Ashtapadis orAshtapadi refers to theSanskrit hymns of theGita Govinda, composed byJayadeva in the 12th century. Theashtapadis, which describe the beauty of LordKrishna and the love between Krishna and thegopis, are considered a masterpiece in esoteric spirituality and the theme of 'Divine romance'. The literal meaning ofashtapathi, 'eight-steps', refers to the fact that each hymn is made of eight couplets (eight sets of two lines). It is also the source of the wordashtāpada, an Indianboard game, the forerunner ofchess. Although the original tunes of theashtapadis were lost in history, they remain popular and are widely sung in a variety of tunes, and used in classical dance performances, across India. Ashtapadis are regularly performed at Kerala temples in the accompaniment of anidakka; a genre of music calledsopana sangeetham.
The lyrical poetry of theGita Govinda is divided into twelve chapters, each of which is sub-divided into twenty four divisions calledPrabandha. ThePrabandhas contain couplets grouped into eights, calledashtapadis.
Today, the ashtapadis are sung in a variety of tunes and the list below is just a sample of some of the raga scales used. The original tunes of the ashtapadis are unknown and likely lost in history.[1]
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