| ISBN :
81-7508-309-3
Vol. No : 10032
Contents
Soordas
Tulsidas
Mirabai
Description
Soordas, the blind bard
of Brij, is considered the Valmiki of Brij (a dialect of Hindi), not only
because he was the first poet to write in that dialect, but also because
his works have an epic stature. Soordas was not only a poet, but also a
composer. His songs became so popular that even during his lifetime, he
had become a legend.
The affection of Yashoda
and the gopis –the cowherd-girls of Brij for Krishna; the intense love
of Radha for Krishna and the dalliance of the latter with the gopis formed
the theme of most his songs.
Tulsidas rendered the Ramayana,
written in Sanskrit by Valmiki, into Hindi in the sixteenth century. But
his ‘Ramcharit-Manas’ differs from the original in many ways. It was written
at a time when a very vast areas of India was under Mughal rule. Amongst
the Hindus, there were frequent controversies between the worshippers of
Shiva, Vishnu and the Mother Goddess, and again between the worshippers
of Shiva, Vishnu and Krishna. It is to the credit of Tulsidas that he tried
to weave all these cults into an integrated whole.
The story as narrated in
this book is mostly based on legends.
The third title in this series
is on Mirabai. She was born a princess and in marriage became a queen.
But the kingdom she chose was the one of Krishna. Not for a moment did
she swerve from her purpose. Hers was an immutable faith in Krishna. Uncharitable
relatives and uncomprehending friends were no hindrance to her devotion.
She had given herself up to Krishna. She belonged to him completely.
The story of Mira, as narrated
in this book, is based on legends about her and not on historical facts.
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