Chapter Eight: Literature of the Rasika Tradition in Hindi

On the Sarayu’s bank she beholds Raghubir seated and meets him within a forest cottage, beneath the flower canopy of a bower.
Again and again she bows her head before him, says Ramsakhe, repeatedly calling “Hari! Hari!” amid the green vines.

Awadh Bihari is the avatāra; know him now as beloved Rama, dear son of Dasharatha.
He dwells beside the Sarayu and within lovely bowers, delicate Vanamali with his waistcloth tightly wrapped.
Sitaraman is an abode of happiness, bearer of the bow, and Natavar adorned amid the companions.
Rama is playful and imperishable, Lord even of the gods, fulfiller of desires, and support of the orphaned and unsupported.

The līlā of Goloka shines in Chitrakuta: at its centre the enchanting Pramoda garden delights the heart.
The formidable mountain appears as Govardhana, the Sarayu as its river, and all that beauty is reflected here.
Ramsakhe says only the exceedingly foolish and ignorant fail to perceive it, their understanding forever sold into bad company.
Upon the Mandakini’s bank, the earth marked by dancing feet plainly reveals the dance of Raghava Ju.

It is as though King Detachment has cut down the armies of sense objects, cast them upon the earth, and rejoiced in victory.
Peacocks dance and cuckoos call; vines spread a canopy and their tendrils flutter like banners.
Hanging vine after vine is reflected within the clear water, producing a singular beauty.
Seeing the crystal slab, says Ramsakhe, love suddenly awakens within the heart’s vessel and all wandering delusion disappears.

Padāvalī

Composed by Ramsakhe

Khemraj Shrikrishnadas printed and published this collection at his Venkateshwar Steam Press in Bombay in Vikrama Samvat 1979. It gathers 175 songs by Ramsakhe Ji in approximately fifty-two pages. The collection offers magnificent contemplation of the rasa-filled līlās of Bhagavan Rama and Bhagavati Sita.

Its language is clean and lucid, though in places it contains a profusion of Urdu and Persian vocabulary. Sufi influence is evident among the practitioners of this branch, for Sufi terminology occurs repeatedly. The resemblance extends beyond vocabulary to the expression of feeling itself: the embodied intensity of ‘ishq-i majāzī, metaphorical or earthly love, appears together with the subtlety of ‘ishq-i ḥaqīqī, divine love.

Some songs display a clear western-Hindi influence, while elsewhere there is a flavour of Punjabi blended with Marwari. Sri Ramsakhe Ji appears to have been widely read, learned, and well travelled; the influence of the regions he visited therefore entered his language naturally.

From the standpoint of devotional feeling, Ramsakhe Ji’s chosen relationship is clearly the disposition of a sakhī, and it is exceptionally firm and mature. His songs allow one to drink deeply of the rasa contained in Rama’s and Sita’s forms and līlās on many occasions.

For example:

Raghava wakes at dawn, his enchanting eyes still filled with sleep.
Rising to sit upon the flower couch, he puts millions of Love-gods to shame.