The concept of “Bhramara” in Hindi and Pali Literature

Abstract

The use of the ―Bhramara‖ concept can be seen both in ―Bhramar Geeth‖ in Hindi and in Pali literature. ―Bhramar Geeth‖ refers to a tradition of praise poetry that appears in Hindi poetry. The Hindi word ―Bhramar‖ means ―Bambara‖ (Humming bee in English) in Sinhala. The Sinhala meaning of ―Bhramar Geeth‖ is ―Bambara Gunjanaya‖ or ―Bambara Geethaya‖ (―The Humming Bees‘ Song‖ in English). The praise poem, ―Bhramar Geeth‖ is related to the romance between Radha and Krishna. The ―Bhramar Geeth‖ praise poem starts with the arrival of Uddav, a friend of Krishna who comes from the region of Mathura with a letter from Krishna, and meets Radha and other ―gopis‖ who are distressed because of Krishna‘s departure. Though critics like Dr. Ramachandra Shakul, Dr. Krishori Lal, and Dr. Dwarika Prasad Saksena have conducted numerous research studies on the ―Bhramar Geeth‖ in Hindi, there is a dearth of studies which offer a comprehensive analysis on whether the ―Bambara‖ concept that appears in the book is given the same meaning in other languages. However, it can be perceived that even in languages such as Pali and Sanskrit, the same ―Bambara‖ concept is employed. According to critics, the Hindi ―Bhramar Geeth‖ concept is created with the influence of Sanskrit poetry. The main objective of this study is to investigate whether the ―Bambara‖ concept in the Hindi book is used with the same meaning in languages such as Sanskrit, Pali and Hindi.