Kesab Das
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Keshavdas Mishra (1555–1617), usually known by the Keshavdas, was an Indian
Poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
, Writer, Scholar and administrator who was best known for his work , a pioneering work of the of
Hindi literature Hindi literature () includes literature in the various Central Indo-Aryan languages, also known as Hindi, some of which have different writing systems. Earliest forms of Hindi literature are attested in poetry of Apabhraṃśa such as Awad ...
. He was patronized by
Vir Singh Deo Raja Vir Singh Ju Deo, also known as Bir Singh Dev, was a Bundela Rajput chief and the ruler of the kingdom of Orchha in the historic Bundelkhand region of modern Madhya Pradesh. He was a vassal of the imperial Mughal Empire and ruled from 160 ...
of Orchha, a vassal of the Mughal Empire.


Life

Keshavdas was a Sanadhya Brahman born in 1555 probably near to
Orchha Orchha is a town, near the city of Niwari in the Niwari district of Madhya Pradesh state, India. The town was established by a Bundela Rajput ruler Rudra Pratap Singh some time after 1501, as the seat of an eponymous former princely state ...
at
Tikamgarh Tikamgarh (also spelled as Tikamgadh)is a town and a tehsil in Tikamgarh district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The city serves as a district headquarters. The earlier name of Tikamgarh was Tehri (i.e., a triangle) consisting of thr ...
. There were many
pandit A pandit (; ; also spelled pundit, pronounced ; abbreviated Pt. or Pdt.) is an individual with specialised knowledge or a teacher of any field of knowledge in Hinduism, particularly the Vedic scriptures, dharma, or Hindu philosophy; in colonial-e ...
s among his ancestors and inferences from his writings suggest that, as would be typical of a pandit, the preferred language of his family, and that to which he was exposed as a child, was
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
. Those ancestors included Pt.Dinakara and Tribikrama, who had both been rewarded by Tomara rulers in
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
and
Gwalior Gwalior (Hindi: , ) is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; It is known as the Music City of India having oldest Gwalior gharana, musical gharana in existence. It is a major sports, cultural, industrial, and political c ...
, as well as his grandfather, Pt. Krishnadatta, and his father, Pt. Kashinatha, who had both served as scholars to the rulers of
Orchha kingdom Orchha State (also known as Urchha, Ondchha and Tikamgarh) was a kingdom situated in the Bundelkhand region and later a princely state in British India. The state was ruled by Bundela clan of Rajputs. It was located within what is now the state ...
. His elder brother, Balabhadra, was also a poet. Despite the familial connection to Sanskrit, Keshavdas adopted a vernacular style of
Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
, known as
Braj Bhasha Braj is a language within the Indo-Aryan language family spoken in the Braj region in Western Uttar Pradesh centered on Mathura. Along with Awadhi, it was one of the two predominant literary languages of North-Central India before gradually ...
, for his writings. The self-deprecation that was consequent upon this momentous shift — he once described himself as a "slow-witted Hindi poet" — belies his significance, described by Allison Brusch as "a decisive milestone in North Indian literary culture". His decision meant abandoning a highly formalised, stylised and accepted genre that was considered to be a ''de facto'' requirement of any poet, let alone one wishing to work within the royal courts of the time. It was not that Hindi poetry was new, since it had long been propagated, mostly orally and in particular by religious figures, but rather that it was deprecated. In particular, it was disliked by the pandits themselves. In the eyes of the critics, according to Busch, "To be a vernacular writer was to exhibit both a linguistic and an intellectual failing". A large part of the success of Keshavdas can be attributed to the paradox that he used the Sanskrit tradition in his vernacular poetry. The literary status of Brij Bhasha was already becoming accepted among the common people in the generations immediately preceding him, in large part because of the
Bhakti movement The Bhakti movement was a significant religious movement in medieval Hinduism that sought to bring religious reforms to all strata of society by adopting the method of Bhakti, devotion to achieve salvation. Originating in Tamilakam during 6t ...
that sought to revitalise
Vaishnavite Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the majo ...
Hinduism and which was centred on the towns of
Vrindavan Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj, Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance for Hindus who believe that Krishna, one of ...
and
Mathura Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the states and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located south-east of Delhi; and about from the town of Vrindavan. In ancient ti ...
. This movement of religious reclamation led to the building of many new temples and those who propagated and accepted Brij Bhasha at that time considered it to have been the language that was spoken by
Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...
. Bhakti poets such as
Swami Haridas Swami Haridas (, also spelt ''Svāmī Haridās'') was an Indian spiritual poet and Hindustani classical music, classical musician. He was a Court musician of Man Singh Tomar, Raja Man Singh Tomar of Gwalior and credited with a large body o ...
produced new vernacular devotional works that abandoned Sanskrit, which had been the traditional language of religion and of the
Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...
s, and their songs were sung communally rather than in isolation. The rise to significance of Keshavdas was also influenced by the politics of the time. The
Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...
held sway in the area, with Orchha being a
tributary state A tributary state is a pre-modern state in a particular type of subordinate relationship to a more powerful state which involved the sending of a regular token of submission, or tribute, to the superior power (the suzerain). This token often ...
. The tributary rulers asserted their remaining power through cultural channels, and Keshavdas was associated with Orchha's court from the time of the reign of Madhukar Shah. Busch describes him as "a friend, advisor, and guru to the Orchha kings but ... also a consummate poet and intellectual". Initially he was in the court of Indrajit Singh, the brother of the
Bundela The Bundela is a Rajput clan. Over several generations, the cadet lineages of Bundela Rajputs founded several states in area what came to be known as Bundelkhand anciently known as Chedi Kingdom from the 16th century. Etymology As per Jaswa ...
ruler Ram Singh. In 1608, when
Vir Singh Deo Raja Vir Singh Ju Deo, also known as Bir Singh Dev, was a Bundela Rajput chief and the ruler of the kingdom of Orchha in the historic Bundelkhand region of modern Madhya Pradesh. He was a vassal of the imperial Mughal Empire and ruled from 160 ...
came to power, Keshavdas joined his court. He was granted a
jagir A jagir (), ( Hindustani: जागीर/جاگیر, ''Jāgīr''), ( Marathi: जहागीर, ''Jahāgīrá'') also spelled as jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar ( Zamindar ...
of 21 villages. Keshavdas died in 1617.


Major works

''Ratan Bavani'' (ca. 1581) is the earliest work attributed to Keshavdas. Madhukar may well have commissioned it, although this is not certain. It stands out from all subsequent works of Keshavdas because of its compositional style and distinct anti-Mughal political stance. Busch says that it "must have had great resonance, and perhaps even provided some solace, for this newly defeated, and newly Vaishnavised, principality". The poem has 52
sextet A sextet (or hexad) is a formation containing exactly six members. The former term is commonly associated with vocal ensembles (e.g. The King's Singers, Affabre Concinui) or musical instrument groups, but can be applied to any situation where six ...
verses that mix the ''raso'' style of western India with Vaishnavite influences, and reworks themes of classical Indian literature with a localised perspective. It depicts
Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...
as a supporter of Ratnasena Bundela, the fourth son of Madhukar, whose warrior exploits during the Mughal conquest of Orchha are glorified. The veracity of even the basic information presented is dubious — for example, it ignores that Ratnasena Bundela fought for Akbar as well as against him — but this appears likely to have been by design. Three anthology of poems are attributed to him, ' (1591), ''Ramchandrika'' (1600), and ''Kavipriya'' (1601). The ''Ramchandrika'' is an abridged translation of the ''
Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...
'' in 30 sections. His other works include ''Rakhshikh'' (1600), ''Chhandamala'' (1602), ''Virsinghdev Charit'' (1607), ''Vijnangita'' (1610) and ''Jahangirjas Chandrika'' (1612).


''Rasikpriya''

He praised the
Betwa , discharge1_min = , discharge1_avg = , date=November 2019 , discharge1_max = , source1 = Vindhya Range , source1_location = Near Obedullaganj, Vindhya Range north of Hoshangabad , source1_coordinates = , source1_elevation = , mouth ...
and Orchha as the most beautiful things on earth and it was he who made them famous. Greyed by the years, he rued the day when pretty girls he encountered on the Betwa addressed him as Baba— an old man. :केशव केशन अस करी जस अरिहूं न कराहिं। :चंद्रवदन मृगलोचनी बाबा कहि कहि जाहिं॥ :Keśav keśan as karī, jas arihūṇ na karāhiṇ, :caṇdravadan, mṛgalocanī, ‘Bābā’ kahi kahi jāhiṇ. :(O Keshav, what havoc thy grey hair has brought thee — may such a fate never befall even thy worst enemy — for their sake, moon-faced girls with the eyes of gazelles call thee baba.)


''Virsinghdev Charit''

''Virsinghdev Charit'' was a hagiography of the Bundela king, Vir Singh Deo, who was his patron.


References

Notes Citations Bibliography * * * *


External links


Keshavdas at Kavita Kosh
(Hindi) {{Authority control Hindi-language poets Indian male poets People from Tikamgarh district 1555 births 1617 deaths 16th-century Indian poets 17th-century Indian poets Poets from Madhya Pradesh 17th-century Indian male writers 16th-century Indian male writers