Jayadeva’s lyrical poem “Gitagovinda” (late 12th century) is dedicated to scenes from the life of Krishna (one of the incarnations of the god Vishnu) and is considered not only one of the most significant poetic monuments, but also an important link in the centuries-old history of Vaishnavism. CONTENTS: A.Ya. Syrkin “Gitagovinda” by Jayadeva 9Gitagovinda 67Part one. Joyful Damodara 68Part two. Carefree Keshava 73Part Three. Madhusudana, who came into confusion 76Part four. Gentle Madhusudana 78Part five. Possessed by desire Pundarikaksha 81Part six. Beneficent Vaikuntha 84 Part seven. The insidious Narayana 85 Part eight. Confused Lakshmipati 90Part nine. Confused Mukunda 92 Part Ten. Skillful Chaturbhuja 93 Part Eleven. Happy Damodara 95 Part twelve. Overwhelmed by the great joy of Pitambara 100Commentary 105Appendices 127Metrics of the Gitagovinda 128Notes on the verse translation 131Gitagovinda (verse translation) 137List of abbreviations 177Bibliography 178Index 184Summary 189