Shringara

रतनारी हो थारी आँखड़ियाँ

Ratanari Ho Thari Ankhadiyan

1 min read 1 versesनैनeyesराधा-कृष्ण

1 verses · ~1 min

रतनारी हो थारी आँखड़ियाँ। प्रेम छकी रसबस अलसाड़ी, जाणे कमलकी पाँखड़ियाँ॥ सुंदर रूप लुभाई गति मति, हो गईं ज्यूँ मधु माँखड़ियाँ। रसिक बिहारी वारी प्यारी, कौन बसी निस काँखड़ियाँ॥

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.

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Paired Painting

Radha, the Beloved of Krishna

This transcendent portrait captures the very essence of divine longing. Painted in the evocative style of the Kishangarh school, the work illustrates the idealized form of Radha, the eternal soul in search of her beloved Krishna. Her features are rendered with poetic precision, drawing upon ancient Sanskrit metaphors: her eyes are likened to the lotus, her brows to the curvature of a hunting bow, her chin to a mango stone, and her nose to the delicate beak of a parrot. The grace of her posture and the ethereal quality of her adornments invite the viewer into a space of spiritual devotion, reflecting a deep, meditative love that transcends the physical realm.

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If this held you