Vidyāpati: Bangīya padābali; songs of the love of Rādhā and Krishna

Vidyapati, a seventeenth‑century Vaishnava poet from the Hindi‑Bengali borderlands, turned the timeless romance of Krishna and Radhā into a cascade of intimate verses. Written in his native Maithili, the padas capture the playful courtship of the divine couple while echoing the everyday speech of farmers and courtiers alike. His work bridges the sacred and the sensual, offering listeners a glimpse of a world where devotion and desire melt into a single hymn of love.

The English renderings, paired with scholarly introductions and detailed notes, preserve the lyric rhythm and cultural flavor of the originals. Accompanying the narration are vivid illustrations drawn from classic Indian painting, inviting the ear to visualize the vibrant scenes of riverbanks, moonlit dances, and village festivals. This collection invites listeners to experience a living tradition that has inspired generations of poets, from medieval mystics to modern masters, and to feel the joyous pulse of a love that is both earthly and divine.