Page 133 - Eye of the beholder

This ornamental text on on on the the literary rhetoric of of love love poetry and on on on the the classification of of love love love love situations and lovers was written by the court poet of Orcha Keshav Das in 1591 C E It is a a a a a a a a poem that that emerged out of court literature rather than the the devotional environment and that that Rasikapriya was not intended for the general public Keshav Das has stated that he he composed this poem for for for the the royal patron Maharaja Indrajeet and and for for for the the benefit for for for aspiring poets and and connoisseurs and and hence for a a a a a a a a literate and and knowledgeable audience The literary nature of the the text represented unprecedented challenges to the the Rajput artists Rasikapriya was from a a a a a a a a special branch of literary rhetoric tradition written in in the the Muktaka-Kavya or or the the single verse tradition The self self contained poems of Rasikapriya did not lend itself as as readily to visualization Of its two two distinct types of verses a a a a a a two two line ‘preliminary’ verse verse which identified as a a a a a a particular concept or or context of of love love or or type of of lovers and a a a a long ‘archetypal verse’ exemplifying the definitions with appropriate Radha-Krishna episodes and only the latter could be illustrated These archetypal verses with Krishna and Radha as as the the prototypical lovers formed the the basis for the the illustrations in the the Rajput tradition Idealized sexuality is a a a a a a a a a a prominent theme in in in in the the poetry and paintings of Rasikapriya Keshav Das uses this subject as means for illuminating his his theory on on the the concept of love underlined with the the religious philosophy of Vaisnavism He emphasizes on Sringara rasa the the erotic sentiment based on on the the the the emotion of of of love as as as as the the the the prime rasa of of of Rasikapriya Through the the the the theory of of of Sringara rasa he he brings to forefront discussions on on on sexuality He identifies Krishna as as the romantic hero the the nayaka – the the god who is also a a a a a a a lover And he he he he builds an an index of three hundred and sixty nayikas representing female sexuality in in in almost all its aspects The concept of love in in in Rasikapriya can be understood in in three categories – first as as the the poetic theory of Sringara rasa which is an aesthetic experience secondly as as as Kamasutra i i i i i e e e e e e e e e e e e the the the knowledge of the the the arts of lovemaking and thirdly as devotional Bhakti philosophy which is a a a a a a a spiritual experience Keshav Das blends these three aspects of love into a a a a a beautiful rendition in in his poetry 127