Jayadeva's Gita Govinda

The 12th-century Sanskrit poem of the poet Jayadeva, an inseparable part of the Jagannath temple tradition, devotional music and classical dance.

The Gita Govinda is a deeply melodious Sanskrit poem meant to be sung, composed in the 12th century by the devotional poet Jayadeva. According to the popular tradition Jayadeva lived in the village of Kenduli near Puri in Odisha, while another tradition links him to Kenduli in Bengal. His wife Padmavati is remembered as a dancer devoted to the service of Lord Jagannath.

The poem has twelve cantos and contains twenty-four songs called ashtapadis, so named because most of them have eight stanzas. Each song is marked with a raga and a tala, so from the very beginning it was composed to be sung. Its theme is the divine love of Shri Radha and Shri Krishna, which devotees understand as a symbol of the soul's longing for union with the Supreme.

The first canto contains the famous Dashavatara stotra, a hymn honouring the ten avatars: Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Rama, Balarama, Buddha and Kalki. Each stanza ends with the refrain "Jaya Jagadisha Hare", and all the avatars are seen as forms of Krishna himself.

For centuries the singing of the Gita Govinda has been part of the daily service at the Shri Jagannath temple in Puri, and it holds a special place in the Odissi dance tradition. Its ashtapadis are also sung and performed in Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, and Carnatic and Hindustani music. Many saints, including Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, cherished it deeply. Even today it remains a precious meeting point of devotion, music and art.

Source

Jayadeva, Gita Govinda

Cantos

12

Ashtapadis

24