The Great Hindi Poets

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 great 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 of 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 area 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 Rama 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 Miravai. Whe was born a princess and in marrage 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.