The Vernacular Pulse of Sanskrit: Metre and More in Songs of the Gītagovinda and Bhāgavata Purāṇa

Abstract

This article explores the metrical patterns of Gītagovinda’s songs, to investigate what they reveal about their origin and inspiration, building on previous scholarly research into the vernacular nature of the songs. Seemingly abstruse, metre lies at the heart of the performative nature of the text, but is often overlooked in a quest for meaning. The article starts with the approach of Sanskrit commentators, focusing on Mahārāṇā Kumbhakarṇa of Mewar’s fifteenth-century Rasikapriyā, interrelating with his theoretical work on music, the Saṃgītarāja. This reveals the problem of the discrepancy between metrical theory, or śāstra, and praxis, or prayoga, problematising the metrical pundits’ focus on classification and static definitions at the expense of rhythmical processes of actual performance. The article proposes an alternative by analysing Gītagovinda’s songs instead through the lens of New Indo-Aryan (NIA) poetry, which significantly enhances appreciation of the poetic craft of the author. Finally, comparison with selected Gopīgītas, or ‘Songs of the Gopīs’, from the ninth-century classic scripture of Krishna devotion, Bhāgavata Purāṇa, reveals parallels in both metre and oral formulae. Reading Gopīgītas in conjunction with Gītagovinda’s songs opens up a new perspective, revealing a vernacular pulse underlying some of the best-known and best-loved Sanskrit literature.