- Lyricist
- Parthi Bhaskar
- Singer
- M. S. Subbulakshmi
- Music director
- S. V. Venkatraman
- Movie name
- Meera (1945) Film
- Movie release year
- 1945
- Lyrics added on
- 2 Jul 2019
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This iconic devotional composition from the 1945 movie 'Meera' is a sublime bhajan praising Lord Krishna (Giridhara Gopala). Sung in deep reverence, the lyrics extol Krishna's divine qualities, beautiful dark-complexioned form ('Shyaamala sareera'), his yellow silk garments ('Peethambara'), and his sacred ornaments like the Kaustubha gem and Tulsi garland. It also celebrates his divine heroic acts, such as lifting the Govardhana hill and slaying demons like Kamsa and Mura. The emotional core of the song culminates in the line 'Meeraa maanasa saro vihaara', expressing Meera's ultimate spiritual union with the Lord, depicting Krishna as the divine entity who eternally sports and resides in the serene lake of her pure heart and mind.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Monai (Initial Rhyme / Alliteration)
“Shyaamala sareera kausthuba haara”
Repetition of the initial sound 'S' ('Shyaamala', 'sareera') creating rhythmic flow.
Monai (Initial Rhyme / Alliteration)
“Meeraa maanasa saro vihaara”
Repetition of the 'M' sound in 'Meeraa' and 'maanasa'.
Metaphor (Rupaka Alankara)
“Meeraa maanasa saro vihaara”
Meera's mind/heart is metaphorically depicted as a lake ('Saras') where Lord Krishna dwells like a swan.
Epithet (Anaphoric Divine Titles)
“Giridhara gopaalaa kamsa vidhaara”
Use of traditional divine titles praising Krishna's exploits (Giridhara = holder of the mountain, Gopala = protector of cows, Kamsa Vidhaara = slayer of Kamsa).
Did you know?
Trivia
This classic song features in the seminal 1945 Tamil movie 'Meera', directed by American filmmaker Ellis R. Dungan. The film starred the legendary Carnatic music icon Bharat Ratna M. S. Subbulakshmi as Saint Meera, and her rendition of 'Giridhara Gopala' remains one of the most famous devotional renditions in Indian music history. The music for the Tamil film was composed by S. V. Venkatraman. Following the grand success of the Tamil version, the film was remade in Hindi in 1947, introducing M. S. Subbulakshmi's divine voice to all-India audiences.
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