Ovi (poetry)

Last updated

Ovee (ovee, literally "strung together" [1] ), also spelled owi or owee, is a poetic metre used in Marathi poems for "rhythmic prose", generally used in narrative poems. [2] A poem using this metre is also called an ovee. Ovee is one of the "oldest Marathi song genres still performed today". [3] It has been in use since the 13th century in written poetry; however, oral traditions of women's ovee pre-date the literary ovee. While literary ovee is used by the Varkari saints in bhakti (devotional) literature, women's ovee is passed via the oral tradition through generations of women, who sing them while working or for pleasure.

Contents

Forms and origins

Dnyaneshwaar was the first to use ovee in literature. Jnandev.jpg
Dnyaneshwaar was the first to use ovee in literature.

Two forms of ovee are popular today: the granthik (literary) ovee and the women's ovee. The literary ovee is sung without tala (rhythm) by a kirtankar in a kirtan , a devotional call-and-response chanting form. This is generally used for ovees of saints like Dnyaneshwar, Eknath and Namdev. The women's ovee is sung with tala, when the women gather for work or pleasure. [3] [1]

The ovee metre originated in literature with the Varkari saint, Dnyaneshwar (1275–1296). [4] Both his magnum opuses Dnyaneshwari and Amrutanubhav are composed in ovee meter. [3] It is one of the two popular poetry metres used by Varkari saints, the other being abhanga – attributed to the saint, Tukaram (1577–1650). [4] While ovee is used for narrative poems, abhanga meter is used for lyrical poems and devotional poems. [5]

The ovee metre is believed to be existed in folk song tradition even before Dnyaneshwar, which the saint adopted for his literary works. [6] Though the ovee tradition pre-dates the Varkari bhakti tradition, there is little record of contents of early ovees. Women's ovees have been passed from generation to generation only through oral means. [7]

Women's ovee

ovee is thought to be in the rhythm of songs sung by women on the grinding stone (jata). [4] The ovee is sung while women use the mortar and pestle or the rahat (a manual water wheel) to pull water from the well. The women's ovees are "protest songs more than work songs" — complaints about the hard work, unhappy marriages and "despotic husbands". [6] They contain sarcasm of the patriarchal society. They also contain elements of bhakti (devotion), where the singer implores God to save her from these bondages. [6]

Literary ovee

An ovee poem has couplets (called kadva or ovee itself). Each couplet is generally divided into four charan (parts/lines). The first three charans are rhymed and have same number of matras (instants) composed of six or eight letters (vary from eight to ten syllables), while the fourth is "open" (unrhymed with the rest), shorter with fewer matras and generally has four letters (vary from four to six syllables). For example, the Dnyaneshwari has eight matras in the first three charans and four to six in the last charan. It is thus called a couplet of three and a half charans. In contrast, an abhanga has four charans with eight letters each. [8] [3] [9]

Example of an ovee from Dnyaneshwari:

Devā Tūchi Gaṇeshū |
Sakalārthamatiprakāshū |
Mhaṇe Nivṛtti Dāsū |
Avadhārijojē ||2||

देवा तूंचि गणेशु |
सकलमति प्रकाशु |
म्हणे निवृत्ति दासु |
अवधारिजो जी ||2||

The ovee was used by another saint, Eknath (1533–1599), too; however, while Dnyaneshwar's ovee has three and a half parts, Ekanath's ovee has four and a half parts. Dnyaneshwar's ovee is considered one of the foremost compositions in the ovee metre. The abhanga metre is said to have originated from Dnyaneshwar's ovee metre. [10]

The abhanga is often considered as a form of the ovee. [1] Dilip Chitre considers the abhanga tradition is strongly influenced by the women's ovee. S. G. Tulpule says the abhanga "is nothing but a prolongation of the original ovee, its name signifying continuity of the essential ovee units". Janabai's abhangas borrow themes of women's household chores of grinding and pounding from the women's ovee tradition and asks Vithoba, the patron god of the Varkari tradition, to help her in her chores. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dnyaneshwar</span> 13th century marathi Sant

Sant Dnyaneshwar, also referred to as Dnyaneshwar, Dnyanadeva, Dnyandev or Mauli or Dnyaneshwar Vitthal Kulkarni (1275–1296), was a 13th-century Indian Marathi saint, poet, philosopher and yogi of the Nath and Varkari tradition. In his short life of 21 years, he authored Dnyaneshwari and Amrutanubhav. These are the oldest surviving literary works in the Marathi language, and considered to be milestones in Marathi literature. Sant Dnyaneshwar's ideas reflect the non-dualistic Advaita Vedanta philosophy and an emphasis on Yoga and bhakti towards Vithoba, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. His legacy inspired saint-poets such as Eknath and Tukaram, and he is one of the founders of the Varkari (Vithoba-Krishna) Bhakti movement tradition of Hinduism in Maharashtra. Dnyaneshwar undertook samadhi at Alandi in 1296 by entombing himself in an underground chamber.

<i>Kirtan</i> Musically recited story in Indian traditions

Kirtana, also rendered as Kirtan or Keertan, is a Sanskrit word that means "narrating, reciting, telling, describing" of an idea or story, specifically in Indian religions. It also refers to a genre of religious performance arts, connoting a musical form of narration, shared recitation, or devotional singing, particularly of spiritual or religious ideas, native to the Indian subcontinent. A person performing kirtan is known as a kirtankara.

<i>Dnyaneshwari</i> Commentary on the Bhagavad Gita written by Sant Dnyaneshwar

The Dnyaneshwari, also referred to as Jnanesvari, Jnaneshwari or Bhavartha Deepika, is a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita written by the Marathi saint and poet Sant Dnyaneshwar in 1290 CE. Dnyaneshwar lived a short life of 22 years, and this commentary is notable to have been composed in his teens. The text is the oldest surviving literary work in the Marathi language, one that inspired major Bhakti movement saint-poets such as Eknath and Tukaram of the Varkari (Vithoba) tradition. The Dnyaneshwari interprets the Bhagavad Gita in the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism. The philosophical depth of the text has been praised for its aesthetic as well as scholarly value.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tukaram</span> 17th century Varkari Sant and Poet

Sant Tukaram Maharaj, also known as Tuka, Tukobaraya, Tukoba, was a Hindu, Marathi Saint of Varkari sampradaya" in Dehu village, Maharashtra in the 17th century. He was a bhakt of the god Vithoba of Pandharpur. He is best known for his devotional poetry called Abhanga, which are popular in Maharashtra, many of his poems deals with social reform.

Marathi literature is the body of literature of Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language spoken mainly in the Indian state of Maharashtra and written in the Devanagari and Modi script.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Namdev</span> Hindu Bhakti Saint from the medieval era

Namdev, also transliterated as Nam Dayv, Namdeo, Namadeva, was a Marathi Vaishnava saint from Narsi, Hingoli, Maharashtra, Medieval India within the Varkari tradition of Hinduism. He was as a devotee of the deity Vithoba of Pandharpur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warkari</span> Krishnaite Vaishnava tradition

Warkari is a sampradaya within the bhakti spiritual tradition of Hinduism, geographically associated with the Indian state of Maharashtra. Warkaris worship Vitthal, the presiding deity of Pandharpur, regarded as a form of Vishnu. Saints and gurus of the bhakti movement associated with the Warkaris include Dnyaneshwar, Namdev, Chokhamela, Eknath, and Tukaram all of whom are accorded the title of Sant. Recent research has suggested that the Varkaris were historically the followers of Krishna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vithoba</span> Hindu deity considered as a manifestation of Vishnu

Vithoba, also known as Vitthala, and Panduranga, is a Hindu deity predominantly worshipped in the Indian state of Maharashtra and Karnataka. He is a form of the Hindu deity Vishnu in his avatar: Krishna. Vithoba is often depicted as a dark young boy, standing arms akimbo on a brick, sometimes accompanied by his consort Rakhumai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chokhamela</span> 14th century Hindu saint

Chokhamela was a Hindu saint in Maharashtra, India in the 14th century. He belonged to the Mahar caste,, which was considered that time one of the low castes in India. He was born at Mehuna Raja, a village in Deulgaon Raja Taluka of Buldhana district. He lived at Mangalvedha in Maharashtra. He wrote many Abhangas. One of his known Abhangas is 'Abir Gulal Udhlit Rang". Social activist Arvind Prabhakar Kayande Started Celebrating "Chokhamela Festival" in Deulgaon Raja. He was one of the first low-cast poets in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abhang</span> Form of Hindu devotional poetry

Abhanga is a form of devotional poetry sung in praise of the Hindu god Vitthal, also known as Vithoba. The word "abhang" comes from a for "non-" and bhanga for "ending" or "interrupting", in other words, a flawless, continuous process, in this case referring to a poem. By contrast, the devotional songs known as Bhajans focus on the inward journey. Abhangs are more exuberant expressions of the communitarian experience. Abhanga is considered a form of the ovi. Abhangs are sung during pilgrimage to the temples of Pandharpur, by the devotees.

Sant Janābāi was a Marāthi religious poet in the Hindu tradition in India, who was born likely in the seventh or the eighth decade of the 13th century. She died in 1350.

Visoba Khechara, spelled also as Visoba Khechar or Visoba Khecar, was the yogi-guru of the Varkari poet-saint Namdev (c.1270-1350) of Maharashtra, India. Visoba was a disciple of the Varkari poet-saint Jñāneśvar. He had linkages with the Varkari tradition as well as the Nath tradition of Maharashtra. Though a staunch Shaiva, Visoba has composed verses in praise of the god Vithoba, the patron deity of the Varkari faith. He has also composed a metaphysical treatise called the Shatsthala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kanhopatra</span> 15th-century Marathi saint-poet of the Hindu Varkari sect

Kanhopatra was a 15th-century Marathi saint-poet, venerated by the Varkari sect of Hinduism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muktabai</span> Varkari saint

Muktabai or Mukta was a saint in the Varkari Movement. She was born in a Deshastha Brahmin family and was the younger sister of Dnyaneshwar, the first Varkari saint. She wrote forty-one abhangs throughout her life.

Maha Bhakta vijaya is a Marathi text by Mahipati around 1762 that extols the deeds of the saint-poets of the Varkari sect of Hinduism. It has been translated into various languages in India and is widely read. It forms an important part of the prayer for devotees of Vithoba at Pandharpur. An English translation was published under the provisions of the will of Justin E. Abbott in 1933.

Janardan Swami, or simply Janardan or Janardana was an Indian Hindu scholar, statesman, poet and saint. He was the spiritual guru of prominent 16th-century saint Eknath. His compositions were mostly written in Marathi. He also wrote a few verses in Braj.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eknath</span> Indian Hindu saint, philosopher, and poet (1533–1599)

Eknath (1533–1599), was an Indian Hindu saint, philosopher and poet. He was a devotee of the Hindu deity Vitthal and is a major figure of the Warkari movement. Eknath is often viewed as a spiritual successor to the prominent Marathi saints Dnyaneshwar and Namdev.

Narahari Sonar or Narharidas was a 13th-century Hindu poet-saint of the Varkari sect and goldsmith (sonar) from Maharashtra, India. His hagiography speaks about his transition from a staunch Shaiva to a Vithoba-worshipping Varkari after a miracle that makes him realize that Vithoba and Shiva are one and the same.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheikh Muhammad</span> Indian Muslim saint (1560–1650)

Sheikh Muhammad (1560–1650), also known as Shekh Mahammad (Mohammad), Sayyad Shaikh Mahammad Qadiri, Shaikh Muhammad Shrigondekar (lit. Sheikh Muhammad of Shrigonde), and Sheikh (Shekh) Mahammad-baba, was a Muslim saint-poet who is venerated by Hindus. He is considered the most well-known Marathi Muslim poet. He is the author of the Yoga-samgrama (Yoga-sangrama).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hinduism in Maharashtra</span>

Hindus form 79.83% of the state's total population as per 2011 census. Hindus form the majority in all the districts of the state.The religion plays an important role in the lives of the Maharashtrian people in their day-to-day life. Vitthoba, along with other incarnations of Vishnu such as Rama and Krishna, Hanuman, Dattatreya, and Shaiva deities such as Shiva, Parvati, and Ganesha, are popular with Hindus of Maharashtra. The Varkari tradition holds a strong grip on the local Hindus of Maharashtra. The public Ganesha festival started by Bal Gangadhar Tilak in the late 19th century is very popular. Marathi Hindus also revere Bhakti saints associated with varkari sects such as Dnyaneshwar, Savata Mali, Tukaram, Namdev, Janabai, and Chokhamela. Many religious figures from 19th and 20th century are revered. They include Swami Samarth, Gajanan Maharaj, Sai baba of Shirdi, Tukdoji Maharaj, Gondavalekar Maharaj, and Gadge Maharaj.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Christian Lee Novetzke (13 August 2013). Religion and Public Memory: A Cultural History of Saint Namdev in India. Columbia University Press. pp. 275, 279. ISBN   978-0-231-51256-5.
  2. ↑ Sujit Mukherjee (1998). A Dictionary of Indian Literature: Beginnings-1850. Orient Blackswan. p. 270. ISBN   978-81-250-1453-9.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Anna Schultz (2013). Singing a Hindu Nation: Marathi Devotional Performance and Nationalism. Oxford University Press. p. 152. ISBN   978-0-19-973083-4.
  4. 1 2 3 Vidyut Bhagwat (2005). "Heritage of Bhakti: Sant Women's Writings in Marathi". In Kamala Ganesh; Usha Thakkar (eds.). Culture and the Making of Identity in Contemporary India. Sage Publications. p. 92. ISBN   978-0-7619-3381-6.
  5. ↑ Grant D. McConnell (1 January 1989). Constitutional languages. Presses Université Laval. p. 352. ISBN   978-2-7637-7186-1.
  6. 1 2 3 Andrew Schelling (2014). Love and The Turning Seasons: India's Poetry of Spiritual & Erotic Longing. Counterpoint LLC. pp. 126–7. ISBN   978-1-61902-241-6.
  7. 1 2 Anne Feldhaus (1996). Images of Women in Maharashtrian Literature and Religion. SUNY Press. p. 220. ISBN   978-0-7914-2837-5.
  8. ↑ Arvind Sharma (2000). Women Saints in World Religions. SUNY Press. p. 177. ISBN   978-0-7914-4619-5.
  9. ↑ Milind Wakankar (25 February 2010). Subalternity and Religion: The Prehistory of Dalit Empowerment in South Asia. Routledge. p. 189. ISBN   978-1-135-16655-7.
  10. ↑ R. D. Ranade (1983). Mysticism in India: The Poet-Saints of Maharashtra. SUNY Press. p. 36. ISBN   978-1-4384-1686-1.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.