Medieval India Poems
← The 5 Love Languages | An Irish Airman foresees His Death by William Butler Yeats → |
For many centuries, religion has played an arguably critical role in enhancing the literature of a certain race or even that of an entire country. In India for instance, the unstable ancient days played a great role towards the diverse Indian culture. Throughout the 10th century, there had emerged many saintly poems which had different meaning and also interpreted in diverse ways by various groups of people. The most famous poems of the Indian empire are critically analyzed herewith. These poems include: Virasaiva Saints, The Bengali Vaisnava Saints' Songs of Devotion to Krishna and Govindadasa, to mention just a few.
The poems of the Virasaiva saints
Virasaiva poems are also referred to as vacanas meaning ‘what is spoken’ and this contradicts with smiriti poems which means ‘ what is memorable’ and sruti poems which means ‘recipients understanding’. Virasaivas poems are widely recognized for their rebellion against the caste system which prescribes a certain definite way of marrying. In this system, a person was only allowed to marry the other if their families had a common economic activity. For instance, a man from a merchant family could only marry a woman from another merchant family. The poem criticized the system and this eventually resulted to the collapse of that system. In the 10th century, people used virasaiva poems to worship Siva who was believed to be the Indian god. It is imperative to note that virasaiva poems are part of devotional songs in almost all households in Karnataka, India.
Bhati Hinduism, Virasaiva inclusive emphasizes on devotion, affection and openness to converts. Moreover, virasaiva saints believe in acquisition of merit. By believing the existence of a certain state of affairs, a virasaiva saint can either convert or be converted. This means that a virasaiva practitioner is free to change his religious allegiance from one denomination to another. This is contrary to classical Hinduism whereby they keep their religion to themselves. In my own personal idea, virasaiva movement seems to respect religious freedom. It has also played a major role in criticizing irrelevant systems in the Hindu society such as caste system.
Vaishnava poems
Vaishnava saints are also referred to as twelve Alvars and originated from South India. The Vaishnava saints also remained opposed to the caste system which was a persistent hereditary system in the ancient India Empire. There are many saintly poems that have been authored by this movement since its formation. However, they mainly focused and advocated for some traditional rituals while morality, holiness and selflessness were overlooked. They expressed their feelings and opinions through poems and music that basically attracted many people. The founder of this movement was Chaitanya. The Vaishnava mainly worshipped through songs and dances. In my own opinion, Vaishnava, like Virasaiva actually played a tremendous role in creating awareness among people on the disadvantages of the caste system. They were however very ritualistic and little did they focus on holiness or morality.
Govindadasa's Kalikamangal
This is a narrative poem that belongs a certain Bengali literature called mangalkavya. The poem was basically used to praise the goddess who was known as Kal. It is believed that the composition of this poem was between late seventeenth or early eighteenth century. It is actually named after an Indian poetess; Govindadasa. Basically, her poem focuses on human peripatetic behavior, religious search for devotion and the attainment of unity with God. Govindadasa is very interesting in her explanation especially regarding krisna and Radha story whereby she uses this story to describe the forgiveness aspect by mankind. In her narration, Govindadasa’s uses human love to symbolize divine love. She further use the narration to emphasize on the fact that as separation may exist between two lovers, it can also exist between a human person and God. In subjective terms, Govindadasa’s poem is more realistic about religion. It focuses more on real aspects of life viz. love, unity and separation.
In conclusion, therefore, the three poems to our discussion are similar in that they all talk about religious practices among the Hindu. Furthermore, both virasaiva and Vaishnava poems are similar to the effect that they both criticize the caste system. There is also a slight difference between Virasaiva and Vaishnava poems on one hand and Govindadasa’s poem on the other hand. The former are purely religious/worship poems while the latter is more of a narrative than a poem.
- An Irish Airman foresees His Death by William Butler Yeats
- The relationship between Merry and the Swede
- The 5 Love Languages
- Why the Past Matters?
![]() |
Bruce R.
Tulsa, OK
|
|
Thanks for everything. You guys know how to write so well! I will call on you again in the future. |
![]() |
Cleo P.
Oakland, CA
|
|
I submitted my order as a ‘rush order’. I only had 2 days to get my paper finished and I just felt like I was sinking. I didn’t understand the material I was writing about, and I didn’t know what I was going to do. My friend recommended EssaysEmpire.com. I had very little lost by attempting to use this writing service, so I did. It was an excellent move on my part, because, not only was my paper finished on time. It was also excellently written. I will always be grateful to my friend for recommending your service. It is wonderful. |
![]() |
Grace T.
Purcell, OK
|
|
Thank you for assuring that only the best writers work for you. It doesn’t matter which writer has been assigned to my projects since I started using your services. Every time I get a paper written, it is perfect. |
![]() |
Royce B.
Dallas, TX
|
|
It is so refreshing to work with a writing service as professional as EssaysEmpire.com. Everything from your website, to your customer service workers to the writing itself, is top rate. I recommend you highly to anyone who will listen. |
![]() |
Celine H.
Calistoga, CA
|
|
Thanks for doing a great job on a paper that was an important part of my semester. You guys rock! |
![]() |
Hillary M.
Santa Cruz, CA
|
|
I received 100 points out of a possible 100 for the paper that you wrote for me. |
![]() |
Sarah H.
Brooklyn, NY
|
|
As always, I can count on EssaysEmpire.com to never let me down. I had to place an emergency order and was worried that I had not given the writer enough time to do a good job. I was wrong. They did a tremendous job! Thanks ever so much! |
![]() |
Brianne H.
Tampa, FL
|
|
The paper that I purchased from EssaysEmpire.com was well written. Thank you. I will have another order for you soon. Since I was so happy with the way things went, I see no reason to use any other writing service. Your service delivers the goods, just like you say you will. |
![]() |
Beverly S.
Cambridge, MA
|
|
I appreciate the help your wring service gave me with my biology paper. I have never cared much for biology. It is a tough subject for me to grasp. This is why I needed so much help with my paper. The writer absolutely understood the whole topic and turned out work that would have made anyone proud. Thanks a million for the great paper. |
![]() |
Joyce T.
New Orleans, LA
|
|
I was trying to choose between EssaysEmpire.com and another online writing service and I didn’t know which one to pick. Then, I began to read reviews. I didn’t read even one thing negative about EssaysEmpire.com, and the other site was fraught with complaints. I went with EssaysEmpire.com, and it turned out that all the good things I had read about the service were true. My paper was fully guaranteed, but it was A-1 quality. The customer service people were great. The prices were right. Now, I am a devoted fan. When I need help with my writing, I go straight to EssaysEmpire.com! |
![]() |
Stephanie K.
Stowe, VT
|
|
Dear Sirs: Just a quick note to let you know that I appreciate your working on my paper so quickly. I did get it in time to turn it in for the deadline, even though I hadn’t given you much notice. I made a very good grade on it and was much relieved. Thanks again. You rock. |
![]() |
Sharon S.
Dallas, TX
|
|
I greatly appreciate your assistance. Writing has never been my strong point. When I needed help, EssaysEmpire.com gave it to me. I am completely satisfied! |
![]() |
Royce E.
Dallas, TX
|
|
I first approached EssaysEmpire.com with skepticism. However, now, I have none. I am convinced that you are probably the best writing service on the Internet. Plus, you don’t overcharge, as so many writing services do. Thank you for the quality writing at affordable prices. You offer such a valuable service to students such as me. |
![]() |
Quincy S.
Cambridge, MA
|
|
You guys did a super job on my paper. The work definitely exceeded my expectations and eased my anxiety. This was the first time I had hired a writing service. The transaction was seamless. I would use you guys again in a heartbeat! No questions asked. You’re the best, hands down. |
![]() |
Sylvia B.
Lakeview, MA
|
|
Your writers did an excellent job writing my four papers last semester. I don’t think I could have possibly made it through the semester without any help of EssaysEmpire.com. I deeply appreciate the help |
![]() |
Anne A.
Cambridge, MA
|
|
You dudes are awesome! Wow! I can’t believe I got an A+ on my paper! At best, I expected a B or C! |
![]() |
Allen P.
Denver, CO
|
|
Writer #3827 is a great writer! I got an A+ on my very first paper of the term. This is the way to set the pace for the rest of the term. Thanks! |
![]() |
Pierre W.
Memphis, TN
|
|
There are four things that I look for in a good writing service. #1. They have to be fast. A good writing service won’t miss an important deadline. #2. A good writing service will let customers actually talk to the writer who is working on their customer’s papers, so the customer can work out important details. #3. A good writing service will have a user-friendly website that is easy for the customer to use and #4, a good writing service will offer quality guarantees. EssaysEmpire.com meets all of this criteria and more. EssaysEmpire.com is the best writing service and has the reputation to prove it. I wouldn’t even consider using another writing service since experiencing the excellence that is EssaysEmpire.com! |
![]() |
Celeste H.
San Francisco, CA
|
|
EssaysEmpire.com always gives me a plagiarism report to prove that the work they wrote for me is authentic. I appreciate this. It helps eliminate worry. |
![]() |
Tom J.
Jackson, MI
|
|
Many thanks to your writers and customer service representatives for helping me get through a very difficult time in my college career. I needed writing assistance and your crew came through for me, big time! My papers were written impeccably. Thanks so much! |