Jayadeva’s Hymns to Lord Jagannatha

Jayadeva lived in the 12th century and is the well-known author of the musical epic Sri Geetagovinda. He hailed from the Kenduli village in the Prachi valley between Bhubaneswar and Puri. Jayadeva spent most of his life at Puri and composed the songs of Sri Geetagovinda as musical offerings to Lord Jagannatha. Padmavati, his beloved wife, danced to the songs sung and choreographed by Jayadeva. The composition was probably performed first on the twin occasions of the dedication of the Srimandira and the coronation of Kamaamava as the crown prince in 1142 AD, during the reign of Chodagangadeva, the founder of the great Ganga Empire on the east coast of India.

Jayadeva, a great scholar and composer, was a devotee first and a poet next. His Sri Geetagovinda is a glorification of the essence of Jagannatha Chetana or Jagannatha Consciousness – the path of simple surrender, which later Sri Chaitanya popularised as the Gopi Bhava or the Radha Bhava.

Jayadeva presents Sri Jagannatha as Jagadeesha and Hari and identifies Him with the Supreme Divinity, the creator of incarnations or avatari rather than an avatara. Jayadeva’s presentation of the ten avataras became so popular that the sequence and the set has been accepted as the final version of the many variants of the avatara concept found in classical literature. The ten avataras are also presented in sculptures on the outer walls of the sanctum of the Srimandira. These have been revealed to us only recently after the de-plastering of the temple surface.

The monastery established by Jayadeva is also known as the Dasavatara Matha, and is situated near the Gundicha temple to the east of the Saradhabali, the open grounds in front of the former. Many of the avatara sculptures can still be found in this temple today.

The main dramatic theme of Sri Geetagovinda relates to the dalliance of Radha and Madhava on the banks of Yamuna and their secret pastimes. Yet throughout the twenty-four songs and seventy-two slokas, the thread of deep devotion runs like a subterranean stream. Jayadeva hints at the true import of the composition in the following words in one of the introductory slokas.

If chanting the name of Hari
Does please your heart,
If to know the art of amorous enjoyment,
Does your curious mind desire,
Then should you hear
The songs, sweet, soft and pleasant,
The verses, melodious and tender,
Those that poet Jayadeva, composed!
He, by the Goddess of Speech is blessed. “Remembrance of Hari”, is, in fact, the thread, which holds the entire composition together.

This collection includes translations of the first two songs of Sri Geetagovinda. Both are invocatory songs addressed to Lord Jagannatha. The first one is famous as the Dasavatara Song and covers the ten avataras. Jayadeva presents the entire legend connected with each of the ten incarnations in a succinct two-line stanza. In conveying the essential narrative, Jayadeva uses deceptively simple but exquisitely beautiful visual imagery through the use of apt similes. As in his entire composition, the lilting lyricism and essential musicality of the song, enhances the attraction of his words manifold.

Jayadeva also highlights the great compassion of the Lord in each of His incarnations. The words have a nectarine sweetness, an ineffable madhurya, which is the hallmark of his composition. After presenting the ten incarnations, Jayadeva offers his salutations to Krishna as the creator of these and thus categorically identifies Krishna and Jagannatha as the avatari. He does so twice, first in the bhanita, or the signature stanza of the hymn and later in a sloka, which summarizes all the ten incarnations in a capsule form. The concept of avataara is explained in the Bhagavad Gita and in the Srimad Bhagavat, Krishna is called God Himself – “Krishnastu Bhagabana swayam.” However, perhaps Jayadeva alone states this subtle distinction between an incarnation and the creator of an incarnation so loudly and clearly.

The great popularity of this song is evident from the embellishment of the Srimandira with sculptures depicting the ten incarnations, the name of the matha, monastery established by Jayadeva, the appellation of Dasavatara Kshetra used for Puri, and even the name of Dasavatara Jatra, used for the famous festival of chariots. Its popularity has not diminished even after a thousand years and even today it is part of the repertoire of every classical dancer in Odissi, Bharata Natyam, Kuchipudi, Manipuri or Mohini Attam, as it is of every singer of devotional music or bhajan. Depiction of the ten avataras is also popular in all forms of plastic arts in Orissa – as sculptures in temples or as decorative pieces, palm leaf etchings, pattachitra paintings and woodcarvings.

The second song of Sri Geetagovinda is also an invocation but instead of focusing on the incarnations, it draws upon the episodes of Krishna Leela while at the same time emphasizing the Supreme Divinity of Krishna-Jagannatha. In place of Jagadeesha, or the Lord of the Universe, Jayadeva uses the simpler appellation of ‘Hari’ in the refrain of the second song. What is important to note is the subtle juxtaposition of the Vishnu aspect with the Krishna aspect of Jagannatha in this song. This song, in a way, captures the process of Krishnaization of Jagannatha and His transformation from Nilamadhava or a manifestation of the more orthodox and classical representation of Vishnu-Narayana to his more popular and almost folk representation as the cowherd God Krishna. More detailed discussion of the topic is beyond the scope of the present brief introduction.

This song is equally popular with singers and dancers but more importantly with the lay public. Devotees in the Puri temple sing it almost daily, especially in the evening hours.

Dasavatara

From the depths of the great deluge
Did you the Vedas rescue,
Taking the form of a boat did you salvage
With ease, the scripts, auspicious and noble.[1]
Glory to the Lord of the Universe!
To Keshava, who took the body of a Fish!

On thy vast back doth the earth repose.
The weight of carrying the world’s load Does etch
thereon, a giant wheel-mark.[2]
Glory to the Lord of the Universe!
To Keshava, who took the Tortoise form!

Perched on the tip of thy tusk,
The earth to you does cling
As the petite blemish does the moon embrace.
Glory to the Lord of the Universe!
To Keshava, who took the form of a Boar! [3]

On thy lotus hands did strange nail-peaks sprout,
With which you did, the demon, tear apart
As if crushing the body Of some giant bee,
You did gore Hiranyakasipu’s heart.[4]
Glory to the Lord of the Universe!
To Keshava, who took the Man-Lion form!

As the strange dwarf your prowess you displayed.
You beguiled Bali and his pride curbed.
Water from thy toenails became a stream
That absolved men from worldly woes.[5]
Glory to the Lord of the Universe!
To Keshava, who took the Dwarf form!

Drenched in the blood of the warrior race,
As if in water performing your daily rites,
You rid the world of all its sins.
You cooled the world’s burning heats.[6]
Glory to the Lord of the Universe!
To Keshava, who as chief of Bhrigu clan was born!

Destroying the ten-headed demon, O Lord,
To each handsome God of the ten Directions,
You did prorate one severed head,
As fair oblation of battleground.[7]
Glory to the Lord of the Universe!
To Keshava, He who took the body of Rama!

Thy ample figure is adorned
By robes dark as the rain-filled cloud,
Blue as the deep waters of river- Yamuna
When afraid of being struck by thy mighty plough,
Scared, she came running to you.[8]
Glory to the Lord of the Universe!
To Keshava, who took the Ploughshare-carrier form!

Touched was thy tender heart
By every sight of sacrificed beast.
You did disapprove the yagnic rite,
Although the Vedas did deem it right.[9]
Glory to the Lord of the Universe!
To Keshava, who took the body of Buddha!

To slay the unclean hordes, did you wield the sword,
Strange and fierce, as some terrible comet.[10]
Glory to the Lord of the Universe!
To Keshava, who took the body of Kalki!

Sri Jayadeva, the bard, presents these noble songs,
These that contain the world’s essence.[11]
Hear, hear, these auspicious, joyous songs.
Glory to the Lord of the Universe!
To Keshava, who took the ten incarnations!

Sloka

Rescuer of the Vedas, carrier of the world,
Upholder of the earth, tearer of demon,
Deceiver of Bali, destroyer of the warrior clan, Victor
of Pulasti’s progeny,[12]
Wielder of the ploughshare,
Dispenser of mercy,
Killer of unclean hordes,
Creator of the ten incarnations,
To Thee! O Krishna,[13]
I offer my salutations! (S -5)
Source for original Sanskrit hymn, “Pralaya payodhijale” and the sloka following it: Panda, Bhagaban. Ed. Sri Gitagovinda Mahakavyam. Bhubaneswar: Directorate of Culture, Government of Orissa, 1985. pp. 19-42.

Kamala

Sheltered in the orb of Kamala’s bosom,[l4]
O, Lord, whom the ear pendants adorn!
You sport a pretty garland of wild blossoms.[l5]
Glory be to Lord Hari!

By the halo of the Sun bedecked,
Destroyer of the travails of the world.[l6]!
You do reside in the minds of the sages
As on a serene lake, the goose.[17]
Glory be to Lord Hari!

Humbling the serpent Kaliya[18]
Did you the people please.
As to the lotus bloom, the sun,
Dear are you to the Yadu clan.
Glory be to Lord Hari!

Destroyer of the demons Madhu, Mura, and Naraka,[l9]
O Lord! You ride the eagle Garuda.[20]
You are the essence and the cause
Of joyous songs and merriment of Gods.[21]
Glory be to Lord Hari!

Beautiful as the lotus flowers are thy eyes
O Lord, you relieve the world’s woes!
You are the only refuge
In all the three Worlds!
Glory be to Lord Hari!

By the daughter of Janaka[22] adorned,
You triumphed over Dushana,[23]
You did in end on the battleground
Life of the ten headed demon,
Glory be to Lord Hari!

Charming as the very first rain cloud
Is thy face, O Lord!
You held the mount Mandara[24], you did!
You dote on Sri’s beauteous countenance,
As the Chakora[25] pines for the moon’s face!
Glory be to Lord Hari!

The poet Jayadeva does great joy derive,
Singing these bright and auspicious songs!
He does, doing so!
Glory be to Lord Hari!
Source for original Sanskrit hymn, “Shrita Kamala kucha mandala… ” Panda, Bhagaban. Ed. Sri Gitagovinda Mahakavyam. Bhubaneswar: Directorate of Culture, Government of Orissa, 1985. pp. 43-50

Tomorrow we’ll present a detailed and illustrated summary of the Dasavatara and the other personalities, paraphernalia and elements numbered above in Jayadeva’s glorifications of the Supreme Lord.

[1] Matsya – Fish Incarnation: In the first incarnation the Lord rescued the Vedas during the apocalypse, saving the most sacred and ancient scriptures from the demon Sankhasura, who had stolen the same. The demon had the shape of a conch and was hiding in the bottom of the deep ocean. The Lord vanquished the demon and taking the form of a giant Fish, he negotiated the turbulent apocalyptic deluge or pralaya with utmost ease. Assuming the character of a boat, the Lord in his Fish form saved the Vedas for his devotees.

[2] Kurma – Tortoise Incarnation: In his second incarnation the Lord assumed the form of a giant tortoise. During the process of the new creation, His vast back was the base on which stood the Mandara Mountain. The latter was used as the staff for churning the milk ocean with the divine serpent Vasuki being pulled by the gods and the demons on two sides. This yielded the nectar, the Kamadhenu or the wish-fulfilling sacred cow, the Parijata flower and the Airabata elephant among others. The process of churning left on the vast back of the Lord large calluses in the shape of a wheel. The wheel mark also indirectly alludes to the celestial wheel, which is a mark of Vishnu-Krishna and the Sudarsana Chakra, their ayudha or weapon.

[3] Varaha – Boar Incarnation: During the apocalyptic deluge mother earth sank to the bottom of the ocean. The Lord emerged as tiny boar from the nasal cavity of Brahma and soon grew in size to huge proportions. He rushed into the raging sea to rescue Mother Earth. As he emerged out of the sea, carrying Mother Earth at the tip of his great tusk, he was challenged by the demon Hiranakshya. The Lord vanquished the demon and killed him. In the Puri temple, the Varaha Avatara is one of the Parswa Devatas, the other two being Trivikrama or Vamana and Narasimha. Mother Goddess Earth is conceived as a spouse of Lord Vishnu-Jagannatha. She is called Bhudevi, and a small metal image of the Goddess is placed on the Ratna Simhasana in Srimandira along with the principal Deities. The exquisitely beautiful visual imagery presented by Jayadeva brings out the tender love of the divine couple.

[4] Narasimha – Half-man, Half-lion Incarnation: As the fourth Avatara, the Lord vanquished Hiranyakashipu, the brother of the demon Hiranakshya, who fought with him in his Boar incarnation. Hiranyakashipu, the demon king was totally opposed to Hari but his young son Prahlada, was devoted to the Lord and constantly chanted Hari Nama. The demon king was furious that his son was devoted to his enemy and forbade him from doing so. His father in many ways tortured the child devotee without any success in changing his loyalty to Hari. The demon king, who had himself done great penance had been granted a boon that he could not be killed by man or animal, in day or night and neither inside the house nor outside it. He therefore considered himself invincible. Prahlada saw God everywhere and his father challenged him by asking if he saw him in the pillar of the palace. On Prahlada’s reply that indeed the Lord was present there, in a fit of rage, he kicked the pillar and the Lord taking the form of a Man-Lion, emerged from the pillar. It was the twilight hour, neither day nor night and the Lord carrying the demon in one sweeping movement reached the threshold of the palace. With one foot outside and one inside the house he gored the heart of the demon with his sharp nails and killed him at once. Prahlada and Dhruva, another child devotee, are considered as being the greatest of bhaktas.

Narasimha is identified with Vishnu and as a cult Deity, predates Jagannatha. The making of the images of Srimandira was done after initially worshipping Narasimha and a temple dedicated to him exists close to the Gundicha temple to the east of the sacred Indradyumna tank at Srikshetra, Puri. This is known as the Yagna Narasimha temple. Within the Srimandira, a temple of Narasimha to the south of the Audience Hall of the main temple stands even today, and this is older than the main temple. This temple has numerous stone inscriptions inscribed over centuries. Some scholars believe that this was perhaps the original temple and site where Nilamadhava, the precursor of Lord Jagannatha, was worshipped.

[5] Vamana – the Dwarf Incarnation: Bali, a progeny of Prahlada, was a demon king who had terrorized the gods. He was well known for his charity and never refused anything asked for as a gift. The Lord took the body of a dwarf and approached Bali as a Brahmin seeking alms. When the demon king took a vow that he will not disappoint the holy Brahmin and give him whatever he asked for, the Lord asked for land equal to his three footsteps. With his first step he covered heaven and with his next he covered the whole earth. The king had no more land to offer and proffered his own head for the Lord to cover his third footstep. The Lord placed his foot on the head of Bali and pressed him to the nether world and thus rid the world of the oppression of the demon king. At the same time the Lord emancipated Bali.

There are two variations of this theme depicted in sacred art — one showing the Lord as a dwarf Brahmin with an umbrella and a kamandalu, a water pot with a spout, and another showing the Lord in his normal shape but with one of his legs raised to cover the skies. Sculptures of the latter, known as Trivikrama, are ubiquitous in Orissan temples and one is worshipped as one of the three principal parswa devatas in the Srimandira.

[6] Parasurama – the Warrior Incarnation: In his incarnation as Parasurama, the sage and priest, the Lord relieved the agony of the earth suffering from the excesses of the Kshatriyas, a warrior class. Parasurama means Rama with the Parasu or battle-axe. He was the son of sage Jamdagni, a descendant of Bhrigu, and was a great scholar and master of all the Vedas. His wife was Renuka, who bore him five sons, including Parasurama. Once her mind had been disturbed and excited by the sight of a pair of Gandharvas engaged in love play. As her thoughts were polluted, she lost her natural lustre. Jamadagni, on noticing this became wild and in a fit of anger ordered his sons to cut off her head. The first four sons refused to carry out this horrible command of their father but Parasurama promptly severed her head with one stroke of his battleaxe without the slightest hesitation. Jamadagni, pleased with his loyalty and obedience offered him a boon and Parasurama asked for the life of his mother to be restored and the sage granted this immediately.

Once the king Kartavirya, visiting the hermitage of Jamadagni, took away Kamadhenu, the sacred cow, which could fulfill any wish. On learning this, Parasurama fought with the king and killed him. The sons of the king took revenge by killing Jamadagni when Parasurama was absent from the ashram. Confronted with this catastrophe, Parasurama took a vow that he would destroy the Kshatriya race twenty-one times from the earth. Eventually he fulfilled his vow. The sage, although a Brahmin, is considered as one of the greatest warriors of all times in the legendary accounts. Interestingly a few temples dedicated to Parasurama can be found in Kerala where he is worshipped as a cult Deity by some.

He is supposed to have performed ritual purifications and offered oblations to the ancestors in tanks full of the blood of slain warriors. Several water tanks at Kurukshetra (site of the great Mahabharata war) in modern Haryana state are said to be relics of these tanks.

[7] Lord Rama Incarnation: Rama is the hero of the famous epic Ramayana. He was the prince of Ayodhya, the eldest son of King Dasaratha and queen Kaushalya. His stepmother, Kaikeyi, wanted her son Bharata to become the king and Rama to remain in exile in the forests for fourteen years. She asked for this boon from Dasaratha in fulfillment of a promise he had made to her. Lord Rama left Ayodhya along with his wife Sita and younger brother Lakshman to keep the words of his father. Ravana, the demon king of Lanka sent Maricha, who appeared in the forest as a golden stag and Sita asked Rama to get her this strangely beautiful animal. Rama reluctantly left her in the care of Lakshman and chased the golden stag. Later the demon through his tricks pretended as if Rama was crying for help and Sita forced Lakshman to leave her to help his elder brother. Taking advantage of this situation, the demon appeared in the guise of a mendicant seeking alms and cajoled Sita to step out of the protective circle drawn to shield her. He then carried her away in his flying chariot to Lanka. Lord Rama came to know of this from Jatayu, an aged eagle who had fought with Ravana in the skies but was fatally wounded by him. Rama befriended the monkey prince Sugriva and after killing his brother Bali, took help of his monkey followers to build a stone bridge across the seas. Eventually Ravana, the ten-headed demon, was vanquished and Sita rescued.

Jayadeva in his presentation refers to this epic battle of Ramayana in which Ravana is vanquished. It is customary to offer prayers to the guardian Deities of ten directions or the Dasa Dikpala, before any auspicious act. Here Rama is depicted as offering the ten heads of the demon Ravana to the ten directions. Dikpala puja, or the worship of the presiding deities of the Directions, is an integral part of the rituals of the Puri temple. Many temples in Orissa are decorated with images of the asa Dikpalas on their walls. Those in the famous Lingaraja temple and the Brahmeswara temple in Bhubaneswar are among the best specimens of Orissan temple sculptures.

Lord Jagannatha is said to have given darshan to saint poet Tulasi Das in the form of Rama. The Lord dons the Raghunatha Vesha in memory of this. There is a small temple of Rama inside the Srimandira and a huge image of Hanumana, the monkey god devoted to Rama can be seen next to the Southern gate of the main temple.

[8] The Balarama Incarnation: Balarama or Balabhadra, also known as Shankarshana, is the elder brother of Sri Krishna and had his part in the Krsna lila. He represents the aspect of Shiva in the Jagannatha triad and the hood of a serpent is painted above his head. His ayudha is the ploughshare and hence he is known as Haladhara. He was fond of Kadambari, a type of wine and once sitting under a Kadamba tree on the banks of Yamuna in an excited condition, he felt the urge to have a bath. He directed Yamuna to come close to him so that he could take his bath. Noticing the slight hesitation on the part of Yamuna, he threatened to strike her with his mighty plough and Yamuna, scared, ran to his feet and the Lord had his bath. Lord Balarama is depicted as one with a fair but huge body and as wearing blue apparels. He is thus known also as Nilambara. His chariot has a distinctive cover of blue and red cloth, the latter being a colour common to all the three chariots. Lord Balarama has his place in the Ratna Simhasana to the extreme right or south. The birthday of Balarama is celebrated in the Srimandira. A special vesha commemorates his slaying of the demon Pralambasura.

[9] The Buddha Incarnation: Buddha is accepted as an incarnation of Krishna-Jagannatha. Adi Shankaracharya, who visited Puri in the early ninth century, restored the pride of traditional Hinduism and effectively eclipsed the influence of the Buddhists. Perhaps he was also responsible for the eventual assimilation of the Buddhist faith in the Hindu belief and acceptance of the Buddha as a god in the Hindu pantheon. This is clear from the depiction of Buddha as the ninth avatara in the sequence of avataras in the walls of the Deul in Srimandira and in other Orissan temples and other sculptural depictions of the ten incarnations.

Some scholars believe that the Puri temple originally contained the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha and others believe that the Brahma material in the bodies of the principal deities transferred during the Navakalevara festival is in fact a relic of the Buddha. The present state of research however does not support either of the theories. However traces of the Buddhist influence in the Jagannatha faith cannot be ruled out. Sarala Das, the poet of the Oriya Mahabharata and many poets after him, directly identify Lord Jagannatha as a manifestation of Buddha in the Kali age. [This is not unlike the confusion wherein Krsna is called an incarnation of Visnu, when in fact all expansions are from Krsna Himself.]

Jayadeva here refers to Buddha’s opposition to animal sacrifice, which was part of the earlier Vedic form of worship and an integral part of the tantric system, quite popular in Orissa in the medieval period.

[10] The Kalki Incarnation: In his final. Avatara, yet to be manifest, the Lord is depicted as Kalki, riding a horse and wielding a huge sword. In this incarnation the Lord will destroy everything evil at the culmination of the Kali Yuga.
Sri Jayadeva, the bard, presents these noble songs,
These that contain the world’s essence.[11]
Hear, hear, these auspicious, joyous songs.
Glory to the Lord of the Universe!
To Keshava, who took the ten incarnations!
[11] This is a signature verse known as bhanita, wherein the poet gives his name. This is a tradition followed by later poets in the Oriya hymns too. In this stanza Jayadeva directly states that Krishna-Jagadeesha is an avataari or creator of the ten incarnations. He reaffirms this concept in the sloka that follows.
Rescuer of the Vedas, carrier of the world,
Upholder of the earth, tearer of demon,
Deceiver of Bali, destroyer of the warrior clan, Victor
of Pulasti’s progeny,[12]
Wielder of the ploughshare,
Dispenser of mercy,
Killer of unclean hordes,
Creator of the ten incarnations,
To Thee! O Krishna,[13]
I offer my salutations!
[12] Ravana was the son of sage Pulasti and he is referred to as such here.

[13] In the main song Jayadeva refers to Jagannatha as Jagadeesha in the refrain at the end of each stanza. Here for the first time he makes an overt identification of Krishna and Jagannatha. This sloka also acts as a link between the first invocatory song or the Dasavatara song and the second invocatory song of Sri Geetagovinda, the latter focusing more on the Krishna aspect.
Sheltered in the orb of Kamala’s bosom,[l4]
O, Lord, whom the ear pendants adorn!
You sport a pretty garland of wild blossoms.[l5]
Glory be to Lord Hari!
[14] Kamala is another name of Lakshmi, the spouse of Vishnu. Throughout Sri Geetagovinda, Jayadeva uses Kamala, Rama, Lakshmi, Padma and Radha interchangeably as he uses Krishna and appellations of Vishnu without distinction. Thus he clearly and unambiguously establishes the essential unity of the Supreme Godhead in his manifestations as Krishna, Vishnu and Jagannatha. The present description refers to a very tender image of Sri or Kamala or Lakshmi, sitting lovingly on the lap of Vishnu and the Lord fondly embracing her. There are at least two well known representations of this theme in Orissan sculptures, one in a small temple attached to the Bhoga Mandapa on the north-eastern corner of the great Lingaraja temple at Bhubaneswar, and another in the Prachi valley.

In Orissa joint representation of Lakshmi and Narasimha is also quite common. An image of Lakshmi-Narasimha is also found in Kenduli village, the birthplace of Jayadeva in the Prachi valley. Similar visual representations of Shiva and Parvati are also common in Orissan temple sculptures. See also earlier note on Rama.

Kamala (the second ‘a’ in the word is a long vowel) means one with a kamala (here ‘a’ is a short vowel in both positions), a lotus, in hand. She is normally represented with a lotus in traditional icons.

[15] Krishna is always associated with the Vrindavan gardens and pastoral surroundings. He sports garlands of wild flowers, which can be the literal meaning of Vanamala. This frequently refers to a garland extending well below the knee. Krishna is also known as Vanamali, on this account, an appellation, which Jayadeva uses frequently in Sri Geetagovinda.
By the halo of the Sun bedecked,
Destroyer of the travails of the world.[l6]!
You do reside in the minds of the sages
As on a serene lake, the goose.[17]
Glory be to Lord Hari!
[16] The imagery used by Jayadeva reminds us of the description of the Virata Purusha, the Supreme Being in the Srimad Bhagavad Gita and the the Purusha Sukta the . It also echoes the description of Jagannatha in the Ganga Prasasti, the eulogical verses recording the genealogy of the Ganga dynasty.

[17] The soul is frequently compared to the swan, Hamsa, in the scriptures and also in Oriya devotional literature. ‘Ham sa’ reversed also stands for ‘so aham’, the mystical phrase literally meaning, ‘I am He or It’, indicating that the human is but a manifestation of the Supreme. Jayadeva reminds us that when the mind is stilled, the Divine is reachable without effort. Some commentators link ‘Manas’ with the legendary Manasa Lake or the Manasarovara, beyond the Himalayas.
Humbling the serpent Kaliya[18]
Did you the people please.
As to the lotus bloom, the sun,
Dear are you to the Yadu clan.
Glory be to Lord Hari!
[18] This refers to Kaliya Dalana, one of the many miraculous deeds performed by Krishna as a child and adolescent and recounted vividly in the Srimad Bhagabat, the Harivamsa and various Puranas. Jayadeva’s Sri Geetagovinda has numerous references to these episodes in the songs and slokas.

Kaliya was a deadly serpent that inhabited the river Yamuna with his kinsmen and poisoned its pure waters. The people of Vrindavan could no more use this water and were thus greatly inconvenienced. Krishna, still a child, entered the waters of Yamuna and challenged the serpent. After tiring out the serpent in fierce battle, he stepped on its hood and danced merrily, torturing and subduing Kaliya. The wives of Kaliya fervently prayed to Krishna to spare the life of their husband and Kaliya too sought his compassion. Finally Krishna released the serpent and asked him to leave Yamuna with his entourage and go to the ocean. Thus Krishna helped the Yadavas, the cowherd tribes living along the Yamuna. The people were greatly pleased. Jayadeva describes the joy He provided to the Yadukula, the clan of Yadavas as similar to that given by the sun to the lotus, which blooms in sunlight.
Destroyer of the demons Madhu, Mura, and Naraka,[l9]
O Lord! You ride the eagle Garuda.[20]
You are the essence and the cause
Of joyous songs and merriment of Gods.[21]
Glory be to Lord Hari!
[19] Madhu, Mura and Naraka are names of three demons vanquished by Krishna in his Bala Leela, his exploits as a child. Hence Krishna is also called Murari and Madhuripu, appellations frequently used by Jayadeva throughout Sri Geetagovinda. Narakasura, or Naraka, had imprisoned sixteen thousand princesses whom Krishna rescued after killing the demon. He later married all of them.

[20] Garuda is the celestial eagle and the vahana, or carrier, of Vishnu. A statue of Garuda stands on a fossilized pillar in the Hall of Dance on its eastern end in the Srimandira and is revered by the devotees. The pillar known as the Garuda Stambha, is a favourite location for getting a glimpse of Lord Jagannatha on his bejewelled throne, and devotees place lighted earthen lamps at the base of the pillar as offerings.

[21] All the Gods eagerly observe the progress of various incarnations as the Lord takes birth to rid the world of evils and restore the preponderance of truth. The gods rejoice at the destruction of the demons or asuras, their traditional rivals and enemies.
By the daughter of Janaka[22] adorned,
You triumphed over Dushana,[23]
You did in end on the battleground
Life of the ten headed demon,
Glory be to Lord Hari!
[22] Janaka was a saint-Iike king, Rajarishi and the father of Sita, the wife of Lord Rama.

[23] Dushana was an asura, a demon and the brother of Raavana, the king of Lanka. Lord Rama defeated him in the epic battle of Ramayana.
Charming as the very first rain cloud
Is thy face, O Lord!
You held the mount Mandara[24], you did!
You dote on Sri’s beauteous countenance,
As the Chakora[25] pines for the moon’s face!
Glory be to Lord Hari!
[24] Giri Govardhana: This refers to an episode of Krishna lila in which the Lord curbed the pride of Indra. The latter, King of heaven and the rain god, showered torrential rains on the land of gopalas, the cowherds, for many days and troubled them, as they did not offer him worship. Lord Krishna gave shelter to the people and animals of Vrindavan under the Govardhana Mountain, which he held up with his little finger. Finally Indra realised his folly and sought forgiveness. The poet uses the name Mandara for the mountain and this is the name of the mountain used as the staff during the churning of the milk ocean. The Lord in the Tortoise incarnation held it on his back. In the present context, the interpretation that this refers to the Govardhana Mountain appears more appropriate as indicated in some major commentaries.

[25] Chakora is a bird which is said to feed on the moonbeams and eagerly waits to get a glimpse of the latter. Sri is another name of Lakshmi who is called Sri Devi in the form in which her image is worshipped on the Ratna Sirnhasana. The poet implies that the Lord is thirsting for a glimpse of the moon-like face of Sri.

Dr. Subash Pani is an erudite scholar who has undertaken extensive research on the Cult of Lord Jagannath and Kabi Jayadev. Source: Orissan Review.