Daily Poetry — July 11, 2026

कनुप्रिया (Kanupriya)

Composed by धर्मवीर भारती (Dharamvir Bharati)

Original Hindi

कनु, तुम मेरे ही हो! मुझे इस बात से क्या कि तुम यमुना के तट पर, गोपियों के संग, या रास-मंडप में, राधा के साथ नाच रहे हो? या कि तुम महाभारत के युद्ध में, अर्जुन के सारथी बन, रथ हांक रहे हो? मुझे तो बस इतना भर पता है, कनु, कि तुम मेरे ही हो! और मुझे कुछ नहीं जानना, कोई नीति, कोई धर्म, कोई युद्ध, कोई दर्शन, कोई मोक्ष, बस, तुम मेरे हो!

English Translation

Kanu, you are only mine! What does it matter to me if you are on the banks of Yamuna, with gopis, or in the Rasa-mandap, dancing with Radha? Or if you are in the war of Mahabharata, as Arjuna's charioteer, driving the chariot? All I know, Kanu, is that you are only mine! And I want to know nothing else, no policy, no dharma, no war, no philosophy, no liberation, just, you are mine!

AI Generated

AI Echo (Hindi)

क्या फर्क पड़ता है, कौन तुम्हें पूजता है, किस महान ग्रंथ में तुम्हारा यश गूँजता है। मेरे लिए तुम बस साँसों के हर स्पंदन हो, जीवन की हर धड़कन, मेरे प्रियतम हो। ये धर्म-अधर्म, ये कर्म और ये नियति, सब अर्थहीन हैं, यदि न हो तुम्हारी प्रीति। मेरी दुनिया तो बस तुम में ही सिमटी है, तुम्हें पाकर ही मेरी आत्मा तृप्ति है। तुम्हारे बिना हर क्षण है सूना-सूना, प्रेम की इस डोर से बँधा है मेरा कोना। और क्या कहूँ कनु, तुम ही तो सब कुछ हो, मेरे रोम-रोम में बस तुम ही तुम हो।

AI Generated

AI Echo (English)

What does it matter who worships you, in which grand scripture your glory echoes? For me, you are but every pulsation of breath, every heartbeat of life, my beloved. This dharma-adharma, this karma and this destiny, all are meaningless, if without your love. My world is simply confined within you, only by finding you is my soul content. Without you, every moment is desolate, my very being tied by this thread of love. What more can I say, Kanu, you are everything, in every fibre of my being, only you exist.

Literary & Historical Context

"Kanupriya" (कनुप्रिया) by Dharamvir Bharati is a landmark work in modern Hindi literature, published in 1959. It reimagines the eternal love story of Radha and Krishna from Radha's perspective, questioning Krishna's role in the Mahabharata and the grand philosophical narratives. Radha, traditionally a mere 'gopi' in Krishna's life, is given a profound voice that challenges the male-centric interpretations of divinity and dharma. This particular excerpt highlights Radha's intensely personal and possessive love for Krishna, where his cosmic duties, his role as a charioteer in the Mahabharata, or his playful pastimes with other gopis become secondary to her singular conviction: "तुम मेरे ही हो!" (You are only mine!). It critiques the grand, abstract philosophies and wars, asserting the supremacy of personal, unwavering love. "Kanupriya" is celebrated for its lyrical beauty, psychological depth, and its bold reinterpretation of a classical myth, marking a significant shift in how divinity and devotion were portrayed in Hindi poetry of the mid-20th century. It explores themes of love, duty, self-realization, and the existential angst of the individual against the backdrop of larger universal narratives, solidifying Bharati's place as a modernist visionary.