|
Garma
Garam More |
Faith & Religion |
|
JAIDEV
(JAYADEVA), saint and poet, two of whose hymns are incorporated in the
Guru Granth Săhib, is chiefly known to the literary world as the author
of the Gita
Govinda, a lyrical poem in which the love of Rădhă (soul or devotee)
for Govinda (the Supreme Being) is described symbolically and mystically.
Jaidev was born at Kindu Bilvă which, according to some, is now Kenduli,
in Birbhüm district of West Bengal, on the river Ajay and, according to
others, Kendüli-Sasan, on Prachi river, near jagannath Puri in
Orissă. At the end of his poem, he has given his father’s name as
Bhojadeva and mother’s as Rădhădevl, deciphered also as Ramădevi, or
Vămadcvi. He is said to have flourished in the reign of Raja
Karnarnav (AD 1142-56) and Răjă Purushottam Dev (AD 1170-80), both of
Orissă. Several legends about him are recorded in the Bhaklamal
of Chandradatta. In his youth, he led the life of an ascetic and a
wandering preacher. The course changed for him as, while in Puri once, a
Brăhmarm forced the hand of his daughter on him. It turned out to be a
happy marriage. His wife sang with him the devotional songs which were of
his own composition. He spent some years at Katham Kancli, now called
Jaidevpur in his memory, where he composed his immortal lyric, the Gita
Govinda.
From devotee of Lord Krsna he became a devotee of the Supreme
Lord. He roamed about the country preaching the gospel of love of God and
of man. Răjă Lakshmian Sen (AD 1175-1200), of Bengal, became his
disciple. Jaidev lived long and died
in the village where he was born, in happy
retirement. There is a samadhi
of the saint in the village and an annual fair is belch on the first
of Magh. Besides
the Gila Govinda, two other compositions,
the Rasană Raghava,
a drama, and the Chanthalok, an
essay on the grace of style, are also ascribed to him. Jaidev’s hymns in the Guru Granth Săhib, one in Raga Gujari and the other in Răga Märü, are in adoration of Hari, the Supreme Being. “Duality,” he says, “ended for me as I remembered God who is the fountainhead of all virtue. Cherish the Divine Name in your heart. By repeating His praise you will break the circuit of birth and death, and you will dread death no more. Your heart and your word and deed should be imbued with the love of One Hari alone.” Bhăi Gurdas in his Vŕrań, X. 10, pays tribute to Jaidev’s loving devotion whereby he attained the state when no distinction remains between “the devotee and the infinite.” |
