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Bhanusimha Thakurer Padabali (Bengali: ভানুসিংহ ঠাকুরের পদাবলী, Bhanushingho Thakurer Padabali; lit. The Songs of Bhanushingho Thakur) is a collection of Vaishnava lyrics composed in Brajabuli by Rabindranath Tagore. It was published in 1884. These lyrics, which were earlier brought out in several issues of Bharati magazine, were first anthologized in 1884. Later, Tagore described composing these songs in his reminiscence Jibansmriti.Rabindranath Tagore wrote his first substantial poems titled Bhanusimha Thakurer Padabali in Brajabuli under the pseudonym Bhānusiṃha ("Sun Lion") at age sixteen.
Contents
The anthology has 22 songs out of which only nine exists in Swarabitan (Vol. XXI), collection of notations of Tagore’s music.
Background
Young Tagore was attracted to the Maithili poems collected in Prachin Kavya Samgraha, edited by Akshay Chandra Sarkar and Sarada Charan Mitra. From Sarkar he learned of Thomas Chatterton, “a young boy who used to imitate the ancient poets”. Inspired by this example, Tagore prepared himself to be a “second Chatterton”. The first song "Gahana Kusumakunja-majhe" was probably composed in 1877. No manuscript survives, except of the song "Gabhir Needame Abasha Shyama Mama", which was probably written in Ahmedabad in 1878. It is difficult to put these songs in chronological order. Some songs, like "Marana Re, Tunhu Mama Shyamasamana", "Ko Tunhu Bolabi Moye" and "Aaju Sakhi Muhu Muhu" were composed much later.
Bhanusimha Thakurer Padavali was published on 1 July 1884. It was dedicated to Kadambari Devi, Tagore’s sister-in-law who was eager to see the poems published, but committed suicide in 1883.
Theme
Kausambi feels the Bhanusimha poems chronicle the romance between Radha and Krishna which is a traditional theme of Indian poetry. The poet sought connection with divinity through appeal to nature and the emotional interplay of human drama. He repeatedly revised the poems over the following seventy years. Song VIII of Bhanusimha Thakurer Padavali:
Songs
Bhanusimha Thakurer Padavali has 23 songs altogether, which includes: