Secular Love Poetry in Medieval Rajasthani Literature

In the Medieval Period a large number of works dealing with secular love, in verses and verse mixed with prose, were composed in Rajasthan. They are of two types:
In the first type of poems narration of connected events is equal to, or more prominent than, the depiction of emotions. Comparatively there is little or negligible interpolation in the text. The theme is generally drawn from literary tradition of antiquity or is imaginary. Madhavanal Kamkandala, Buddhi Rasau etc. fall in this category.

In the second type the main story is based on some sort of actual happenings. The story and the verses relating to it had been popular among the people and have come down mostly through the oral tradition. Their scribed form is a later development. It is natural, therefore, that regional thematic differences and variations in the verses are found. Jethwa-Ujali, Nagji-Nagmati, Seni-Vijanand, Binjha-Sorath, Jalal-Bubana, etc. are such stories. Many stray verses in the form of dohas and sorathas on these stories are also available in different manuscripts.

The verses on these themes are spontaneous expressions of love in many ways and in various situations. They do not necessarily narrate a coherent story as such, only glimpses of the episodes are evident at times. The theme is mostly supplied either by the prevalent tales in prose or prose mixed with verse or by oral tradition. Since the feelings expressed are universal and the style and form similar, many popular verses have intermixed in more than one tale with slight variation. The Rajasthani love poems of the medieval period had universal appeal, simplicity of expression, flow of language and style and were pregnant with common basic emotions. The significant aspect of the love poems are genuineness of love and its profundity. They have sprung from the natural emotional human experiences and have, therefore, survived to this day and shall continue to live till love lives.

Fatalism and use of popular poetic usages are common to all stories. There, is no revolt against the established traditions; and the lovers either yield to them or seek help to overcome them. Lovers in despair establish affinity with birds, trees, clouds and other objects of nature. The stories pose problems of human relationships, social norms, and behaviour and individual actions in love. The verses depict that man is desolate for want of love and that love knows no distinction of caste, creed or status.

Madhavanal-Kamkandala and Dhola-Maru were very popular during the Medieval Period. Many popular poems were written on these themes. The tale of Madhavanal and Kamkandala is linked with the Vikram cycle of stories of love and romance.

Dhola Maru ra Duha, one of the most well-known and legendary Rajasthani poems, was composed sometime during the middle of the 15th century by some unknown poet. The story of the poem is well known and quite simple. What is remarkable is that, through a simple story, the intense and manifold emotions of love have been expressed in a clear and homely style. It is primarily an emotional poem wherein the `virah` theme dominates. The messages of virah by Marawani to Dhola through human agency of Dhadhis and through the messengers of nature, such as clouds and birds, convey not only the feelings of the departed love but also the physical throb of it. It is essentially human and has, therefore, a universal appeal. The poem is unique among love poems, and is rich in local colour.

Thus it can be said that the love poems of Rajasthan during the medieval period have treated the aspects of sringar, sanyog and viyog, with unusual frankness. There are occasional touches of pathos, too. The lovers in the poems generally submit to the fate.