Suradasa, the blind saint-poet, lived in the sixteenth century during the establishment of the Mogul empire in India by Babur and its consolidation by Akbar. A Vaishnava of the Pushtimarga, he was spiritually inspired by Vallabhacharya and composed his outstanding work, the Surasagara ‘Ocean of Poetry’, closely following the Bhagavata, which narrates the deeds of Krishna, whose, staunch devotee he was. His numerous padas composed in Brajbhasha are a treasure house of the very best Hindi poetry on a level with that of Tulasidasa, the author of the Ramayana but unfortunately his poems remain comparatively much less known to the Western world. This English translation of some of the verses of his Surasagara endeavours to provide the reader with a representative selection from the various sections of this work in English verse along with the transliterated version of the text, and in English prose for the narrative portions. The selection highlights Krishna as the Lord and as the amorous lover of Radha and the milkmaids of Braj.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR P Krishna Bahadur
Krishna P. Bahadur was born in Allahabad on 21 February 1924 and received his early education in St Joseph's and St Mary's Allahabad and La Martiniere, Lucknow. He did his M.A. in English from the Allahabad University. He served in the Indian Administrative Service on various senior posts including District Magistrate (for 10 years), Commissioner and Secretary Harijan & Social Welfare and 20 Points Programme, Inspector General Prisons and Chairman Administrative Tribunals and Vigilance Commission. Bahadur has written over fifty books on various subjects - Philosophy and Religion, History, Sociology, Biography, Fiction, Humour, Translations and Juveniles. His prominent works are the Wisdom of India series 7 vols., History of Indian Civilization 6 vols., History of the Freedom Movement in India 5 vols., Castes, Tribes & Cultures of India 7 vols., A Source Book of Hindu Philosophy, The Definitive Gita, The Raj and After, Aspects of the Ramacharitamanasa, Folk Tales of Uttar Pradesh and six translations in the UNESCO collection [Rasikpriya, Selections from Ramachandrika, Rural Songs of India, The Parrot & the Starling, Love Poems of Ghanananda and the Satasai of Bihari (pub. Penguin Classics, London and New Delhi)]. He has also taken part in the International Seminar on the Gita and contributed to World Authors St James Publications, London. Bahadur is recipient of the following honorary awards: Vidya Visharada, Vidya Ratnakara, Rotary award for outstanding public service. He is a biographer of Who's Who in the World, Contemporary Authors, International Book of Honor (all pub. USA); dictionary of International Biography, Who's Who in the Commonwealth Men of Achievement, International Who's Who of Contemporary Achievement (all pub. England); Contemporary Personalities (Academia Italia, Italy).
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