The Caitanya Vaiṣṇava Vedānta of Jīva Gosvāmī : when knowledge meets devotion
"The Caitanya Vaisnava tradition is famous for its depth of devotion to Krsna, the blue-hued Deity. Caitanya Vaisnavas are known for having refined the practice and aesthetics of devotion into a sophisticated science. This imposing devotional edifice was constructed upon a solid foundation of philosophical argument and understanding. In The Caitanya Vaisnava Vedanta of Jiva Gosvami, Ravi Gupta sheds new light on the contribution of Caitanya Vaisnavism to the field of Indian philosophy. He explores the hermeneutical tools employed, the historical resources harnessed, the structure of the arguments made, and the relative success of the endeavor. For most schools of Vaisnavism, the supporting foundation consists of the philosophical resources provided by Vedanta. The Caitanya tradition is remarkable in its ability to engage in Vedantic discourse and at the same time practice an ecstatic form of devotion to Krishna. The prime architect of this balance was the scholar-devotee Jiva Gosvami (ca. 1517 - 1608). This book analyses Jiva Gosvami's writing concerning the philosophy of the Vedanta tradition. It concludes that Jiva's writing crosses "disciplinary boundaries," for he brought into dialogue four powerful streams of classical Hinduism: [1] the various systems of Vedanta; [2] the ecstatic bhakti movements; [3] the Puranic commentarial tradition; and [4] the aesthetic rasa theory of Sanskrit poetics. With training in and commitments to all of these traditions, Jiva Gosvami produced a distinctly Caitanya Vaisnava system of theology."--Book jacket
Print Book, English, 2007
Routledge, London, 2007