Bhibusana Puspe - Odissi - Oriya Abhinaya

Bibhushana Pushpe:
A descriptive verse in Oriya by Kavi Samrat Upendra Bhanjha (The 17th Century Oriya
poet-composer of Odissi classical music), on Sita being dressed and adorned before
the wedding ceremony.

Ek-shloki Ramayana in Śrī Rāmacaritamānasa
Who has complexion and softness like that of a blue lotus,
whose body parts are very soft.
On whose left side resides his dear consort Sita.
Who has a divine arrow and a beautiful bow in His hands,
I pray to that Shri Rama who is the Lord of Raghu dynasty.
(http://lordrama.co.in/ekshloki-ramaya...)

Vaidehisa Vilas Bibhushana Pushpe
“Bring in the maiden whose beauty is lustrous like that of the Vibhushan
flower (a flower that shines without being ornamental). There is no need to adorn
her. When she crosses the threshold thus, she would bring joy to Rama’s heart.”

These words uttered by Vishvamitra were fragrantly cool like sandalwood paste
for Rama, Prince of Raghu’s dynasty.
The attendants responsible for dressing her began to decorate her in
various colors. With special care they show her the looking glass in which she
sees her reflection. She whose lips are like the bimba fruit, hardly requires any
cosmetics. And with the maid servants untied her tresses the brilliance of her
bejeweled hair so dazzled then that they wondered if the sun in the heaven got
all its brightness from her.
The attendants made the parting in the center of her hair so that at the
wedding ceremony at the bride-groom might put the sindoor in the parting. The
dark tresses are like the demon Ketu and the red thread with which they are tied
like the Sun’s rays. The Ketu in the grip of the Sun is being forced to bring forth,
out of fear, the nectar that he had stealthily drunk and that is none other than the
bakul flowers in the braid of her hair.
When like the swan she moves forward, the trinkets in her feet jingle. That
mysterious music tells Rama the direction in which his beloved is moving. The
rise and fall of the sounds of large and tiny trinkets, announce to Rama’s ears the
arrival of his beloved.
Her feet’s natural hue excels the red color of the alta. Her feet appears like
the lotus in the Saraswati river. She dresses in garments of the color green like
the fresh green Durba Grass which matched the color of Rama’s complexion,
Decked out in gold and jewelry her beauty shines even more. The dark
collyrium and musk are like the night, and her face is like the moon rising in the
heavens.

Poetry and music: Kavi Samrat Upendra Bhanjha
Original dance choreography: Padmavibhushan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra
Artistic direction: Guru Sri Vishnu Tattva Das
Raag for the sloka: jhinjhoti
Bibhushana Pushpe is a chanda style Odissi music so it has no raga. However it is set
in a tune rasakulya.
Taal: Triputa (7 matra)
Dancer: Haruko Tanaka (Odissi Vilas)

Our special thanks to the Margazhi San Francisco, December 2023