RELIGIOUS COMMUNICATION IN BHOJPURI LITERATURE: A DISCOURSE-ANALYTICAL STUDY OF HINDU NARRATIVE TRADITIONS

Shivendu Kumar Rai; Kumari Pallavi; Upasana Khurana; Apoorva; Mehak Pandit; Akash Dwivedi

doi:10.29121/shodhkosh.v7.i5s.2026.7158

Authors

Dr. Shivendu Kumar Rai Assistant Professor, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Tecnia Institute of Advanced Studies, Affiliated to G.G.S.I.P. University, New Delhi, India https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8240-1884
Kumari Pallavi Assistant Professor, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Tecnia Institute of Advanced Studies, Affiliated to G.G.S.I.P. University, New Delhi, India
Dr. Upasana Khurana Associate Professor, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Tecnia Institute of Advanced Studies, Affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi, India
Apoorva Assistant Professor, School of Media and Communication Studies, Galgotias University, Uttar Pradesh, India
Dr. Mehak Pandit Assistant Professor, School of Media and Communication Studies, Galgotias University, Uttar Pradesh, India
Akash Dwivedi Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Tecnia Institute of Advanced Studies, Affiliated to G.G.S.I.P. University, New Delhi, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v7.i5s.2026.7158

Keywords:

Bhojpuri Literature, Religious Communication, Hindu Narratives, Discourse Analysis, Vernacular Culture

Abstract [English]

This study examines Bhojpuri literature as a significant medium of religious communication through which Hindu beliefs, values, and narrative traditions are transmitted and sustained in everyday social life. It aims to understand how vernacular literary forms function as communicative practices that translate complex Hindu philosophical concepts into accessible, lived experiences. The research adopts a qualitative discourse-analytical approach. Selected Bhojpuri folk songs, devotional compositions, birha traditions, and lok-kathas containing Hindu religious themes were analyzed to identify recurring narrative patterns, symbolic structures, and communicative strategies. The analysis focuses on language use, metaphor, dialogic narration, and performative contexts to examine how religious meaning is constructed and circulated within community settings.
The findings reveal that Bhojpuri religious narratives communicate Hindu concepts such as dharma, karma, and bhakti through localized storytelling, emotional engagement, and culturally embedded metaphors rather than formal theological exposition. These narratives humanize divinity, encourage participatory interpretation, and integrate religious ethics into everyday life, thereby reinforcing collective religious consciousness and cultural continuity. The study contributes to interdisciplinary scholarship in communication studies, religious studies, and cultural sociology by foregrounding vernacular literature as a vital site of religious communication. It challenges scripture-centric models of religious transmission and highlights the role of indigenous narrative traditions within Indian Knowledge Systems, offering a discourse-oriented framework for analyzing lived and popular forms of Hindu religiosity.

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