A vibrant example of living literature, the Bhagavata Purana is a versatile Hindu sacred text written in Sanskrit verse. Finding its present form by the tenth century C.E., the work inspired several major north Indian devotional (bhakti) traditions as well as schools of dance and drama, and continues to permeate popular Hindu art and ritual in both India and the diaspora.
Introducing the Bhagavata Purana's key themes while also examining its extensive influence on Hindu thought and practice, this collection conducts the first multidimensional reading of the entire text. Each essay focuses on a key theme of the Bhagavata Purana and its subsequent presence in Hindu theology, performing arts, ritual recitation, and commentary. The authors consider the relationship between the sacred text and the divine image, the text's metaphysical and cosmological underpinnings, its shaping of Indian culture, and its ongoing relevance to contemporary Indian concerns.
- Table of Contents
- Preface
- Introduction | Churning the Oceaon of Lila: Themes for Bhagavata Study
- PART ONE The World of the Bhagavata
- 1. Reading | Puranic Trekking Along the Path of the Bhagavatas
- 2. Time and Narrative | A Mandala of Rememberance: The Bhagavata Purana's Time Transcending Narrative of Lila
- 3. COSMOLOGY | Dialogues on Natural Theology: The Bhagavata Purana's Cosmology as Religious Practice
- 4. ETHICS | "May Calamities Befall Us at Every Step" : The Bhagavata's Response to the Problem of Evil
- 5. COMMENTARY | Vallabha, the Bhagavata Purana, and the Path of Grace
- 6. SACRED GEOMETRY | Vraja-Dhaman: Krishna Embodied in Geographic Place and Transcendent-Space
- 7. THEOLOGY | The Rasa Lila of Krishna and the Gopis: On the Bhagavata's Vision of Boundless Love
- PART TWO The Bhagavata in the World
- 8. BOUNDARIES | Heresy and Heretics in the Bhagavata Purana
- 9. DANCE | Krishna Come Soon: Bharata Natyam and the Bhagavata Purana on Stage
- 10. SONG | Two Braj Bhasa Versions of the Rasa-Lila Pancadhyayt and Their Musical Performance in Vaisnava Worship
- 11. RECITATION | "Live with the Text and Listen to Its Words" : Bhagavata Recitation in Changing Times
- 12. TEXT HISTORY | Modern Reception and Text Migration of the Bhagavata Purana
- Bibliography
- Author Profiles
- Index
Text
Audio
Adobe DRM
Login to your account