1 verses · ~1 min
बिरहानल दाह दहै तन ताप, करी बड़वानल ज्वाल रदी। घर तैं लखि चन्द्रमुखीन चली, चलि माह अन्हान कछू जु सदी। पहिलैं ही सहेलनि तैं सबके, बरजें हसि घाइ घसौ अबदी। परस्यौ कर जाइ न न्हाय सु कौन, री अंग लगे उफनान नदी।।
इति
The Poet
बिहारी
Bihari Lal
1595 · 1663
Bihari Lal remains one of the most masterful practitioners of classical Hindi poetry. Born in Gwalior around 1595, he became the defining voice of the Ritikal or ornamental period of Hindi literature. Serving in the court of Mirza Raja Jai Singh of Amber, Bihari achieved immortality through a single monumental work known as the Bihari Satsai. This collection of approximately seven hundred couplets in Brajbhasha is universally celebrated for its breathtaking concentration of meaning. Critics often describe his style as filling an ocean into a small pitcher. He did not write lengthy epics. Instead, he crafted exquisite miniatures that explored the delicate nuances of romantic love, devotion, and worldly wisdom. His ability to capture the fleeting glances of lovers or the beauty of the changing seasons within just two lines remains unparalleled. He passed away around 1663, but his couplets are still studied as the absolute gold standard of poetic compression and aesthetic grace in Indian literature.
Paired Painting
Shantanu and Ganga
This poignant scene depicts a heartrending moment from the Mahabharata, where the celestial river goddess Ganga returns to her divine origin. Bound by a vow to return her children to the waters to liberate them from a curse, she is captured in the act of casting their final child into the river. King Shantanu, her earthly husband, stands in the distance with his arm outstretched in a desperate, futile gesture of pleading. The artist captures the divine serenity of Ganga, whose face remains untroubled by human morality, contrasting sharply with the tragic anguish of the mortal King who realizes he has lost the heavenly being he once cherished.
Open the viewer →