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.
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