Braj Bhasha
Braj Bhasha | |
---|---|
ब्रज भाषा | |
Native to | India |
Region | Braj region of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi |
Native speakers | 1,556,314 (2011 census)[1] Census results conflate some speakers with Hindi.[2] |
Language family | Indo-European
|
Writing system | Devanagari |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-2 | bra |
ISO 639-3 | bra |
Glottolog | braj1242 [3] |
Braj Bhāshā is a Western Hindi language. Along with Awadhi (a variety of Eastern Hindi), it was one of the two predominant literary languages of North-Central India before the switch to Khariboli in the 19th century.
Brij Bhasha is spoken by people in the nebulously defined region of Vraja Bhoomi, which was a political state in the era of the Mahabharata wars. According to ancient Hindu texts such as the Bhagavata Purana, the Kingdom of Surasena is described as spreading through the Brij (also known as Vrija or Vraja), where the incarnation of Vishnu, Krishna was born and spent his childhood days. This region lies in the Agra-Mathura-Aligarh area, and stretches as far as the environs of Delhi. In modern India, this area lies mostly in northwestern Uttar Pradesh, the eastern extremities of Rajasthan i.e. Bharatpur & Dholpur and the southern extremities of Haryana. Northern regions of Madhya Pradesh like Morena are also included.[4] Today Braj Bhoomi can be seen as a cultural-geographical entity rather than a proper state. It is the vernacular of the region and boasts a rich culture and literature by famous poets like Surdas, Bhai Gurdas and Amir Khusro. Brij Bhasha is very close to Awadhi, spoken in the neighbouring Awadh region.
Much of the Hindi literature was developed in Braj in the medieval period. However, today Khariboli dialect has taken its place as the predominant standard dialect of Hindi.
In modern India, Braj Bhasha exists as an unofficial dialect spoken colloquially by natives of the region of Braj Bhoomi, with great cultural and religious significance. Much of Hindi poetry, especially that of 'Bhakti' or devotional poetry is in this language. Some devotional poems for Krishna are also composed in Braj Bhasha. The pioneering Urdu poet Amir Khusrow, also spoke and composed poetry in this language. Famous Braj Bhasha folk songs or poems include Chhaap Tilak Sab Chheeni by Amir Khusro, and the popular devotional song, Main Naahin Maakhan Khaayo by Surdas. Braj Bhasha is also the main language of Hindustani classical music compositions.
Contents
1 Geographical distribution
2 Literature
3 Basic Phrases of the Brij Bhasha (Sample sentences)
4 See also
5 References
6 Further reading
7 External links
Geographical distribution
Braj Bhasha is mainly a rural tongue currently, predominant in the nebulous Braj region centred on Mathura & Agra in Uttar Pradesh and Bharatpur & Dholpur in Rajasthan. It is the predominant language in the central stretch of the Ganges-Yamuna Doab in the following districts:
- Hathras
- Mathura
- Agra
- Aligarh
- Firozabad
- Auraiya
- Etah
- Mainpuri
- Etawah
- Bulandshahr
- Noida
- Farrukhabad
- Kasganj
- Badaun
It stretches across the Ganges into the non-Doabi districts of Badaun and Bareilly and goes up to the foothills of Nainital at Udham Singh Nagar in Uttarakhand.
Besides Uttar Pradesh, it is spoken in the bordering areas of Rajasthan, mainly in the following districts:
- Bharatpur
- Dhaulpur
as well as parts of Karauli, from where onwards it merges into Rajasthani languages.
It is also spoken in the eastern areas of Uttar Pradesh, mainly in Mathura district and eastern areas of Palwal and Noida districts.
In Madhya Pradesh it is spoken in the districts of Bhind, Morena, Gwalior, and Shivpuri.[4]
It is spoken in several villages of Mathura, specially in Vrindavan, Madhuvan, Kaman, Kosi Kalan, Baldeo, and all other villages belongs to Braj Area with Bajna, Surir, Bhidauni,
Literature
Most Braj Bhasha literature is of a mystical nature, related to the spiritual union of people with God, because almost all of the Braj Bhasha poets were considered God-realised saints and their words are thus considered as directly emanating from a divine source. Much of the traditional Northern Indian literature shares this trait. All traditional Punjabi literature is similarly written by saints and is of a metaphysical and philosophical nature.
Another peculiar feature of Northern Indian literature is that the literature is mostly written from a female point of view, even by male poets. This is because the saints were in a state of transcendental, spiritual love, where they were metaphorically women reuniting with their beloved. (In its inversion of the conventional genders of worshipper and worshippee, Maulana Da’ud's Chandayan departs from this tradition.)
Important works in Braj Bhasha are:
- Yugala Shataka by Swami Sri Sribhatta Devacarya; known as the first 'Vani' book in Vraja Bhasha composed in the 14th Century AD as a part of Nimbarka Sampradaya tradition of Radha Krishna worship.
Vinaya Patrika by Tulsidas
Sur Sagar by Surdas[5]
- Buddha Charit by Acharya Ram Chandra Shukla
Sufi poetry by Amir Khusro
- Eulogies by Kavi Bhushan
Vrind Satsai by Vrind (1643 - 1723), court poet of ruler of Kishangarh[6]
Basic Phrases of the Brij Bhasha (Sample sentences)
Brij Bhasha | Meaning |
---|---|
Kahan ja rao he (to a male, Kahan ja rai hai (to female) ? | Where are you going? |
kaa kar rao he ( to male), kaha kar rai hai (to female)? | What are you doing? |
tero naam kaah hai (to male )? | What is your name? |
kaah khayo? | What did you eat? |
kaah hai rayo hai? | What's going on? |
moye na pato. | I don't know. |
toy kaah dikkat hai ? | What is your problem? |
kaha koye re tu? | What's the name of your place? |
Ghar kon- kon hai re? | Who's at home? |
tero ghar kahan hain? | Where is your home? |
Roti khaay layi kaah? | Had your meal? |
kaah haal-chal hai? | How are you? |
batayo toh | I told you. |
je lali meri hai . | She's my daughter. |
je humaro lalla hai | He's my son. |
tu kab awego ? | When you will be coming? |
Tero hi baat dekharo. | I was waiting for you. |
Tero byah hai go kaah? | Are you married? |
Kahan koon/ kit koon jaro hai? | Which place you are going to? |
yahah / nyah aa . | Come here. |
humbe hanji | Yes/no both with expression |
chalo chalo | lets move |
chup hai ja | silent |
Non diyo nek so | Give me little salt |
mere jhore nai | I don't have |
je bus kitau ja rai hai? | Where will this bus go? |
jyada mat bol | don't speak too much |
See also
- Hindi literature
- Brajavali dialect
- Brajabuli
References
^ "Statement 1: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues - 2011". www.censusindia.gov.in. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 2018-07-07..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ "Census of India: Abstract of speakers' strength of languages and mother tongues –2001". censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
^ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Braj". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
^ ab "International Encyclopedia of Linguistics". google.co.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
^ "Google Notebook". google.com. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
^ Sujit Mukherjee (1998). A Dictionary of Indian Literature: Beginnings-1850. Orient Blackswan. pp. 425–. ISBN 978-81-250-1453-9.
Further reading
Rupert Snell, The Hindi Classical Tradition: A Braj Bhasa Reader 0728601753
External links
- https://web.archive.org/web/20070524104936/http://www.ciil.org/Main/Languages/indian.htm