Michael Madhusudan Dutt’s Views on Radha : In the Context of Brajangana Kavya/ মাইকেল মধুসূদন দত্তের রাধা ভাবনা : প্রসঙ্গ ব্রজাঙ্গনা কাব্য

Abstract

Among Madhusudan's poetic works 'Brajangana' is exceptional in terms of subject and style. Madhusudan chose the subjects of his other three epics, from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas. Compared to that, the main character of 'Brajangana Kavya' is Radha, who is originated from folk culture. On the other hand, the lyricism which Madhusudan considered as a weakness of Bengali poetry, in this poem he has chosen the style of lyricism. What is the reason for this? In Madhusudan's conception of Radha we see the expression of his novelty. Referring to Radha in a letter to his friend Gourdas Basak, Madhusudan said, to read poetry free from religious influence, Radha is not an 'evil' character. He also said, 'The absurd group of poets has composed poetry based on the story of the legend; Their wicked, uncultured, tasteless imaginations are responsible for Radha's present plight'. In the socio-economic context of the 19th century, Madhusudan's view on Radha was revolutionary and an under-discussed aspect of modernity are evaluated in this article. Radha is quite distinct from the Matriarchal Goddess images like Uma or Kali. Radha is a Lover-Goddess like the Greek mythological Venus - which distinguishes Radha from Mother-Goddess like Uma, Parvati or Kali. Radha is not given much status in Puranas or scriptures. Later, while Radha was given a place in mainstream scriptures or literature, her character's grandeur was greatly diminished. Medieval literature centered on Radha is no exception. But Michael Madhusudan Dutta in his 'Brajangana Kavya' presents us with a 'human', 'personable' Radha - breaking the archetype of 'goddess', 'maid' or 'servant' Radha. The human side of Radha is magnified by Madhusudan in his 'Brajangana Kavya'.