Jayadeva‘s portrayal of Radha Bhakti
(Jayadeva worships Vishnu)
Gita Govinda , the Book of Songs of Govinda (Krishna) by the great mystic and poet Jayadeva of Orissa, is the immortal portrayal of RadhaBhakti in its manifold manifestations. Jayadeva could express it with such charm and clarity that even the man behind the plough sang those songs and filled his heart with divine delight. The ruler of the land, Lakshmana Sena, was stricken with envy. He prepared a parallel book of songs and ordered that they be sung, instead of Jayadeva’s outpourings, in the temples of the land, including the greatest of them all, the Jagannath Temple at Puri. When his order was receded with universal protest, the king laid both the books at the Feet of Lord Jagannath and the shrine locked and kept under strict vigilance.
When the doors were opened in the morning, the king saw the Lord having Jayadeva‘s ‘Gita Govinda’ in His hand, while his rival book written out of envy and pride was thrown into a far corner. The Lord had announced that He showers Grace on inner purity, not outer pomp. (SSS Vol.18), 7-9-1985.
The name of the Lord has been glorified in different ways all over the world. Jayadeva was one who enjoyed always the leelas (sport) of the Divine, experienced the presence of the Divine within him, devoted every one of his daily activities to enjoying the sport of the Divine, felt that he had no use for anything other than God‘s love, merged his love in Divine Love and thereby became the very embodiment of Divine Love. As people did not comprehend the spiritual significance of his kirtanas, they misunderstood and misinterpreted the meaning of Jayadeva’s Ashtapadis (octaves). (SSS Vol.25), 3 Mar 1992
Jayadeva said in a famous song. ‘Oh Lord! That heart which you gave to me, I am offering to you.’ (SSS Vol.28), 22-10-1995
Jayadeva‘s commentary on the tongue
In an exhortation to the tongue, Jayadeva said:
jihve rasajne madhura-priya tvam
satyam hitam tvam paramam vadami
avarnayetha madhuraksarani
govinda damodara madhaveti
(Shri Govind Damodar Stotaram – 40)
(O sacred tongue, you know what is sweet,
truthful and beneficent.
Utter, then, the supremely sweet words’
Govinda, Damodara, Madhava).
The tongue experiences sorrow or suffering in its own home without straying into the homes of others. It discretely decides beforehand whether an edible should be eaten or not. If it is sweet, it shows its consent by sending it down for digestion. But if it is bitter it spits it out. If the tongue is properly used, it can be the means by which we can attain Godhood itself. (SSS Vol.20), 6-5-1987.
You should also understand the importance of the faculty of speech and the great role of the tongue. Addressing the tongue, saint Jayadeva praised its immense power and called upon it to chant the name of the Lord and not indulge in unholy talk. The tongue displays a sense of discrimination in the choice of food. It has also a remarkable ability to observe restraint by not getting bitten by the teeth. It never goes beyond its bounds. Such a highly valuable organ should be used for the sacred purposes for which it is intended. This is the exhortation of the Upanishads to all mankind. (SSS Vol.24), 25-5-1991
Jayadeva hailed the tongue as the God-given instrument for glorifying the Lord. This sacred instrument should not be misused in any way for speaking ill of others or causing unhappiness to them. As enjoined in the Gita, you should avoid unpleasant speech and use only words that are true, comforting and good. Harshness in speech should be avoided. Only when the tongue is used in this way can it become pure and sacred. When your speech is sanctified your life itself becomes sanctified. (SSS Vol.22), 19-1-1989.