Biography of Shri Brajwasidas Ji

Shri Brajwasidas Ji was an accomplished devotee who always stayed away from worldly propagandas. His mainb focus was the continuous contemplation of Shri Radha Krishn and describing their glories. He is said to be a follower of the Vallabh sect. His birth is estimated at around 1680.

 

The life character of Shri Brajwasidas Ji is unknown. Whatever information is known about him has been obtained from his works. He was initiated into the Vallabh sect. The Vallabh sect is based on Shuddhadvaita. Shri Brajwasidas has shown the acceptance of oneness between the soul and the Supreme Soul, according to the sectarian opinion. Because of the creation of God, He does not consider the world to be illusionary. The spiritual form of Brahman is called 'Akshar Brahm' (supreme entity), and the physical form is called 'Jagat' (material world). Brahman is eternal, in Him, there is a constant manifestation of Sat (truth), Chit (consciousness), and Ananda (bliss, a state of pure happiness).

- Braj-Vilas (description of Krishna's birth celebration)

 

His period of composition has been accepted from 1703 to 1763. Shri Brajwasidas Ji has described Shri Krishn's childhood pastimes and youthful pastimes in His compositions.

 

According to Shri Brajwasidas Ji, apart from Param Brahm (supreme entity), in all the material or conscious elements of the world, there is an absence of anyone or two elements out of Sat (truth), Chit (consciousness), and Ananda (bliss, a state of pure happiness). That is why they continue to assume a separate form from the Supreme Soul. The Infallible, who is the supreme entity and formless, had incarnated in Braj, taking the virtuous form of Shri Krishn. His goal is to provide Pushti (bliss and love) to the cowherds (devotees).

- Braj-Vilas (Uddhav Ji Ki Aagman Leela)

 

The Supreme Entity voluntarily creates the world. By taking birth in the house of Vasudeva and being brought up in the house of Maharaj Nanda, He gave them the opportunity to taste the supreme bliss as parents and dissolved all their material and spiritual dualities.

- Braj Vilas (Description of Krishna's birth celebrations)

 

The shelters of parental love are Nanda, Yashoda, Devaki, and the aged cowherds and milkmaids. Shri Brajwasidas applauded the good fortune of Devaki and Yashoda that they got the opportunity to feed Brahma (Krishn) in their lap.

- Braj Vilas (Devaki Aur Yashoda Ka Bhagya)

 

Like Surdas, there is a lot of naturalness in Brajwasidas's parental descriptions. Mother Yashoda is in strange trouble after getting the child Krishn to see the moon. Krishna wants to enjoy the moon and Yashoda tries to convince him that it is absolutely impossible to get the moon. All arguments are inadmissible for his childish intelligence:

 

The Vrindavan which Shri Krishn had made the center of various pastimes like his Raas dance etc., is also the physical form of Shri Krishn along with being the form of consciousness, in the eyes of Shri Brajwasidas Ji. Here the Gopis are present in the form of the senses and Lord Hari himself in the form of divine consciousness. The treasure of happiness, taste, and form, this Vrindavan is constantly eulogized by all the Shrutis (Vedas) and Demigods. Shri Brajwasidas has accepted Vrindavan as the center of Raas pastime on the five yojanas (around 60 km) wide size of sixteen petal lotus situated on the Braj which is in the shape of the conch shell.

- Braj Vilas

 

It is the belief of Shri Brajwasidas Ji that Shri Radha-Krishn performs various ever-new pastimes in this divine Vrindavan. In spite of being Nirguna (without qualities), Nirvikar (without the disorder), and Avinashi (imperishable), He expands the divine nectar of Raas pastime in His eternal abode, Shri Vrindavan, to fulfill the desires of the devotees, which has been sung by the Vedas 

- Braj Vilas

 

According to Shri Brajwasidas Ji, the place of the Raas pastime Shri Vrindavan is not a common land but is the treasure of happiness, full of divine nectar and full of beauty, praised by Sarad, Narad, Shesh, Shiva, and Vidhi -

- Braj Vilas (Rasleela)

 

That is the reason, like other Rasikas, He is also pleading to become the dust of Vrindavan to remain constantly in touch with the lotus feet of Shri Radha Krishn.
Bar Bar Manay Yug Pad, Nath Pad Mangahun.

- Shri Brajwasidas, Braj Vilas

 

Shri Brajwasidas Ji has given a very effective and beautiful description of Raas Pastime in the latter part of his Braj Vilas text. The sequence of the description of Raas Pastime is similar to that of Raaspanchadhyayi of Srimad Bhagwat. Thus it can be said that the story order is completely influenced by Srimad Bhagwat. As far as the narration style is concerned, it has been done according to the couplet and verse style of Ramcharitmanas composed by Goswami Tulsidas. Just as Goswami Ji has presented the description of the pastimes of Lord Ram, similarly Shri Brajwasidas Ji has described Shri Krishn's pastimes in his book called Brajvilas.

According to Shri Brajwasidas, there is a method of Gopi-Krishn's divine marriage as described by the great sage Shri Ved Vyas Ji. The austerity which the gopis had done for the purpose of getting Shri Krishn as their husband, was fulfilled by Shri Krishn at the time of Cheerharan (stealing clothes) pastimes.

- Brajvilas

 

In order to prove this to be true, Shri Krishn had organized a divine Raas pastime on the bank of the Yamuna, illuminated by the bright moon of autumn.

Shri Krishn, who was subjugated by the devotees, composed Raas pastime on the night of autumn and made them happy by being present in many forms among the gopis. Like Shrimad Bhagwat, Brajwasidas Ji has also started the episode of Raas pastime with the flute-playing of Shri Krishn here. As soon as he remembered Raas pastime, Shri Krishn had pleased his dearest beloved and the gopis by starting the flute-playing in the middle of the forest. While that melodious and divine sound of the flute had stunned the demigods of all the worlds, on other hand, sixty thousand gopis were compelled to go beyond all limitations and reach their supreme husband Shri Krishn without delay. The extraordinary thing was that the name of each gopi of Shri Krishn was recited in the flute itself.

- Brajvilas

 

Upon hearing the flute of Shri Krishn, all the Braj gopis reached the middle of the forest near the bank of the Yamuna in front of Shri Krishn. Shyamsundar also respected them with a sweet smile and lovely words and preached the limits according to the scriptures to test their love. But the gopis considered Krishn as their ultimate husband. How would they come back? On the teachings of Shri Krishn, they even said that if you do not accept us, we will give up our bodies, but will not go back to Braj.

- Brajvilas

 

Seeing the perseverance of the love of the gopis, Shri Krishn's grace was restless to spread, the enthusiasm became strong and Krishn's eyes were also filled with tears of love. Shri Shyamsundar appreciated the love of the gopis, embraced them, and inspired them towards the bank of Yamuna for the fulfillment of their desire for Raas pastime.

- Brajvilas

 

In fact, it was because of the supreme divine love of the gopis that Shri Krishn started the divine Raas dance with the gopis who worshiped him with pure devotion. For the purpose of this Raas dance, Shyamsundar himself reached the Yamuna bank with the herds of the gopis, expressing His desire. At that time, the sand of the very bright and soft Yamuna bank looked so beautiful, as if it was decorated by Yamuna Ji herself. On this bank of Yamuna, among the gopis, Shri Krishn's humor, dalliance, embracement, etc., were being manifested in a divine way for the love-enhancement of the gopis and the significance of the beloved. According to the belief of Shri Brajwasidas Ji, this divine Raas pastime of Shri Radha Madhav was organized at Vanshivat.

- Brajvilas

 

First of all, it is here that Shri Krishn had established himself in the midst of every Gopi in the vast Raasmandal of gopis. In this way with his divine art, he was reflected in the center of the circle, along with Shri Radha, despite being in the midst of all. This art of Shri Krishn was becoming mysterious to everyone.

- Brajvilas

 

In this Raas pastime, composed by Shri Brajwasidas, the variety of instruments, the sound of anklets, the sound of the flute, the group dance, and the sentiment were unprecedented, as well as the various movements of Shri Krishn were also being imitated by the gopis.

- Brajvilas

 

In this group Raas, some Gopis were dancing, some used to utter the Balihari-Balihari sound, some used to sing praises of the beloved, some used to clarify the feeling by acting, some gave rhythm, and some used to reveal the differences by dancing. Not only this, some gopis used to sing with Shyamsundar, and some used to snatch the flute from Him and play it. Similarly, Shyamsundar also used to reveal the effulgence of the nectar of Raas pastime by giving his embrace to everyone.

- Brajvilas

 

The gopis became very tired in singing, dancing, acting, etc. of the divine Raas pastime at Vanshivat, their necklaces were broken and they became engrossed in joy with the drops of sweat on their faces. Shri Krishn also stopped the necklaces from being broken midway, wiped off the drops of sweat with his Pitambar, and delighted them with sweet words.

- Brajvilas

 

Lord Madhav, who is possessed by the love of gopis, on the one hand, glorifies them by pleasing them with his loving speech, while on the other hand expresses the desire of Raas pastime for the fulfillment of their desires. In this Raas pastime, the sentiments of all the gopis become the same as before and they jump in joy. This scene of Raas pastime has been depicted here, which has already been visible in the form of the first Raas pastime. Shri Brajwasidas Ji has given the name of this Raas pastime as Rajasuya Yagya of Raas.

- Brajvilas

 

In this Raas pastime, match dance and sentimentality are reflected, as well as the marriage pastime of Shri Radha Krishn has also come to the fore in an unprecedented form in Raasmandal.

- Brajvilas

 

Sixteen thousand gopis were involved in the marriage pastime of Shri Radha Krishn under Raas Pastime. According to Shri Brajwasidas Ji, only after this, Shri Krishn performed the water-play pastime with the tired gopis. Here too, the water-play pastime is considered a form of Raas pastime. Sixteen thousand gopis were also present in this divine water-play pastime. In the water-play pastime, among the gopis, all the melodious efforts of Shri Krishn are visible, which are full of divine and supernatural ecstasy for the fulfillment and enrichment of love of the gopis. The incident of wearing clothes after the water-play pastime and sending off the gopis by Shri Krishn is also described.

- Brajvilas

 

Describing the first meeting of Shri Radha and Krishn, Shri Brajwasidas has written :

- Braj-Vilas (Pastime of the first meeting of Radha Ju)

 

Progressive mutual play, little fights gave their love an intense form. Shri Brajwasidas has expressed his reverent sentiments towards Shri Radha and Krishn:

- Braj-Vilas (Upodghot)

 

All the people of Braj, who were attached to the form and qualities of Krishn, experienced even more grief by hearing Uddhav's preaching than the trauma that his visit to Mathura had caused. According to Shri Brajwasidas, the gopis pacified Uddhav's enlightenment and instilled love in his heart. In this way, Shri Brajwasidas has refuted the yogic spiritual side of knowledge and venerated devotion. His faith has been in the devotion of love, which he has marked through the Gopis :

 

 

Brajvilas of Brajwasidas is an important composition for the pastimes of Raas dramas. The love ocean that was blown up in the voice of the sages like Surdas etc., Brajwasidas collected the character-gems of the same ocean in 1752 and cherished it in Brajvilas. In the three centuries before this, for the purpose of planning the objects of Raas pastimes, the poems, verses, and couplets had already been composed by several devotees, however, the systematic management of episodes of pastimes was still lacking in front of the pastimes-presenters, which Brajvilas of Brajwasidas accomplished in the method of verses and couplets.

- Brajvilas (Upodghat)

 

He wanted to see Lord Krishn's pastimes full of Gandharva qualities (dance-singing-playing) available in the verse compositions only in a sequenced form, for which he described this nectar of pastimes in the form of a sequence of story episodes -

- Brajvilas (Upodghat)

 

In Brajvilas, the story management has been classified in the name of a particular pastime, and thus in the first half and the latter part of this book, about eighty pastimes have been mentioned. In Brajvilas, the story management has been classified in the name of a particular pastime, and thus in the first half and the latter part of this book, about eighty pastimes have been mentioned. There are still pictures in the form of beautiful descriptions of the various episodes of pastimes as well as motion pictures. The pastime of Shri Krishn dancing with gopis is mentioned in such a way that the poet was capable to describe the hanging of Shri Krishn's crown, the movement of the earings, the movement of the neck and the tumbling of the eyebrows, the shaking of hands and the banging of the footsteps.

- Brajvilas (Raasleela)