Garga Samhita (Vaishnavite text)

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Garga Samhita
Front cover of Garga Samhita published by Gita Press, Gorakhpur
Information
ReligionHinduism
AuthorGarga (attributed)
LanguageSanskrit
Chapters267
Verses12,000

Garga Samhita (Sanskrit: गर्ग संहिता, romanizedGarga-saṃhitā) is a Sanskrit-language Vaishnavite scripture based on the Hindu deities Radha and Krishna. Its authorship is attributed to the sage Garga, the head priest of Krishna's clan, Yadava.[1][2] It is the earliest text that associates Radha Krishna and the gopis with the Holi festival.[3]

Chapters[edit]

Garga Samhita[a] contains 11 khandas or parts:[4][1]

Garga-samhita contents
# Khanda (Book) Number of chapters Content
1 Goloka-khanda 20 Pastimes of Radha Krishna in Goloka, Structure of Goloka.
2 Vrindavana-khanda 26 Krishna's pastimes with Radha, Gopis and Gopas (cowherds); identifies various places (including Vrindavan) in the Mathura mandala (region) as the sites of these events.
3 Giriraja-khanda 11 Divinity of Govardhan Hill and its festivals
4 Madhurya-khanda 24 Love life of Radha Krishna in Vrindavan, including descriptions of Radha Krishna, Gopis, and Yamuna
5 Mathura-khanda 25 Krishna's return to Mathura, and his killing of Kamsa; conversation between Uddhava and Gopis
6 Dvaraka-khanda 22 Foundation of the Dvārakā city, its description, and Krishna's pastimes there
7 Vishvajit-khanda 50 Krishna's exploits and divinity, including his role in the Mahabharata War
8 Balabhadra-khanda 13 Balarama's exploits and divinity
9 Vijnana-khanda 10 Devotional instructions for deity worship
10 Ashvamedha-khanda 62 Ugrasena's ashvamedha; Radha-Krishna's reunion in Vrindavan and departure to Goloka
11 Garga-samhita Mahatmaya 4 Significance of Garga-samhita

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ A sanmita is the collection of verses, hymns, prayers and mantras.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Lavanya Vemsani (2016). Krishna in History, Thought, and Culture. ABC-CLIO. pp. 99–100. ISBN 978-1-61069-211-3.
  2. ^ Danavir Goswami; Kusakratha Dasa, eds. (2006). Kr̥ṣṇa Comes to Earth (Śrī Garga-saṃhitā: Ist canto, pt. 2. ch. 7-13). Rupanuga Vedic College. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  3. ^ Varadpande, M. L. (2007). Love in Ancient India. Wisdom Tree. pp. 11–12. ISBN 978-81-8328-217-8.
  4. ^ Gita Press Gorakhpur. Garga Samhita Gita Press Gorakhpur.

Further reading[edit]