The Song of Love & Longing : Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda

The Song of Love & Longing: Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda, translated by Inderjeet Mani, brings the timeless passion of Radha and Krishna to contemporary readers. Jayadeva’s 12th-century classic explores desire, separation, jealousy, longing, reconciliation, and spiritual union through some of Indian literature’s most lyrical love poetry. Mani’s translation captures the original’s musicality, sensuality, emotional intensity, and devotional depth while giving Radha a striking sense of agency and desire. At once erotic and spiritual, intimate and universal, The Song of Love & Longing reveals human passion as a metaphor for the soul’s yearning for the divine.