The Great Hindi Poets (Comic Book)

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The Ramayana, written in Sanskrit by Valmiki is considered to be the 'Adikavya', the first ever poem. Tulsidas rendered it into Hindi in the sixteenth century. But his 'Ramcharitmanas' 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. There were also cults, which were almost cut off from the mainstream of Indian life. It is to the credit of Tulsidas that he tried to weave all these cults into an integrated whole.

He made his Rama say that he would not tolerate anyone who showed disrespect to Shiva. Tulsidas worshipped not only at the temples dedicated to Rama but also at those dedicated to Krishna. His works and teachings stressed the importance of the life of a householder and weaned people away from the tantric cults.

Tulsidas hailed from a poor family of Rajapur in Uttar Pradesh. He was orphaned soon after his birth and even his foster-mother died when he was barely seven years old. When he was married, he became deeply attached to his wife, Ratna. She was the first person in his life whom he could call his own. One day not finding her at home on his return, he became extremely restless and rushed to his father-in-law's house in the dead of the night, braving heavy rains and a storm.

But Ratna rebuked him and said, "Had you loved Rama as intensively as you do this bundle of flesh and bones, you would have overcome all mortal fears." This was the turning point in his life.

The story as narrated in this book is mostly based on legends.

Soordas, the blind bard of Brij, occupies a very eminent position in Hindi literature. He 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 were so popular that he became a legend in his lifetime. If Brij is understood today from Rajasthan and Punjab in the West to Assam in the East, its credit almost entirely goes to Soordas songs. Many of these songs are even included in the Granth Sahab, the holy book of the Sikhs-a testimony to their popularity.

Though he is credited with the composition of 25 works, he probably wrote only seven. Of these, Soor-Sagar has a place of pride, followed by Soor-Saravali and Sahitya Lahari. According to legend, Soor-Sagar consisted of a hundred thousand songs, though today only a few thousand of these are known and sung.

Soordas was a follower of the Pushti Cult, founded by Vallabhacharya. This cult looked at Krishna as the supreme incarnation of God. They believed that God could be attained only through His grace. Like many other Vaishnavaite cults, the Pushti cult also believed that all those who worship God belong to the same brotherhood, irrespective of their caste. The affection of Yashoda and the gopis (the cowherd girls) of Brij, for Krishna, the intense love of Radha for Krishna and the alliance of the latter with the gopis formed the theme of most of his songs.

Perhaps he is the most popular as Krishna the divine lover, playing his celestial flute on the moonlit banks of the river Yamuna, because that is the way he has come down to us through the devotional lyrics of Mira.

There is no dearth of mystics in India. But among them Mirabai is unique. She was born a princess and in marriage 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 the immutable faith in Krishna. Uncharitable relatives and uncomprehending friends were no hindrance in her devotion. She had given herself up to Krishna. She belonged to him completely.

The lyrics that poured out of her sing praises of Krishna, The sincerity and sweetness of the songs made them popular all over the land and they remain a rich heritage of mystic poetry in India. The story of Mira, as narrated in this book is based on legends about her and not on historical fact.