story illustrates the gradual eclipse
of the older Vedic deities. The figure
of Krishna as Giridhara is widely
worshiped in Rajasthanand is particu-
larly noteworthy as the “chosen deity”
(ishtadevata) of the poet-saint Mirabai.
Girnar
Sacred site (tirtha) on a hill outside the
city of Junagadh in the state of Gujarat.
Girnar has been a holy site for at least
2,000 years and remains an important
place for several religious communities.
The hill’s summit is an important pil-
grimage site for the Jains and has a clus-
ter of Jain temples, some of them dating
back to the twelfth century. It also has a
long history as a center for Hindu
ascetics—the Brahmachari Sanyasis
(Brahmacharin) have an ashramthere,
and the summit is said to have a set of
footprints left by Dattatreya, a famous
mythic figure who is considered a partial
avatar of the god Vishnu and a
paradigm for asceticism. Girnar is the
site of a large Hindu asceticgathering
on Kartik Purnima, the full moon
in the lunar month of Kartik
(October–November).
Gitagovinda
(“Govinda’s Song”) Lyric poem written
in the twelfth century by the poet
Jayadeva. Written in an era when ver-
nacular languages were becoming the
prevalent vehicle for devotional religios-
ity, the Gitagovinda is one of the last
great devotional (bhakti) texts com-
posed in Sanskritand is an exquisite
example of Sanskrit poetry. According to
tradition, Jayadeva was associated with
the temple to Jagannathin the eastern
Indian city of Puri, and his wife
Padmavati was a dancer at the same
temple. The Gitagovindais a devotional
poem to the god Jagannath. The text was
obviously meant to be sung, since its
twenty-four cantos are set in various dif-
fering musical modes (ragas), each of
which conveys a different emotion. The
text has also been expressed through
dancefor at least 500 years in the Orissi
dance style that originated in the
Jagannath temple. The Gitagovinda is
still used in the daily worship of
Jagannath and occupies a position held
by no other literary text.
The Gitagovindais an allegory of
the union of the human soul with God.
This union is described through the
story of the love between the god
Krishnaand his human consort Radha
as they experience an initial flush of
passion, followed by jealousy, separa-
tion, reconciliation, and reunion.
Although Jayadeva’s text lavishly
employs the images from Sanskrit love
poetry, it is far more than a romantic
novel. The poem was written to show
that Krishna is the lord of the entire uni-
verse. The first cantos after the introduc-
tion, the Dashavatara Stotra, pay
homage to Krishna in his ten avatars or
earthly incarnations (Dashavatar), each
of whom is instrumental in preserving
the cosmic equilibrium. Although
Krishna is considered an avatar of the
godVishnuin many parts of the Hindu
tradition, Krishna is the supreme deity
for Jayadeva. The place usually occupied
by Krishna in the enumeration of the
avatars is taken by Krishna’s brother,
Balarama. The song that follows contin-
ues this theme, giving the divine attrib-
utes of Krishna as Vishnu, and further
emphasizing that the entire Gitagovinda
describes the deity’s divine play (lila).
Having set the appropriate context in
the opening songs, Jayadeva’s text
returns to a more conventional tale of
romantic love. The next chapter
describes the symbols of spring, which
are intended to evoke a mood of love. Yet
this mood is marred by Radha’s jealousy
when Krishna sports with a troop of
cowherd girls, for she desires Krishna for
herself alone. She withdraws and sits
apart, sulking and despondent, only to
burst into rage when Krishna comes to
meet her, bearing the signs of another
eroticliaison. Her anger and dismissal
make Krishna realize what he has done.
He eventually succeeds in dispersing
her anger, and convinces Radha of hisGitagovinda