Śrī Chaitanya's life and teachings: the golden avatāra of divine love PDF
Preview Śrī Chaitanya's life and teachings: the golden avatāra of divine love
i Śrī Chaitanya’s Life and Teachings Explorations in Indic Traditions: Theological, Ethical, and Philosophical Series Editor: Jeffery D. Long, Elizabethtown College Advisory Board Purushottama Bilimoria, Christopher Key Chapple, Jonathan Gold, Pankaj Jain, Nathan Katz, Kusumita Pedersen, and Rita D. Sherma The region historically known as the Indian subcontinent (and more recently as South Asia) is rich with ancient and sophisticated traditions of intellectual and contemplative investiga- tion. This includes both indigenous traditions (Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Sikh) and tradi- tions that have found a home in this region (Islamic, Christian, Jewish, and Zoroastrian). This series is devoted to studies rooted in critical and constructive methodologies (such as ethics, philosophy, and theology) that show how these traditions can illuminate universal human questions: questions about the meaning of life, the nature of knowledge, good and evil, and the broader metaphysical context of human existence. A particular focus of this series is the relevance of these traditions to urgent issues that face humanity today—such as the ecological crisis, gender relations, poverty and social inequality, and religiously moti- vated violence—on the assumption that these traditions, far from being of merely histori- cal interest, have the potential to enrich contemporary conversations and advance human understanding. Conversations with Gurumaa: 21st Century Innovation in a Woman-Led Spiritual Community, by Angela Rudert Śrī Chaitanya’s Life and Teachings: The Golden Avatāra of Divine Love, by Steven J. Rosen Śrī Chaitanya’s Life and Teachings The Golden Avatāra of Divine Love Steven J. Rosen LEXINGTON BOOKS Lanham • Boulder • New York • London Frontispiece courtesy of Drdha Vrata Gorrick www.divyakala.com. Published by Lexington Books An imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706 www.rowman.com Unit A, Whitacre Mews, 26-34 Stannary Street, London SE11 4AB Copyright © 2017 by Lexington Books All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Available ISBN 978-1-4985-5833-4 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-4985-5834-1 (electronic) ∞ ™ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992. Printed in the United States of America For Vrin and Prati kānu vinā gīta nāī “If there is no Krishna, there is no song.” sumekhala he parirambhan gauraṁ māṁ veṣṭaya hi na kadācin muñca “O charming belt that embraces Gaura! Hug me tightly and never let me go.” Contents Foreword xi Jeffery D. Long Acknowledgments xv Introduction xvii 1 The Gauḍīya Tradition: From Veda to Rādhā 1 2 Śrī Krishna: Enter the Dark Lord 19 3 Śrī Gaura Tattva: From Black to Gold 39 4 The World of Bhakti 71 5 The Nectar of the Holy Name 87 6 Śikṣāṣṭakam: Eight Beautiful Prayers 105 7 Gauḍīya Vedānta: Inconceivable Unity in Diversity 123 8 Śrī Chaitanya and Other Traditions 135 9 Rāmānanda Rāya: The Viceroy of Devotion 159 10 Rāgānuga-bhakti: Śrī Chaitanya’s Special Gift 173 Afterword: Mahāprabhu Comes West 193 Bibliography 209 Index 227 About the Author 231 ix
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