Jayadeva composed the Gita Govinda in the twelfth century. What kind of work is the Gita Govinda?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → A lyrical poem
Option (1) A collection of aphorisms — Incorrect. The form of aphorisms belongs to the Bihari Satsai of Bihari Lal, a work of 700 verses.
Option (2) A lyrical poem — Correct. The Gita Govinda, the ‘Song of the Cowherd’, is a lyrical poem in Sanskrit. It shows the mystical love between Radha and Krishna.
Option (3) A treatise on rasa — Incorrect. This describes Bhanu Datta’s Rasamanjari, which classifies heroes and heroines.
Option (4) A bardic legend — Incorrect. Bardic legends are tales such as Dhola-Maru. Painters took them up as separate themes; the Gita Govinda is not one of them.
NCERT (2026-27): “Themes of Paintings – An Overview …Composed in the twelfth century by Jayadeva, who is believed to have been the court poet of Lakshmana Sen of Bengal, Gita Govinda, the ‘Song of the Cowherd’, is a lyrical poem in Sanskrit, evoking shringara rasa, portraying the mystical love between Radha and Krishna through worldly imageries. Bhanu Datta, a Maithil Brahmin who lived in Bihar in the fourteenth century, composed another favourite text of artists, Rasamanjari, interpreted as the ‘Bouquet of Delight’. Written in Sanskrit, the text is a treatise on rasa and deals with the classification of heroes (nayakas) and heroines (nayikas)…” |