is the lamentation of Rādhā. She feels she has been deceived by her friends who told her that her lover would come to the forest to meet her. The following words clearly explain that she is Vipralabdhā and a sakhi Vañcitā. This sakhi vañcitā is the one whose friend brings her to the tryst with a false message. This variety is not an indigenous idea of Śṛṅgāramañjarī. It is not known as to when it was first found, but it is found that the Āmodakāra criticizes this variety as against the basic quality of a sakhi. Śṛṅgāramañjarī brings in a twist suggesting that the friend brings the heroine to the tryst and hides the hero for fun. But, the variety seen here is the one condemned by the Āmodakāra and not the latter. The usage of the term ‘sakhivañcitā’ indicates her to have been conceived thus by the poet.

yāmi he ! kamiha śaraṇam

sakhījanavacanavañcitā aham ǀǀ

Seeing her friend return without Kṛṣṇa, Rādhā is filled with grief and laments loudly as though she is actually seeing the dalliance of Kṛṣṇa with another damsel.

The fourteenth and the fifteenth Aṣṭapadī are the jealous description, of Kṛṣṇa’s dalliance with another damsel; by Rādhā. The sixteenth Aṣṭapadī is an example of the height of Rādhā’s jealousy. Here, she contrasts her plight with the other girl’s happy union. With this ends the seventh sarga named Nāganārāyaṇa.

The eighth sarga starts with the Śloka which shows the arrival of Kṛṣṇa and implies him prostrating at Rādhā’s feet. The seventeenth Aṣṭapadī shows Rādhā angry with Kṛṣṇa suspecting his dalliance with another. Here, Rādhā is a Khaṇḍitā nāyikā.

yasyāḥ prema nirantaramanyāsaṅgena khaṇḍayetkāntaḥ ǀ

sā khaṇḍiteti tasyāḥ kathāśarīrāṇi bhūyāmsi ǀǀ[15]

The Nāyikā whose love is being shattered by the lover who is always in union with another woman is called a Khaṇḍitā.

She abuses Kṛṣṇa and asks him to go away. She suspects him. The following lines clearly indicate her suspicion and her anger due to that.

hari hari yāhi mādhava yāhi keśava mā vada kaitavavādam

tāmanusara sarasīruhalocana yā tava harati viṣādam – (dhruvam)

O Mādhava! O Keśava! Be off! Do not deceive me with your lies. Go to her, who will ease your despair. With this the eighth canto Vilakśyalakśmīpati comes to an end.

The eighteenth Aṣṭapadī shows the sakhi lecturing a Kalahāntaritā Rādhā.  The Kalahāntaritā is the one who rejects her lover who falls at her feet in front of her friends due to anger and then repents for her folly.

yā sakhīnām puraḥ pādapatitam vallabham ruṣā ǀ

nirasya paścāt tapati kalahāntaritā tu sā ǀǀ [16]

Rādhā is in grief as Kṛṣṇa left after she scolded him. Her Sakhi reprimands her for her folly.

kati na kathitamidamanupadamaciram ǀ

mā parihara harimatiśayaruciram ǀǀ

How many times have I told you not to spurn Kṛṣṇa who is longing to charm you? With this ends the 9^th canto Mugdhamukunda.

The nineteenth Aṣṭapadī shows Kṛṣṇa trying to appease Rādhā. Out of the six ways commonly accepted by scholars; Kṛṣṇa uses the sāma variety, where the Hero appeases the Mugdhā Nāyikā by soft words. Here, the nati variety is also indicated by the famous lines

‘smaragaralakhaṇḍanam mama śirasimaṇḍanam dehi padapallavamudāram ǀ’

 Kṛṣṇa speaks soft sweet words to the angry lady requesting her to leave her anger.

priye ! cāruśīle ! muñca mayi mānamanidānam

Thus ends the tenth canto ‘Caturaḥ Caturbhujaḥ’. The twentieth Aṣṭapadī shows the Sakhi coaxing Rādhā to go to the bower where Kṛṣṇa awaits her. Here, Rādhā is appeased and dressed for her union with Kṛṣṇa. She is bashful and her friend coaxes her.

mugdhe! madhumathanamanugatamanusara rādhe !

Here the friend addresses her as ‘Mugdhe’, while she is a ‘Madhyā’. The fact that she is dressed for union shows her interest towards dalliance while her hesitance indicates bashfulness.

samānalajjāmadanā prodyattāruṇyaśālinī ǀ

madhyā kāmayate kāntam mohāntasuratakṣamā ǀǀ[17]

The twenty first Aṣṭapadī is also on a similar tone. The Sakhi coaxes Rādhā to enter the bower and rejoice with the waiting Kṛṣṇa. The twenty second Aṣṭapadī essentially is a physical description of Kṛṣṇa and his overflowing love for Rādhā as observed by her. Thus ends the 11^th canto ‘Sānandadāmodara’. The twenty third Aṣṭapadī is the initiation of dalliance by Kṛṣṇa. The last Aṣṭapadī describes Rādhā asking Kṛṣṇa to dress her up as he was the one who spoilt her makeup. This describes the sway she had on him and her confidence too. Here, she is a ‘Svādhīnabhartṛkā’ who holds her lover under her control.

suratātirasairbaddho yasyāḥ parśve tu nāyakaḥ ǀ

sāmodaguṇa samprāptā bhavet svādhīnabhartṛkā ǀǀ

Bharata in his Nāṭyaśāstrā says a Svādhīnabhartṛkā is one who has captivated her husband. She possesses a happy countenance as her hero lives by her side eagerly for union.

Jayadeva, mentions the nāyikā of this Aṣṭapadī as a ‘Svādhīnabhartṛkā’ in the verse previous to this Aṣṭapadī.

atha kāntam ratiśrāntamabhimaṇḍanavāñchayā ǀ

jagāda mādhavam rādhā mugdhā svādhīnabhartṛkā ǀǀ

This Aṣṭapadī exhibits the confidence of Rādhā who is aware of the sway she holds on her lover. kuru yadunandana! candanaśiśiratareṇa kareṇa payodhare ǀ

mṛgamadapatrakamatra manobhavamaṅgalakalaśasahōdare ǀǀ

nijagāda sā yadunandane krīḍati hṛdayānandane ǀǀ

Conclusion

The specialty of this work is the explicit sensuousness along with deep devotion. Jayadeva has taken a sensual theme to portray the mystic philosophy. A careful study of Gīta Govindam indicates the availability of all the Śṛṅgāra Avasthā-s of a Nāyikā except the avasthā as a ‘Proṣitabhartṛkā’(the nāyikā whose lover has gone on a travel). The various facets of Rādhā as a nāyikā amazes the reader, of the caliber of Jayadeva. The profound knowledge of Jayadeva in the field of poetics renders him a poet par excellence.