Shrikrishnavali

(“Series [of poems] to Krishna”) Series
of sixty-one short poems dedicated to
the god Krishna, written in the Braj
Bhasha form of Hindi by the poet-saint
Tulsidas (1532–1623?). This collection is
unusual, since Tulsidas is renowned as a
devotee (bhakta) of the god Rama, and
most of his literary work describes
Rama’s exploits. The Shrikrishnavali is a
poetic cycle about Krishna’s life, so it
begins with poems devoted to Krishna’s
childhood and youth in the Braj region.
Most of the text, however, describes the
sorrow of the cow herd girls (gopis) after
Krishna’s departure for his kingdom in
Mathura, and their scornful rejection of
Krishna’s messenger Uddhava, who tries
to convince them that since Krishna is
the supreme deity, he is everywhere.
This work is an example of the ecumenical, or universal, tendencies found
throughout Tulsidas’s work. Not only
did he compose poems in praise
of another deity, thus transcending
sectarian barriers, but he also transcended linguistic barriers by writing
these poems in Braj Bhasha, the most
widely read language of his time, rather
than his own native Avadhi.