Dance of Divine Love: India's Classic Sacred Love Story: The Rasa Lila of Krishna

Description

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. Cover Title Page Copyright Page Contents List of Figures and Tables Foreword by Norvin Hein Acknowledgments Pronunciation Abbreviations INTRODUCTION: THE SACRED LOVE STORY A Drama of Love Sacred Love Stories India’s Song of Songs Bhagavata as the Ultimate Scripture Sacred Context of the Rasa Lila Part I: Poems from the Bhagavata Purana DANCE OF DIVINE LOVE: RASA LILA Act One. Krishna Attracts the Gopis and Disappears Act Two. The Gopis Search for Krishna Act Three. The Song of the Gopis: Gopi Gita Act Four. Krishna Reappears and Speaks of Love Act Five. The Rasa Dance SONG OF THE FLUTE: VENU GITA SONG OF THE BLACK BEE: BHRAMARA GITA Part II: Textual Illuminations CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND OF THE TEXT Devotional Love as “Rasa” Ancient Sources of Devotional Love Devotional Love as the Path to God Forms of the Deity Vishnu CHAPTER 2: ASPECTS OF THE STORY Framing Passages of the Rasa Lila Poetic and Dramatic Dimensions Krishna: Lord of Love and Beauty Vraja: Pastoral Paradise Yogamaya:Potency for Intimacy The Gopis: Beloveds of Krishna The Special Gopi:Radha CHAPTER 3: MESSAGES OF THE TEXT Devotional Yoga Transcends Death Ethical Boundaries and Boundless Love The Vision of Devotional Love Symbolism in the Rasa Lila Part III: Notes and Comments INTRODUCTION ACT ONE ACT TWO ACT THREE ACT FOUR ACT FIVE Part IV: The Sanskrit Text INTRODUCTION Act One Act Two Act Three Act Four Act Five APPENDIX 1: NOTE ON TRANSLATION APPENDIX 2: POETIC METERS IN SANSKRIT TEXT Accent and Syllable Length: Emphasis and Rhythm in Sanskrit Verse Sanskrit Meters Used in Rasa Lila Text Storyline and Poetic Meter Analysis Verse Numbering Variations and Actual Verse Count APPENDIX 3: SYNOPTIC ANALYSIS OF THE RASA LILA Glossary BIbliography Index