THE
RADIANT BEAUTY
Bihar' has described female
beauty in many of his verses. But none excels the dohei given below, which the
Kangra artist has illustrated in this painting. In the music of its words,
compactness and vivid imagery, it stands out as a pearl of unique beauty in the
necklace of seven hundred presented by him to posterity.
Tataki
dhoi dhovati, chatakill mukha joti; Lasati rasoi kain bagara, jagara magara
duti hoti! Clad in a newly-washed garment, the Nayika is cooking; The kitchen
is shining with the radiance of her lovely face.
Surrounded by utensils, a pile
of brinjals stored against the wall, the lovely one is cooking. Her jet black
tresses reach her waist. Her face is serene and beautiful. Her simple white
dress enhances her beauty. In this painting the Hindu ideal of female beauty is
portrayed in a lyrical manner. One is reminded of the following lines by
Wordsworth.
"She
was a phantom of delight
When
first she gleamed upon my sight."
In the background, Krishna, the
cow-herd, is shown sitting under a tree, with cows resting in the foreground.
The female messenger is describing to him the beauty of Rildha as she is
cooking in the kitchen.
THE GAME OF HIDE-AND-SEEK
Dori
chora mihichani, khelu na kheli aghdta Durata hiyain laptal kai, chhuvata
hiyain laptata.
Playing
the game of hide-and-seek, the two are not satisfied with its pleasures. When
one seeks the other, they cling to each other in a warm embrace.
RESTLESSNESS OF LOVE
Jhataki
chadhati utarati ata, nainku na thakati deha Bhai rahati nata kau batA, ataki
nagara neha. Nai lagani kula ki sakucha, bikalabhai akulai; Duhun ora ainchi
phirati phiraki laun dinu jai. Ita tam n uta uta tam n itain, chhinu na kahun
thaharAti; Jaka na parati chakari bhai, phiri avati phiri jati.
Sakhi to another sakhi:
Entangled
in love, the Niiyilca is behaving like an acrobat, Running up and down from the
attic of her house, she does not feel tired. On one side is the pull of her
newly born love, On the other is the honour of the family. Stretched between
the two she feels severely afflicted, And spends her day rotating like a
pulley. She moves from one place to another, and does not tarry even:for a
moment. She has no peace of mind and like a revolving yo-yo she is constantly
in a whirl.
STAY WITH ME, MY LOVE!
Barna
bhama Kãmini, kahi bolau pranesa; Pyari kahata khisyata nahin, pavasa chalata
videsa.
"Don't
call me your beloved ; call me instead a shrew. Going away to a far-off land in
the month of rains, You should feel ashamed at calling me sweet-heart.
LOVE LONGINGS
How the lovely N1yika conveyed
her love longings to the Nayaka in the crowded home, where she is watched by
her servants and female companions, is illustrated in this painting.
Chitai
lalachauhain chakhanu, dun i ghtinghata pata mAnha; Chhala saun chhali chhubdi
kai, chhinaku chhabili chhanha.
The
Nayaka thus narrates the incident to sakizi:
'Having
first looked at me with greedy eyes, Hidden behind the hem of her veil, And
then craftily touching her shadow for a moment with mine, The graceful maiden
now walks away.'
Love is often expressed by
sings and symbols. A woman, overpowered with love expresses her desire by
casting side-long glances, scratching the ears, or touching her ornaments. The
indications of love in a well-bred woman, according to the Ndlyagdstra, are:
'She looks continuously with blooming eyes, conceals her smile, speaks slowly
with a down-cast face, gives reply with a smile, and has throbbing lips.' The
touching of shadows is a symbol of union, and conveys the desire of the Nayika
to the lover.
LADY IN SEARCH OF THE LOVER ON A DARK NIGHT
Nisi
andhiari nilapatu, pahiri chali piya-geha;
Kahau
durdi kyon durai, dipa sikha si deha.
Though
clad in blue, the dark night cannot hide her as she goes to meet her lover. The
flame-like brilliance of her body illumines the night itself.
The empty houses, and the dark
sky, powdered by stars, suggest the solitude of the night. In the background,
the trees stand like phantoms. The finely chiselled face of the Nayika, framed
in a blue wrap, the sensuous curves of her body, and the grace of her delicate
fingers represent the Kangra female type at its best. The lustre of the Nayika's
body shines forth in bright contrast with her blue sari. In Panjabi folk-songs
also, the beauty of a woman is often compared to a flame.
QUEST FOR THE LOVER IN MOONLIGHT
The lady who goes out to meet
her lover in a moonlit night is called the sukabhisarika. She dresses in white
to conceal her presence. This painting is an illustration of the following doha
of Bihari in which he describes the beauty of the lady, who goes out on a
bright moonlit night to meet her lover, followed by her maid.
Juvati
jonha main mili gal, nainka na hoti lakhai
Saurdhe
kain dorain lagi, all chali sang
'The
young maiden was so much like moonlight that walking under the shining moon she
became invisible.
Her
companion was only able to follow her guided by the fragrance of her limbs.'
One is reminded of the
description of Radha, as S'uktifbhisarika, by Guru Govind Singh in Dasam Granth.
`Radha went out in the moonlight, in the light of the white soft moon, wearing
a white robe, to meet her Lord. She thus concealed herself in white, and roamed
as the light itself in search of Him.' Surely Radha is the human soul in search
of the Infinite, the Cosmic Reality.
Writer
– M.S Randhawa
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