Krishna: Arrested and Prosecuted!

Radha Magistrate, Krishna Mudala!

After reading my previous blog on Punjabi Tappe, Ashutosh Meher, a poet and author from Odisha observed: Similar folk songs are popular in tribal cultures of Odisha where young adults form separate teams of boys and girls and exchange taunts and jibes known as hurling tappas (tappa marba). 

I retrieved from my personal library 'Paschim Odishara Loka Sahitya Sampada', a book gifted to  me sometime ago by the author Padmashri Narasingha Prasad Guru of Bolangir. An excellent book with a rich collection of Dhaga-Dhamali, Prabachana, Tapa, Daeka, Chhatka, Prabada, Maichia Dhaga, Bakhani and Rudhi Prayog commonly used in folk songs and idioms of western Odisha. Daeka, possibly derived from Sanskrit dahika meaning incendiary, is a taunt capable of scalding the target, explains Shri Guru in his book.

A quick search led me to several such songs on You Tube – Radha-Krushna Tapa-Daeka, Odia Dhaga Dhamali, Kela Keluni, and other songs. The testy exchange between Lakshmi and Jagannatha in Balaram Das’s Lakshmi Purana has unmistakable elements of Tapa-Daeka. Subhash Khuntia, a friend, sent me a link for Ganakabi Baishnaba Pani’s Kela-Keluni Suanga, a composition in similar vein.

Another friend, Prof. Kalidas Mishra asked me to check out ‘Radha Magistrate, Krishna Mudala’ album on YouTube, which I did. A Sambalpuri album with a unique flavour, as the creators describe their presentation. I enjoyed the video as it brought back memories of Krishna Leela which I had seen as a child in my village in the early sixties. Then, folk-theatre was robust and a much-loved entertainment in the village.

The Album

Composed by Bharat Mishra with music by Murali Dhari Pati, this album has been produced by a talented team including singers-dancers-actors, choreographers, costume designers, and other technical support persons. Uploaded a few months ago, it has been seen by more than 80k viewers. What a pity that such a lovely album is not already viral! If you love Sambalpuri folk songs and folk theatre, you may enjoy this video.

The album title is amazingly cosmopolitan, and indeed global: Krishna and Radha from Indian mythology, ‘magistrate’ an English word of Latin origin, and ‘mudala’ (abbreviation of mudda’ aa- ‘alaihim) meaning accused and defendant is Arabic! The album is an imaginative fusion of devotional literature and ancient myth with British and Arabic jurisprudence and the Indian Constitution (there is a reference to the Constitution’s Fundamental Right to Equality - Article 15 and prohibition of discrimination based on caste!).

Plot

The venue is Kunjabana, the enchanting bowers of Vrindavan which was the secret venue for Krishna’s romantic dalliance with Radha and the gopis.

Radha is distraught since Krishna has reneged on his promise to be with her here. She devises a scheme. I will hold court here and try Krishna for his many offences, she tells her ashta sakhis- eight sahelis (Krishna was Devaki’s eighth child, and years later, would have ashta patnis or eight principal wives!); issues summons which Vishakha serves on Krishna, arrests him, and handcuffing him with a garland of flowers presents him before Radha, the Magistrate.

Radha’s sakhis act as muddei and present the charges. Purnamasi, Krishna’s confident, able, and eloquent counsel, defends him and effortlessly demolishes all the five charges one by one.

Radha can no longer see her lover prosecuted, persecuted, humiliated, and tormented. She pleads with her sakhis to end the trial. I devised this scheme to permanently lodge Krishna in the jail of my heart, she confesses. Krishna is magnanimous. I, too, played along; this is also part of my Leela, he says; and the play ends with a joyous group chorus and dance, euphoric and devotional. The Leela is fun, but essentially devotional. Odia Bhagabata in Rasa Panchdhyayi, the five chapters of the epic dealing with the erotic yet divine love between Radha and Krishna celebrates the supremacy of prema bhakti for attainment of Krishna.

IPC

The story is presented as a courtroom drama. Krishna is summoned and charged with five offences under the Indian Penal Code. In their cute, playful songs the prosecutors quote the IPC sections under which Krishna is charged, and Purnamasi - Krishna’s counsel swiftly demolishes all the charges with irrefutable logic. The author has spiced his songs with reference to the IPC sections, but the audience need no legal knowledge to appreciate and enjoy this drama.

Which are the offences levelled against Krishna? Five charges are pressed by the prosecution, each punishable under the IPC:

Section 302: murder of Putana. Though a rakshashi, she came in guise of a human female, hence IPC would apply!

Section 457: ‘lurking house-trespass or house-breaking by night’ to steal butter and curd from houses of gopis.  

Section 294: obscene acts and songs in or near any public place (Yamuna, Kunjabana), to the annoyance of others (Radha and her sahelis).

Section 323: voluntarily causing hurt to another person- Kaliya may be a snake, but is treated here as a person, and Krishna’s dance on his head nearly killing the snake is an offence (Animal lovers would love that!).  

Section 379: theft, which is defined as dishonestly taking away any movable property out of the possession of any person without that person's consent.  Vastra haran – the stealing of gopis’ clothes when they were taking a dip in Yamuna. The punishment for this offence is imprisonment for up to three years, or a fine, or both. Luckily for Krishna, the prosecution did not frame charges for ‘outraging the modesty of women’ for which more stringent punishment is provided!

Folk-theatre

The album presents holistic Sangeet, defined by Natya Shastra as comprising song, music, and dance coupled with bhava and abhinaya. The drama is a fusion of Krishna Leela and Danda nacha performances, with sutradharas ushering in the theme, followed by the five Acts in this mini-play or short film– Radha’s scheme to try Krishna in her Court, Krishna summoned and arrested, Prosecution levels charges, Defence rebuts and refutes the charges, Radha ends the mock-trial by absolving Krishna of all alleged offences and there is a happy resolution with Radha and Krishna joyfully united.

Folk Songs and Music

The album presents a medley of the major varieties of Sambalpuri folk songs – Dalkhai, Rasarkeli, Jaiphula re, Sajani Go, Maela Jada, Mor Muralidhara Go; and has echoes from several hugely popular Sambalpuri songs of yester years – Hae Krushna Hae Krushna boli jau mor jeevana ga, jhum Jhum baje mor jhumka paenri, phatai khaili bela Kukila re, etc. The songs and the music deftly convey the shifting moods and emotions in the play.

End of an era?

Is folk theatre-song-culture dead or dying? Far from it; several individuals and groups have revived, reimagined, and reinterpreted these iconic elements of our folk culture, and several present practitioners and ambassadors continue to do so of whom I have come across the works of a few notable ones – Padmashri Haldhar Nag, The Loo Theatre group by Kesha Ranjan Pradhan, Purna Chandra Behera (a series of Odia Dhaga-Dhamali Geeta videos created in his modest studio in a village!), and a few groups from Sambalpur, Bolangir, Sonepur and other places. As I explore more, I hope to find many more talented and dedicated creative persons and groups championing the cause of folk culture.

Every year during Nuakhai, Dalkhai performances are hosted all over India by the local Sambalpuri community. I came across a video of a dance group performing Dalkhai in front of Eiffel Towers, Paris!

Rangabati, a super hit love song is loved by non-Sambalpuri and non-Odia audience transcending language barrier and has more than a million views on You Tube. Old Sambalpuri folk songs like jhum jhum baje mor jhumka paenri and Hae Krushna Hae Krushna boli jau mor jeevana ga are still very popular.

Danda nacha – Shaivaite dance performances sponsored by the Somavanshi rulers of Sonepur to counter the Buddhist religion dominant in adjacent Boudh, evolved to become devotional as well as secular theatre. Krishna Leela and Ram Leela are still performed by local groups in remote villages of Odisha.

Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 Bill recently passed by both houses of Parliament, after the assent of the President of India has replaced the Indian Penal Code. The Sections quoted in this album are now outdated, but the divine love between Radha and Krishna, and the devotional fervour that inspires folk songs and theatre would continue for ever.

***

Resources

1.      Radha Magistrate, Krishna Mudala: https://youtu.be/OI1sxzHinWE?si=S5J4bu-km8JadiFc

2.      Paschim Odishara Loka Sahitya Sampada – by Padmashri Narasingha Prasad Guru.

3.      Sambalpur Bhasha Sahitya Sanskruti, 2003, published by Sambalpur University. It has several excellent articles including ‘Paschim Odishara Dhaga-Dhamali: Eka Parikrama’  by Dr. Manindra Mohanty.

4.      Kela-Keluni Suanga by Ganakabi Baishnaba Pani (1882-1956): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xT6rA4UOG1ugEXggIrx43i0RE7_1E9QC/view?usp=drive_open

5.      Radha Krushnar Tapa Daeka: https://youtu.be/8AcTmjkXSos?si=K-ca-8mHY0W07tbG

6.      Dhaga-Dhamali: Odia Lokagita by Purna Chandra Behera: https://youtu.be/ZjTCFh9BkbE?si=gE8gy9xwp0rD1GUG

***

 

 

Radha's Diet Therapy: Part I

Radha’s Soul Food

Radha is sick, but it is no ordinary malady. She feels a strange chill at dawn, but without any fever. Kabiraj has felt her nadi and said, ‘You got viraha jvara – fever of separation. There’s no jadibuti – medication - for that.’

Radha is hungry, but racked with nausea she can’t eat. She bares her heart, and shares her agony with Dooti, her trusted companion. The song is Radha’s anguished plea to Dooti to fetch the only remedy that comes to her mind – pathi, a diet for her tormented soul and body. Radha needs soul food, and suggests a detailed menu, each of which resonates with the colour and fragrance and touch and feel of her love of life – Krishna Kanhaiya.

The cuisine she lists is fascinating in its variety, spread, texture, aroma, flavour, taste, colour, touch, feel, and its palliative power.

O Dooti, fetch me this special Krishna pathi, pleads Radha –

1.   Krishna khichdi with diced dumplings of ginger fried in ghee while recalling Krishna’s name, and seasoned with jeera, methi, hing, and salt

2.   Green banana rounds fried on a tawa

3.   Fresh pakhala (rice in water)

4.   Kanji ambila, a sour and soupy vegetable dish for which the necessary ingredients are – saru, kakharu, baigan, bhendi, and kardi

5.   Black moong dal curry

6.   Soft, supple arua rice

7.   A bitter curry (bitter gourd or neem flower with baigan and badi, maybe)

8.   Tender cucumber with curd, chili and salt

9.   Mildly seasoned leutia (a delicious green leaf) saag

How would this pathi restore Radha and save her life? Because each dish, ingredient, and flavour remind her of Krishna, and the entire cuisine is Krishnamrut for her. Radha is no longer separate or separable from Krishna. She has merged with her loved one. She has found the remedy for her strange malady.

There may be other prayers where the devotee serves chappan bhog or a preferred dish to God; but this may be the only bhajan where the devotee plans a menu for herself, but can see nothing except her Krishna in every kernel of her pathi. This is prem bhakti – simple, unpretentious, soulful. A prayer like none other.

Danda Nacha

This Sambalpuri song was possibly composed by the lyricist for a Danda nacha performance where two male actors play Radha and Dooti and perform on the village street. Decades ago, these popular street plays enacted select stories and episodes from the puranas and were much enjoyed in the villages of Odisha. Alas, this folk-theatre tradition is nearly dead now.

Fakir Pattanaik’s rendition in rustic, racy rhythm produced a hit song for which the link is:

Radha is Sambalpurian

In this song, Radha is not from Gopa but very much a Sambalpurian for her dietary preference is unmistakably local. Only in western Odisha, ambila is made with kardi! Thus, the song is a prayer, and a celebration of the unique Sambalpuri cuisine with local ingredients.

Thus Sang Radha

(Sambalpuri Song: Lyricist – Govinda (?). Translation by Prasanna Dash)

Listen, O Dooti, listen;

At dawn, I got a strange chill, a shiver,

But without any fever;

Tortured am I with a splitting headache,

Vaid came, felt my pulse, and diagnosed –

It’s viraha jvara,

There’s no medicine for it, he said.

O Dooti, I’m hungry, but can’t eat a morsel,

Racked by nausea, I can’t taste a thing.

Only you know how to heal me,

Don’t you, O Dooti?

Hurry, fetch me the special Krishna pathi,

Prepare Krishna khichdi,

Remember to add ginger slices

Fried in ghee while remembering Ghanshyam’s name,

Season it with jeera, methi, hing,

While adding salt remember Nilamani,

In Kanhu’s name, fry raw banana rounds,

O, how I savour that;

Bring also a serving of fresh pakhala

In the name of Gopala,

Paired with

Kanji ambila in the name of Kunja Binodia

To which do not forget to add all necessary ingredients –

Saru, kakharu, baigan, bhendi, and kardi;

Also bring a black lentil curry,

Shining like my dark Lord;

I have resolved to sing for ever

My Ghanashyam’s leela, O Dutika,

Please bring a serving of soft, supple arua rice,

Rai’s heart is now pledged to Rasa Binodia;

In Pitambara’s name,

Make a bitter curry, too;

Bring a few tender cucumbers

Looking like Krishna with his garlands,

Crush it in a mix of curd, chili and salt,

Serve a dish of dark green leutia leaves

In the name of Krishna;

For my ailment,

That is the sure cure,

Says Govinda;

Krishna pathi will dissipate my distaste for food and life;

Fetch the dishes,

O Dooti,

Make haste,

Revive my taste,

Kindle my appetite,

Save my life;

Let us surrender,

 O Dootika,

To the lotus feet of Krishna.

***

 

How to attain Krishna?

“Krishna literally means dark. That is why the dark phase of the moon is called Krishna paksha in the Hindu calendar. His other name, Ghana Shyama, has a similar meaning: dark as a rain-bearing cloud. He was born during the varsha ritu.

Krishna killed Kamsa, his maternal uncle, to end his sinful rule. Later, he became Arjuna's charioteer, and counsellor during Mahabharata war. Bhagavad Gita, His sermon delivered to Arjuna, before the commencement of the war, is a neat summary of the Vedic principles for a righteous life.

Krishna emerged as the most enchanting avatar of Vishnu during the Bhakti movement, and deeply influenced literature, painting, dance, and music.” [i]

Navadha Bhakti[ii]

Srimad Bhagavatam (07.05.23) describes navadha bhakti, the nine ways of offering prayers:

sravanam kirtanam vishnoh smaranam pada-sevanam

archanam vandanam dasyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam

The nine ways are: 1. Sravana (hearing), 2. Kirtana (chanting), 3. Smarana (remembrance, meditation), 4. Pada sevana (worshipping His lotus-feet), 5. Archana (ritualistic worship, as in a temple), 6. Vandana (offering prayers), 7. Dasya (becoming His servant), 8. Sakhya (becoming His best friend), and 9. Atma-nivedana (surrendering all that one has).

How to attain Krishna?[iii]

Vaishnavism provides for a variety of ways of attaining Krishna, the Supreme Godhead- total surrender, nama japa, Leela smarana, Krishna Katha shravana, etc. Each devotee also chooses, as per her own preference and predilection, an equation with Krishna, a specific relation with the Godhead. Krishna could be Vishnu, the Paramatma, Bala Gopal, the little adorable child, Rasa Bihari Krishna Nagar, the lover extra-ordinary, a sakha, friend, guide, and counsellor, as he was to Arjuna and the Pandavas.

According to the equation, the devotee would assume or acquire a bhava or mood, to be Yashoda, Radha, Arjuna, or even Krishna. Mirabai had become so immersed in Krishna that she had become Radha. Chaitanya became Krishna, and Jagannath Das (who composed the iconic Odia Bhagavata) became Radha. In that heightened state of devotion and consciousness, the devotee no longer perceives any distinction or duality between the God and herself. There is total merger and oneness. Such devotion or bhakti is the simplest way to attain Krishna, according to Vaishnavism.

Gita Govinda

Gita Govinda by Jayadeva is among the finest Sanskrit kavyas, and possibly the best in shringara rasa, celebrating the celestial love between Krishna and Radha. This lyrical poem inspired a genre of miniature paintings aspiring to capture a glimpse of that divine love and convey visually what the kavi had done through words.

There is an interesting story about how Jayadeva completed his kavya. Some readers have read this story in my previous blog: Invisible Poet.[iv]

Pichwai: Nathdwara style of painting

During the later part of the 17^th century, the idol of ShriGovardhanNath Ji was brought from Govardhan mountain of Braj bhumi, installed in Rajputana, to be thereafter worshipped as ShriNath Ji of Nathdwara.

Pichwai, a local tradition of a hanging a ceremonial piece of painted cloth behind the idol created a new school of painting- the Nathdwara style of painting.

I was privileged to receive a complimentary copy of ‘Pichwai: Nathdwara Chitrashaili par Ekagra’ Edited by Narmada Prasad Upadhyay (an erudite scholar and a much-awarded author), and L.N. Tiwari. Though brief, this monograph provides an excellent introduction to the beautiful Nathdwara style of painting.[v]

(Krishna-Janma; Nathdwara style of Painting; Source: Pichwai, Edited by N.P. Upadhyay & L.N. Tiwari)

ShriKrishnashtakam

Composed by Adi Shankaracharya, ShriKrishnashtakam is one of my favourite bhajans. For the Sanskrit lyrics, my English translation of the bhajan, and references to a few excellent renditions; you may check the link below.[vi]

Happy Janmashtami!

---

[i] Extract from this blogger’s book: O Krishna, O Son! Yashoda’s Sublime Song of Sorrow; First published in 2021, Fourth Edition in 2022. The book is available at Amazon, Kindle, and Flipkart.

 

[ii] Ibid.

[iii] Ibid.

[iv] Link for my blog: Invisible Poet: https://pkdash-author.blogspot.com/2023/03/invisible-poet.html

 

[v] This monograph is published by Vraj Sanskruti Shodh Sansthan, Vrindaban, Mathura, email: bcrivrindavan@gmail.com

 

[vi] ShriKrishnashtakam:  https://pkdash-author.blogspot.com/2023/09/shrikrishnashtakam.html

 

 

Holi: Myths, Moods & Music

Holi Kab Hai?

You might remember the song Holi ke din dil khil jaate hain (Sholay:1975), ominously preceded by Gabbar’s query: Holi Kab Hai? Kab Hai Holi? Kab?

Gabbar had good reason to ask, for people in different parts of India play Holi on different dates. Braj ki Holi commences on Basant Panchami and concludes after 40 days; Barsana’s Lathmar Holi begins a week before Purnima; at Manikarnika Ghat, Kashi it is on the Shukla Ekadashi. At Orchha, M.P., Ram Raja plays Holi three days after most of India celebrates the festival. For Maharashtra, Gujarat, and M.P, the main festival is on Rang Panchami.

Holi is usually celebrated on Phalguna Purnima after Holika is incinerated the previous evening to commemorate the victory of good over evil.

(Radha-Krishna playing Holi: Image created by Copilot powered by Dall-e)

Holi: Origin Myths

Three major myths regarding the origin of Holi relate to Holika-Prahlad, Shiva-Kama, and Radha-Krishna; the first one is commemorated with Holika Dahan on Choti Holi, the second one with Kama Dahan in the south, and the last one with the signature Holi of Vraj (Biraj ki Holi) in Gopa-Mathura-Vrindavan.

Holi celebration is mentioned in some versions of Kamasutra, and by the Prakrit poet Hala; but the present mode of celebration, particularly in northern India, is possibly inspired by Raas Leela of Bhagavata Purana and Jayadeva’s Geeta Govinda. Interestingly, Raas Leela in Bhagavata Purana took place on Sharad Purnima, but Geeta Govinda pushed it forward to Phalguna Purnima; both nights salubrious and spectacularly beautiful.

Holika and Prahlad

Holi, an abbreviation of Holika Dahan (the burning of Holika), may be the only Hindu festival named after a demoness. Hiranyakashipu was mad at Prahlad, his renegade son, for worshipping Vishnu, and ordered his sister Holika to kill Prahlad. She sat on a pyre, enticed her nephew to sit on her lap, and willed the pyre to burn. Even though she was blessed to be unharmed by fire, she was reduced to ashes, and Prahlad emerged unhurt from the pyre by the grace of Vishnu, who later assumed the Nrusingha avatar to tear apart Hiranyakashipu. Notably, Holi festival is not named after Nrusingha or Hiranyakashipu but after Holika, a minor character. Such is the generosity and inclusiveness of Hinduism!

Shiva and Kama

Unable to bear Shiva’s humiliation by her father, Sati committed suicide, and a distraught Shiva sat in meditation for so long that the harmony of the universe was jeopardised. Upon prayer by the gods, Sati took birth as Parvati and began arduous penance to obtain Shiva as her husband, but Shiva paid no attention to her. At the behest of the gods, Kama, the god of Love fired his arrow of flowers to arouse eros in Shiva. Enraged at the disturbance, Shiva opened his third eye and burnt Kama to ashes. Shiva ended his meditation, married Parvati, and all was well with the universe. Rati, Kama’s widow prayed to Shiva to restore her husband to life. Shiva granted the boon that Kama would be reborn every year with the onset of Spring albeit in disembodied form (Ananga). In some variations, Shiva assured that Kama would be born as Pradyumna, son of Krishna and Rukmini in Dvapar Yuga.

What is the symbolism of this story?

Shiva is Yogiraj, and meditation comes naturally to him. But he has the onerous responsibilities of creating, preserving, and destroying the universe; and he cannot stay aloof or withdraw from the business of creation for long. That is why it was necessary for Kama to persuade him to end his meditation. But why was he punished by Shiva? The burning may be metaphorical for Kama is the manas-putra of Brahma; a creation of the mind. Another name for Kama is Ananga, literally the One without a body. Shringara or Eros is a state of mind; it begins as a thought and then impels the body to act. Shiva was upset at the erotic impulse in his mind while he was at meditation. He opened the third eye, symbolic of the strength of the ascetic mind, and incinerated that impulse.

Radha-Krishna

Why does Krishna play Holi with Radha, and not with Rukmini, Satyabhama, Jambavati, or any other of the ashta bharyas (the eight principal wives), or the 16100 women he rescued from Narakasura (and married them since no one else would)?

Because it happened at Gopa where Krishna spent his childhood. It is part of Gopa Leela, the delightful sportive play of God!

Krishna literally means dark-complexioned, but is euphemistically called the Blue God. Still a boy (Krishna left Gopa forever at the age of eight!), he once asked Yashoda: Mother, why is Radha fair and I dark? Radha kyun gori, mein kyun kala? You may have heard the popular song by Anoop Jalota. The doting mother gave her young son a tip: Take a fistful of gulal and smear Radha’s face with your preferred colour.

Krishna and his friends used homemade herbal and skin-friendly gulal and abeer to paint Radha and the gopis, and also doused them with pots of water. When their revelry took them to Barsana, Radha’s place of birth, the feisty ladies hit them with staves to prevent them from taking further liberties. The warring parties came to truce with Phoolera Dooj, playing Holi with flowers. The vibrant, rambunctious, and colourful Vrij ki Holi still retains that hoary tradition of fun and frolic.

Season of Love

Among the seasons, I am Spring (ritunam kusumakara), proclaims Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Geeta. Phalguna or Spring is the season of renewal, rejuvenation, and reaffirmation of life-principle. The warmer sun nudges plants and trees to sprout new leaves, flowers, and fruits; and all life-forms to procreate. A new cycle of life begins. The pleasant breeze is happy to courier for free the sweet fragrance of mango blossom, the mating calls of birds provide heartwarming background music, and the elixir of eros courses in the veins of all living things.

Festival of Joy

Holi is a festive, boisterous community festival of song, music, dance, and revelry, especially for the youth, with gulal (coloured dust) and abeer (scented gulal) applied to each other and tossed up to colour the air, too, and dousing each other with spray from pichkari, water-balloons, pitchers, or buckets. Some revellers may be tipsy and euphoric with bhang serbet or other intoxicants, and the loud music from dhol, dhak, and manjira may excite the group to be even rowdy at times. But the revellers share goodwill, sweets (gujiya, puran poli, jalebi, peda laced with bhang), and compliments, forgetting and forgiving past enmity and hurts. Holi is also a great leveller of social distinctions of caste, class, and rank, at least for the day or two of celebration. In Phagunva mein rang rach rach barse, a delectable rendition and performance by Malini Awasthi, Holi is celebrated with equal fervour in mahal and madhai (hut) and by Raja and rank (poor)!

Holi commences with application of gulal to the gods and goddesses. How could the divinities be deprived of so much of fun and frolic? Khatu Shyam, Shree Ji, Banke Bihari, Radha-Krishna, Ram are taken out to the street to bless the festive occasion. Even the ascetic Shiva plays Holi at Manikarnika cremation ground at Kashi. Expatriate Indians and ISKCON celebrate it all over the world.

Holi is much more than a festival of colours. The celebrations are also named Basant Utsava, and Madan Utsava; for it is the Festival of Spring – of new regeneration, rejuvenation, Love, Amour, and Erotica. In his seminal kavya ‘Geeta Govinda,’ Jayadeva calls it Anang Utsava. Radha-Krishna, the twin divinities occupy centre-stage in these festivities, and Brij becomes the epi-centre of Holi celebrations in India. That is interesting since Radha is not mentioned in the Mahabharata or Harivamsa or Bhagavata; but was first mentioned in South Indian devotional poetry. Andal, the 9^th century Saint-Poet who composed several soulful devotional songs for Krishna, and married Sri Ranganathaswamy of the eponymous temple at Sri Rangapatna, is believed to be Radha incarnate. Radha travelled from the south through east India to the north.

Jayadeva, the 12^th century Saint-Poet of Odisha, truly created Radha, the infinitely alluring and irresistible divine consort of Krishna, and identified her with Lakshmi, thus elevating her from humble milk-maid to goddess. He celebrated in Geeta Govinda, the best Sanskrit kavya in shringara rasa, the erotic yet sublime love between Radha and Krishna. A reputed Jayadeva scholar has observed that eros and devotion are inseparably entwined like warp and weft in Geeta Govinda.[i]

Geeta Govinda inspired Chaitanya and the later Vaishnava saints to create Radha-Krishna and other sampradayas. Significantly, despite her risqué relationship with Krishna, her younger relative, she became more popular than Lakshmi; as vindicated in the common greeting Radhe-Radhe. No one greets Lakshmi-Lakshmi!

Many Holis of India

Holi has much regional variation – Brij, Avadh, and Kashi have their signature celebrations; Nihang Sikhs celebrate Holla Mohalla – a kind of Warriors’ Holi; Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan have Rang Panchami; Odisha and Bengal have Dola Yatra (Swing Festival), and the north-east and the south have their own regional variations.

Most of India celebrates Holi for a day or two, but Brij is immersed in these festivities for forty days. Lathmaar Holi of Barsana, the birthplace of Radha, is now a tourist attraction, especially for foreigners.  

Phagun Puni & Gundi-chhada puja

In my small village in western Odisha, the deities in the temples and at homes were bathed, worshipped, and offered flowers, fruits, and phagu - the coloured dust made at home from rice flour, haldi, dried leaves and flowers.

Renuka, my elder sister lives in a village close to Bargarh in Odisha. When I called her today and wished Happy Holi she said, ‘Just finished Gundi-chhada puja,’ and the childhood memory of the puja alcove at home in Khuntpali, our ancestral village came back in a flash. Of course, the Phagun Puni puja was called Gundi-chhada, literally meaning offering to the deities the tiny mango fruits no bigger than chickpeas at this season. ‘The puja platter had other offerings, too, I think,’ I said. She provided the details: a few mahul (Madhuca longifolia) fruits just beginning to form and still encased tightly in the protective cover, a few palsha (palash or Flame of Forest) flowers, char fruit from the forest, and ladoos made of roasted chana with jaggery. Mahalakshmi was bathed, dressed, and then offered the ceremonial platter. This was the only day in a year when palsha flower was offered in puja; but why offer gundi and yet-to-blossom mahul phool, neither of which was edible? Spring had inspired the trees to flower and fruit, and the harvest would come in due course in summer.

Gundi-chhada aka Gundi-khai puja is thus an early thanksgiving for the bounties of Mother Earth, who is none other than Mahalakshmi or Annapurna. A good crop of mango and mahul nourished the village and forest communities during the harsh summer months when no other crop was feasible. This puja is performed at home; and in sacred groves in the forest, on behalf of the village by the tribal priest – a Binjhal at Khuntpali, and a Sahnra at Sayan.

Phagu, Phagua, and Phag

Phagu derives from Phalguna, as does Phagwa or Phagua, the name of the festival in the Caribbean with significant population of Indian origin. The Phag folksongs of Avadh, Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand are also the signature tunes of Phalguna and Holi.

Holi Songs

The festival of colours, staple fare for Bollywood films, is popularised as a carnival of group dance and chorus songs. Such is the compulsive urge of Bollywood film-makers that in Guide, a Holi-cameo was included in Waheeda Rahman’s dance for the song piya tose naina lage re!

Holi songs are as varied as the multi-coloured festival, and range from devotional, joyful, playful, banter, bonhomie, titillating to innuendo and risqué. Songs for all moods.

Which are your favourite Holi songs? Depends on your preferred category – Classical, Bollywood, or Folksong.

Here are my favourites:

Classical: Aaj Biraj Mein Holi Re Rasiya (Shobha Gurtu); Khele Masane Mein Holi Digambar (Pandit Channulal Mishra)

Bollywood: Rang Barse (Amitabh Bachchan); khelenge hum Holi (Kati Patang), Holi aye re Kanhai (Mother India)

Folk: Phagunva Mein rang rach rach barse – Malini Awasthi; Phag folksongs of Avadh, Bundelkhand & Baghelkhand.

A few notable Bollywood Holi songs

Daro Re Rang Daro Re Rasiya (Jogan: 1950: Geeta Dutt)

Khelo Rang Hamare Sang (Aan: 1952: Shamshad Begum & Lata Mangeshkar)

Holi Ayee Re Kanhai (Mother India: 1957: Shamshad Begum & Lata Mangeshkar)

Arrey Ja Re Hatt Natkhat (Navrang: 1959: Chitalkar, Mahendra Kapoor & Asha Bhonsle)

Holi Khelat Nandlal Biraj Mein (Godaan: 1963: Mohammad Rafi, Music Director-Ravishankar, filmed on Mehmood!)

Aaj na chhodenge bas humjoli (Kati Patang: 1971)

Rang Barse (Silsila: 1981)

Avadh Mein Holi Khele Raghuvira (Baghban: 2003),

Aaj Biraj Mein Holi Re Rasiya (Dhappa: 2019)

Links

1.   My 2023 blog on ‘Masane ki Holi’: https://pkdash-author.blogspot.com/2023/03/masane-ki-holi-holi-in-burning-ground.html

2.   Pandit Channulal Mishra - khele Masane mein Hori Digambar – https://youtu.be/RBievjUHLfE?si=UlfoXPfr9yHBFKRW

3.   Aaj Biraj mein Holi re Rasiya – Shobha Gurtu – Chaiti, Kajri. Music Today. https://youtu.be/Bx4DxKTLzHU?si=qHxkiPnwKcbg2NVR

    Malini Awasthi - Phagunva mein rang rach rach barse: https://youtu.be/2GaU_Q15Ft4?si=ogZKDynrye4XRh-z

6.   Avadhi Phag- Mohan dhare roop janana: https://youtu.be/zrB6fyJI6c8?si=ZiIBPoq2mUcCof-A

7.   Hori: Music Today: https://youtu.be/CxVnn2Z2qKU?si=aTrOItnd9h-bFaJo

 

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[i] Subas Pani, Sampurna Geeta Govinda, Sri Geeta Govinda Pratisthana, Puducherry.

 

 

Radha’s Diet Therapy: Part II

In my previous blog: Radha’s Diet Therapy: Part I, I had translated the Sambalpuri song, and had mentioned a similar Odia song rendered by Prafulla Kar. In this blog, I share my translation of the Odia song along with brief comments.

Thus Sang Radha

Odia Song: Boile Radhika…[i]   

(Translation by Prasanna Dash)

Have you any remedy,

O Dooti,

For my unbearable malady,

To soothe the pangs of separation?

What measures have you tried,

O Radha,

Why no medicine works on you,

Tell me of anything you need,

A favourite dish, maybe?

O Dooti,

Please fetch forthwith

Kunja Binodia kanji,

Fried green banana rounds

from the fruit of the plant

Near the Kadamba tree,

A raita made of Narayana janhi,

Patitapabana dali,

Gobinda-Gopala khechedi,

Garnished with ghee in Hari’s name;

Serve all these delicacies

On the leaf-plate from which Madhusudana ate,

Include in remembrance of Mukunda,

A portion of ukhuda with diced ginger, and

Mohan-bhog for which I pine,

Lastly, a slice of Krushna kagezi lemon

To revive my palate;

After this soul-satisfying meal,

For my siesta,

Spread a Ghanashyama quilt

White and soft as lia.

Make haste,

O Dooti,

Fetch all these items

To get me over my nausea,

For me to once again

Savour the sight, smell, and taste

Of Krushna, life, and food.

 

That will cure my fever,

Says Purna Rama Bihari.

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Odia Song and Sambalpuri Song

The lyricist for the Odia song is Purna Rama Bihari, and that for the Sambalpuri song is Gobinda; the singer and composer for the former is Prafulla Kar, and for the latter the singer is Fakir Pattanaik and the composer is Raghunath Panigrahi.

Which of these two songs is the original? Both these songs were released by Saregama India Ltd – the Odia song on 09/01/1988, and the Sambalpuri song on 25/05/1995. Hence, possibly, the Sambalpuri song is an adaptation from the Odia song.

Odia Song: Brief Comments

The song is a complex prayer. The dishes desired by Radha are incidental to the song - the gentle, playful waves of a deep ocean as it were; Radha’s love for Krishna and her reverence for Vishnu constitute the essence of this prayer. Radha fondly recalls the following names – Kunja Binodia, Narayana, Patitapabana, Gobinda, Gopala, Hari, Madhusudana, Mukunda, Mohan, Krushna, and Ghanashyama; of which a few apply to Krishna, and the others are the names of Vishnu.

Madhusudan’s Leaf-plate

Significantly, Radha asks Dooti to serve all these dishes she had ordered on Madhusudan’s plate, either a khali – a leaf-plate, or a piece of plantain leaf. Why from Madhusudan’s plate? Being so much in love with Krishna, she knows that the dishes she has sought are also her lover’s favourite dishes, and imagines him to materialise (Krishna could appear and disappear at will!) and feast upon it. Also, a married woman eats uchhista only if it be prasad offered to God, or from her husband’s plate. Radha is Sri or Lakshmi incarnate and for her Krishna is God, lover, and husband. That is why she desires to partake her meal from Madhusudan’s plate, after he has eaten.

Radha’s viraha: temporary or permanent?

Is the viraha temporary or permanent? The lyricist gives no clue.

While Krushna was at Gopa, sometimes he neglected Radha who suspected him of favouring one or more Gopis, and was torn by jealousy and anguish. However, Krishna always managed to placate her, once placing her lotus-like feet on his head to seek forgiveness: dehi pada pallavam udaram!

Radha with her confidant, pining for Krishna, Gita Govinda illustration, Kangra style, ca 1775-80. 

(Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons)

But Krishna left Gopa for good, never to return, and the separation for Radha was traumatic and permanent. How did Radha come to terms with her eternal grief? How else but by imagining Krishna’s presence everywhere and in everything around her including in the dishes she ate?

Krishna deserted her physically, but there was nothing Krishna could do if she visualised him in her mind’s eye every moment of her life, and felt his presence in every pore of her body and in every thought in her mind. Krishna could not deny to a devotee, so very much in deep love with him, his eternal togetherness, the Maha Rasa that is the Ultimate Bliss.

Where is Krishna?

Is he at Gopa, Mathura, or Dvaraka? Is Radha an ordinary gopi besotted with Krishna, or is she Lakshmi who resides permanently in Vishnu’s heart? Does she suffer the sorrow of separation from Krishna like an ordinary woman, or does she realise that Krishna, being Vishnu, is all the time with her?

This song is a prayer, and does not attempt to discuss these complex philosophical issues. Radha sings her prayer in her own style and the audience may make their own inference while recalling what God Himself had told Narada:

naham tisthami vaikunthe

 yoginam hrdayesu va

tatra tisthami narada

 yatra gayanti mad-bhaktah

In this song, Radha, a devotee, sings her soulful prayer.

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[i] Odia Song: Boile Radhika…

Lyricist – Purna Rama Bihari

Lyrics Source: You Tube song uploaded by Saregama India Ltd,

Singer & Composer – Prafulla Kar

Released on – 1988-01-09

Link for the song: https://youtu.be/RNZ1lDpvHmY?si=_go5r5l59jDZpxr5

 

 

Radha’s Diet Therapy: Part I

Thus Sang Radha

(Sambalpuri Song: Boile Radhika sunago Dooti*.

Translation by Prasanna Dash)

 

Listen, O Dooti, listen;

At dawn, I got a strange chill, a shiver,

But without any fever;

Tortured am I with a splitting headache,

Kabiraj came, felt my pulse, and diagnosed –

It’s viraha jvara,

There’s no medicine for it, he said.

O Dooti, I’m hungry, but can’t eat a morsel,

Racked by nausea, I can’t taste a thing.

Only you know how to heal me,

Don’t you, O Dooti?

Hurry, fetch me the special Krishna pathi,

Prepare Krishna khichdi,

Remember to add ginger slices

Fried in ghee while remembering Ghanshyam’s name,

Season it with jeera, methi, hing,

Remember Nilamani while adding salt,

Recite Kanhu’s name when you fry raw banana rounds,

O, how I savour that;

Bring also a serving of fresh pakhala

In the name of Gopala,

Paired with

Kunja Binodia kanji ambila,

To which add all necessary ingredients –

Saru, kakharu, baigan, bhendi, and kardi;

Also bring a black lentil curry,

Shining like my dark Lord;

Pour pure cow-ghee on Ghanashyam lia, O Dutika,

Please bring a serving of soft, supple arua rice,

I also crave for a Rasa Binodia rai;

In Pitambara’s name,

Make a bitter curry, too;

Bring a few tender cucumbers

Looking like Krishna with his garlands,

Crush it in a mix of curd, chili and salt,

Serve a dish of leutia saag

Dark green and shining like Krishna;

For my ailment,

That is the sure cure,

Says Govinda;

Krishna pathi will dissipate my distaste for food and life;

Fetch the dishes,

O Dooti,

Make haste,

Revive my taste,

Kindle my appetite,

Save my life;

Any dish seasoned with Krishna,

Any deliocacy that reminds me of my Krishna,

Will cure my lovesickness,

O Dootika.

***

* Lyrics – Gobinda

Singer – Fakir Pattanaik

Composer – Raghunath Panigrahi

Source – You Tube, song uploaded by Saregama India Ltd.

Released on – 25/05/1995

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Sambalpuri Song: Brief Comments

The song is a prayer. The dishes desired by Radha are incidental to the song, the several names of Krishna constitute the basic frame and essence of this prayer. Radha fondly recalls the following names of her love of life – Krishna (repeated four times), Ghanashyam (twice), Nilamani, Kanhu, Gopal, Kunja Binodia, Kalia, Rasa Binodia, Pitambara, Kainchamalia, Gobinda.

Which are the dishes Radha pines for her Krushna pathi? Khichdi, kadali bhaja, ambila, muga dali, alua bhata, bitter curry, and leutia saag. A wonderful diet for a sick person, but no less appetising and healthy for a normal person!

Danda Nacha

This song was possibly written by the lyricist for a Danda nacha, a robust and captivating folk-theatre which combined song, dance, and enactment -  with male actors playing Radha and Dooti and performing on the village street. Decades ago, these popular street plays enacted select stories and episodes from the puranas and were much enjoyed in the villages of Odisha. Alas, this folk-theatre tradition is nearly dead now.

The song is about Radha’s viraha – her agony of separation from Krishna. But Fakir Pattanaik’s vibrant rendition and Raghunath Panigrahi’s thoughtfully orchestrated music composition transform this melancholic song to a celebration of Krishna’s healing power. The rustic, racy rhythm drowns out the sorrow, if any, as Radha exults with her insight about Krishna pathi, the self-cure that she herself figured out. Once life is seasoned with the name of Krishna, there is no sorrow.

Link for the hit song:

https://youtu.be/u4p2Aq6jqQc?si=mUokO5I2sBpvLYZn

Odia Song by Prafulla Kar

The link for the same song rendered by Prafulla Kar, though with different lyrics, is:

https://youtu.be/RNZ1lDpvHmY?si=_go5r5l59jDZpxr5

The lyricist, as the song mentions, is Purna Ram Bihari; but I could not get further details about him. This may be the original song, adapted into Sambalpuri by Govinda, but it is difficult to tell for sure.

However, both songs are very different. The Sambalpuri song celebrates its local cuisine, and the Odia song the dietary preference of eastern Odisha. The style chosen by the singers, both highly talented, are also different. Prafulla Kar’s classical rendition makes the song poignant - perfectly suited to Radha’s disconsolate, sad, and plaintive mood. Fakir Pattanaik chose a rustic, racy style for his rendition. Radha is in agony, but her song has a robust tempo that vibrates with her love for Krishna, life, and her favourite Sambalpuri cuisine. She is in a great hurry, for she has found the remedy.

The Odia song is a conversation between Radha and Dooti, the Sambalpuri song is Radha’s address to Dooti. The first one is a song, the second one a song for a Danda nacha performance.

Radha is Sambalpurian

In the Sambalpuri song, Radha is not from Gopa but very much a Sambalpurian for her dietary preference is unmistakably local. She does not pine for roti-rajma, kadhi-chawal, palak paneer or rabdi kheer.

Only in western Odisha, ambila is made with kardi! Thus, the song is a prayer, and a celebration of the unique Sambalpuri cuisine with local ingredients.

Radha’s Pathi

Radha is sick, but it is no ordinary malady. She feels a strange chill at dawn, but without any fever. Kabiraj has felt her nadi and said, ‘You got viraha jvara. There’s no jadibuti for that.’

Radha is hungry, but racked with nausea she can’t eat. She bares her heart, and shares her agony with Dooti, her trusted companion. The song is Radha’s anguished plea to Dooti to fetch the only remedy that comes to her mind – pathi, a diet for her tormented soul and body. Radha needs soul food, and suggests a detailed menu, each of which resonates with the colour and fragrance and touch and feel of her love of life – Krishna Kanhaiya.

The cuisine she lists is fascinating in its variety, spread, texture, aroma, flavour, taste, colour, touch, feel, and its palliative power.

O Dooti, Please, Please fetch me this Special Krishna pathi, pleads Radha –

1.   Krishna khichdi with diced dumplings of ginger fried in ghee while recalling Krishna’s name, and seasoned with jeera, methi, hing, and salt

2.   Green banana rounds fried on a tawa

3.   Fresh pakhala (rice in water)

4.   Kanji ambila, a sour and soupy vegetable dish for which the necessary ingredients are – saru, kakharu, baigan, bhendi, and kardi

5.   Black moong dal curry

6.   Soft, supple arua rice

7.   A bitter curry (bitter gourd or neem flower with baigan and badi, maybe)

8.   Tender cucumber with curd, chili and salt

9.   Mildly seasoned leutia (a delicious green leaf) saag

How would this pathi restore Radha and save her life? Because each dish, ingredient, and flavour remind her of Krishna, and the entire cuisine is Krishnamrut for her. Radha is no longer separate or separable from Krishna. She has merged with her loved one. She has found the remedy for her strange malady.

There may be other prayers where the devotee serves chappan bhog or a preferred dish to God; but this may be the only bhajan where the devotee plans a menu for herself, but can see nothing except her Krishna in every kernel of her pathi. This is prem bhakti – simple, unpretentious, soulful. A prayer like none other.

(Raja Ravi Varma: Radha waiting for Krishna - Source: wikimedia)

 

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