SSC
Who is the author of the Sanskrit poem 'Gita Govinda'?
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option D — Jayadeva
Detailed Solution
The "Gita Govinda" ("Song of Govinda") is a lyrical Sanskrit poem written by Jayadeva in the 12th century. It describes the love between Lord Krishna (Govinda) and Radha, and Krishna's relationship with the gopis of Vrindavan.
About the Gita Govinda:
- It is divided into 12 chapters (sargas) and contains 24 songs called "ashtapadis", each with eight couplets.
- Each song is set to a particular raga and tala, so the poem is meant to be sung.
- On one level it is a love poem; on another, it expresses the devotion (bhakti) of the human soul (Radha) for the divine (Krishna).
- It had a great influence on later Bhakti poetry, Indian classical music and dance (especially Odissi, where the ashtapadis are performed), and painting (especially Rajput and Pahari miniatures).
- It is sung daily at the Jagannath Temple in Puri.
About Jayadeva:
He lived in the 12th century. According to tradition, he was a court poet of King Lakshmana Sena of Bengal.
His birthplace is traditionally claimed by two places: Kenduli (Birbhum, West Bengal), where the Joydev Kenduli Mela is held, and Kenduli Sasan near Puri in Odisha.
His wife Padmavati is said to have been a temple dancer.
Other famous Sanskrit poets:
- Kalidasa: "Abhijnanashakuntalam", "Meghaduta", "Raghuvamsha", "Kumarasambhava" and "Ritusamhara".
- Bhartrihari: "Shatakatraya" (Shringara, Niti and Vairagya Shataka).
- Bilhana: "Vikramankadevacharita" and "Chaurapanchashika".
- Bharavi: "Kiratarjuniya".
- Magha: "Shishupala Vadha".
- Sri Harsha: "Naishadhiya Charita".
Why not the other options?
- ✗Kalidasa wrote "Meghaduta" and "Abhijnanashakuntalam".
- ✗Bhartrihari wrote the "Shatakatraya".
- ✗Bilhana wrote "Vikramankadevacharita".
Quick tip
Remember: "Gita Govinda" = Jayadeva (12th century; Radha-Krishna; 24 ashtapadis; sung at Puri; basis of Odissi); "Meghaduta" = Kalidasa; "Kiratarjuniya" = Bharavi.
💬 Discussions on this question
Ask a doubt ›Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.
Ask a doubtMore Books & Authors Questions
View all ›More General Knowledge Questions
- Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
- Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
- Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
- Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
- Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms
Books & Authors — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Books & Authors, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers famous books and their authors, including ancient Indian texts, works of the freedom struggle, classic and modern literature, autobiographies of famous people, and recently published books by well-known personalities. Questions usually name a book and ask for its author, or the other way round. Ancient and historical books, such as Arthashastra (Kautilya), Indica (Megasthenes) and Gitanjali (Rabindranath Tagore), are tested most often. Autobiographies are another favourite, so learn titles such as 'My Experiments with Truth' (Mahatma Gandhi) and 'Wings of Fire' (A. P. J. Abdul Kalam). Practise the books and authors questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.