Gaudiya-Vaisnava Studies

Gaudiya-Vaisnava Studies
Author: Asoke Kumar Majumdar
Publisher:
Total Pages: 114
Release: 1978
Genre: Vaishnavism
ISBN:

On the Vaishnavism in Bengal founded by Chaitanya.

A Vaisnava Poet in Early Modern Bengal

A Vaisnava Poet in Early Modern Bengal
Author: Rembert Lutjeharms
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 371
Release: 2018-08-23
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0192561928

This book examines the practice of poetry in the devotional Vaiṣṇava tradition inspired by Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya (1486-1533), through a detailed study of the Sanskrit poetic works of Kavikarṇapūra, one of the most significant sixteenth-century Caitanya Vaiṣṇava poets and theologians. It places his ideas in the context both of Sanskrit literary theory (by exploring his use of earlier works of Sanskrit criticism) and of Vaiṣṇava theology (by tracing the origins of his theological ideas to earlier Vaiṣṇava teachers, especially his guru Śrīnātha). Both Kavikarṇapūra's poetics as well as the style of his poetry is in many ways at odds with those of his time, particularly with respect to the place of phonetic ornamentation and rasa. Like later early modern theorists, Kavikarṇapūra reaches back to the earliest Sanskrit poeticians whom he attempts to harmonise with the theories current in his time, to develop a new poetics that values both literary ornamentation and the suggestion of emotion through rasa. This book argues that the reasons of and purposes for Kavikarṇapūra's literary innovations are firmly rooted in his unique Vaiṣṇava theology, and exemplifies this through a careful reading of select passages from the Ānanda-vṛndāvana, his poetic retelling of Kṛṣṇa's play in Vṛndāvana.

Vaisnavism

Vaisnavism
Author: Steven J. Rosen
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 1992
Genre:
ISBN:

Essential Vaishnava Teachings

Essential Vaishnava Teachings
Author: B. B. Bodhayan
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 132
Release: 2020-05-19
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1647221757

The president and acarya of the Gopinath Gaudiya Math offers his insights into in the teachings of Gaudiya Vaishnavism in this enlightening book. Who am I? Who is God? What is Guru? How do I relate to other gurus and their disciples? What is the dharma that we follow? What are the impediments to service? What is our shelter? What should we meditate on while chanting? These and many other important questions are answered conclusively and authoritatively by Swami B. B. Bodhayan, current acarya of the Gopinath Gaudiya Math. Born into a Vaishnava family, the author served his guru, Srila B. P. Puri Goswami Thakur, with unwavering faith for decades. He studied and realized the essential teachings of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. In Essential Vaishnava Teachings, he shares his illuminating insights on the path of bhakti.

Religious Studies

Religious Studies
Author: Gregory D. Alles
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 450
Release: 2010-03-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1134152701

Drawing on recent developments in the comparative study of religion, this book explores the trends of the past sixty years from a global perspective. Each of the ten chapters covers the study of religion in a different region of the world, from Europe and the Americas to Asia and the Far East. Topics covered include: local background to the study of religions formation of religious studies in the region important thinkers and writings institutions interregional diversity and interregional connections emerging issues. This book is a major contribution to the field of religious studies and a valuable reference for scholars, researchers and graduate students.

Dance of Divine Love

Dance of Divine Love
Author: Graham M. Schweig
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 420
Release: 2018-06-26
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0691190178

The heart of this book is a dramatic love poem, the Rasa Lila, which is the ultimate focal point of one of the most treasured Sanskrit texts of India, the Bhagavata Purana. Judged a literary masterpiece by Indian and Western scholars alike, this work of poetic genius and soaring religious vision is one of the world's greatest sacred love stories and, as Graham Schweig clearly demonstrates, should be regarded as India's Song of Songs. The story presents the supreme deity as the youthful and amorous cowherd, Krishna, who joins his beloved maidens in an enchanting and celebratory "dance of divine love." Schweig introduces this work of exquisite poetry and profound theology to the Western world in the form of a luminous translation and erudite scholarly treatment. His book explores the historical context and literary genre of the work and elucidates the aesthetic and emotional richness of the composition, highlighting poignant details of this drama of divine love. Schweig illuminates the religious dimensions and ethical nuances of the drama, drawing widely from the commentaries and esoteric vision of masters of the Caitanya school of Vaishnavism, a prominent devotional Hindu tradition. Themes such as transcendence of death through love, the yoga of devotion, the contrast between worldly love and passionate love for God, and the dialectical tension between ethical boundaries and boundless love are presented. The final event of the Rasa dance, the author concludes, presents a dynamic symbol of supreme love that provides the basis for a theological vision of genuine religious pluralism.

The Place of Devotion

The Place of Devotion
Author: Sukanya Sarbadhikary
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 294
Release: 2015-08-07
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0520962664

A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press’s new open access publishing program for monographs. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more. Hindu devotional traditions have long been recognized for their sacred geographies as well as the sensuous aspects of their devotees' experiences. Largely overlooked, however, are the subtle links between these religious expressions. Based on intensive fieldwork conducted among worshippers in Bengal’s Navadvip-Mayapur sacred complex, this book discusses the diverse and contrasting ways in which Bengal-Vaishnava devotees experience sacred geography and divinity. Sukanya Sarbadhikary documents an extensive range of practices, which draw on the interactions of mind, body, and viscera. She shows how perspectives on religion, embodiment, affect, and space are enriched when sacred spatialities of internal and external forms are studied at once.

Caitanya Vaisnava Philosophy

Caitanya Vaisnava Philosophy
Author: Ravi M. Gupta
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 262
Release: 2016-04-15
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1317170164

In the sixteenth century, the saint and scholar Sri Caitanya set in motion a wave of devotion to Krishna that began in eastern India and has now found its way around the world. Caitanya taught that the highest aim of life is to develop selfless love for God Krishna, the blue-hued cowherd boy who spoke the Bhagavad Gita. Although only a handful of poetry is attributed to Caitanya, his devotional theology was expounded and systematized by his followers in a vast array of poetical, philosophical, and ritual literature. This book provides a thematic study of Caitanya Vaishnava philosophy, introducing key thinkers and ideas in the early tradition, using Sanskrit and Bengali sources that have seldom been studied in English. The book addresses major areas of the tradition, including epistemology, ontology, aesthetics, ethics, and history, and every chapter includes relevant readings from primary sources.