Vaiṣṇava Kīrtan in Bengal
A Musical Journey of Bhakti
Keywords:
Vaiṣṇava Kīrtan, Bhakti movement, Devotional music, Divine love, Spiritual core, Emotional Bhakti, Mass communication, Social barriers (transcending), Jayadeva, Gīta-Govinda, KrishnaAbstract
This paper traces the rich history of Vaiṣṇava Kīrtan in Bengal, a devotional music form central to the Bhakti movement. It highlights Jayadeva's Gīta-Govinda (12th century) as a foundational work, which masterfully combined Sanskrit lyrics, rāgas, and tālas to narrate the divine love stories of Krishna and Rādhā.
The influence of later poets like Vidyāpati and Caṇḍīdāsa is explored, as their works in Brajabuli and early Bengali further shaped Kīrtan's lyrical and narrative depth. The paper then details how Caitanya Mahāprabhu (16th century) revolutionized Kīrtan, using Nām-Kīrtan (chanting) and Nagara-Kīrtan (street processions) to spread emotional Bhakti widely, breaking down social barriers.
Finally, the article describes the post-Caitanya development of Līlā-Kīrtan, which evolved with increasing classical sophistication. It discusses the introduction of Dhrupad-style Kīrtan (Gaḍāṇhāṭi) and the emergence of the more improvisational Manoharaśāhi style (akin to Kheyāl), along with other regional variations. Despite its artistic evolution, Kīrtan remained primarily an offering to God, a testament to its enduring spiritual core in Bengal.
