Maharasa Manjusa

ISBN: 9781647229191
Author: Prakriti Goswami
Number of Pages: 184
Format: Hardcover

An annotated translation of Nandada sa’s poetic rendition of the five chapters of ra sa-li la in the Bha gavata, highlighting the text’s musical legacy, devotional worship, and Veda ntic foundations.

In the Vaisnava tradition propounded by Vallabhacarya, Nandadasa is considered to be one of the eight devotional poets, whose compositions are exquisitely detailed with description of both Krsna’s cosmic form and his divine play. This gradually developed into a distinctive style of performing art,haveli-sangita, which is practiced even today.Maharasa Manjusa: Sacred Poetry of the Divine Dancebrings out the poetics, narrative style, and idiosyncrasies of the recitation of devotional poems from the region of Vraja in the 16th Century.

An exquisite specimen of devotional poetics, Nandadasa’sRasapancadhyayiis a Braja-Bhasarendition of theBhagavata’s quintet ofMaharasawritten in Sanskrit verse. TheBhagavatais one of the most beloved texts of Krsna-devotional traditions and the foundational scripture ofBraja Vaisnavismand its five chapters describing the divine dance illustrate the ecstatic fruit of devotion.

Presenting a devotee’s execution of theMaharasawhile examining its interpretative themes underpinned in the epistemology of Vallabhacarya,Maharasa Manjusa:Sacred Poetry of the Divine Danceoffers an intensive view of the musical legacy, a devotee’s worshipful interactions, and Vedantic foundations of the ecstatic devotion expressed by Nandada?sa. The introductory chapters provide first compendious study of the theo-aesthetic, epistemic, and liturgical framework ofPustimarga’s orthopraxis that have fuelled this lyrical delivery. Enriched with annotations, the translations are literal while offering nuanced insights into the colloquial intricacies of Braja-Bhasapoetics and the cultural expressions of the Braja region.