Vaishnavism 2 - Universalist Radha-Krishnaism

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17. Dr. Hawley: . . . While sampradayaconsiderations are important, a sense ofsharing and learning is even moreimportant, and the lilas themselves, ofcourse, transcend all boundaries. So there isa sense of universality there. The truth ofKrishna’s lila is the bottom line, and exactlyhow one sees it may be dependentsomewhat on one’s sectarian affiliation, butit is even more dependent on that person’sgrasp of reality. (88)Dr. Hawley speaks of the accessibility ofRadha Krishna’s pastimes, including the rasadance, for the ordinary people of Braja who getto experience them through plays performedregularly by different troupes. These pastimesare also experienced though poetry and songs,which are sung by many. The point is, oneneed not pass through prerequisite stagesbefore experiencing the pastimes.18. Dr. Davis: . . . in bhakti poetry, Bryantsaid, the central effort of the poet is to getthe audience to participate directly in thereality that he’s trying to convey. . . .Jayadeva would draw us as an audience intothe poem and into this world of bhakti.Here, specifically, it was the world ofVrindavana. (91)Poetry is the language of devotion. Enteringinto the pastimes of the Divine Couple directly,as a participant is a goal of the practitioner.Reading and rereading the poetical descriptions10
of the pastimes by great devotees opens adoor to that transcendental realm.19. Dr. Davis: . . . oftentimes the poetidentifies himself with Radha, or a gopi, . . .it’s a kind of precursor to the theologicalsystem wherein one identifies with aninhabitant of Vrindavana. (94)This refers to the practice of most ChaitanyaVaishnavas, which Lalita Prasad Thakur taughtme. How are you to relate to Radha-Krishna ifyou do not know who you are? If one aspiresto engage in personal pastimes with Radha-Krishna, one must have a personal spiritualidentity to interact in.20. Dr. Davis: . . . even in those momentswhen Radha was in despair because Krishnahad left her--at the very core of her despair,the source of her despair, Krishna waspresent. (95)The theme of love in separation is dominantin Chaitanya Vaishnavism. The point is even inour separation, Krishna is present and there isunion. Our longing is a pull Radha-Krishnacannot resist.21. Dr. Davis: . . . this was not poetry writtenin libraries; . . . it was poetry that came outof life. I wanted to show that many or mostof the bhakti poets were intensepractitioners, that the poetry was often anoutcome of intense devotional experience.(97)This validates the revelatory nature of thebest devotional poetry. Most of us long for such11
Page 1 and 2: A ContemporaryScholarly Survey ofRa
Page 6 and 7: evolutionary, ought one not be a re
Page 8 and 9: 12. Dr. Hiltebeitel: . . . Krishna
Page 12 and 13: experiences, and we can experience
Page 14 and 15: madhurya, the sweet side, from a fo
Page 16 and 17: nature; . . . and it is primarily u
Page 18 and 19: identity . . . This is a spiritual
Page 20 and 21: committed, loving couple is more li
Page 22 and 23: This is my experience and conclusio
Page 24 and 25: Vaishnavism to Gaudiya Vaishnavism
Page 26 and 27: progress, especially when cookie cu
Page 28 and 29: 50. Dr. Klostermaier: . . . Vaishna
Page 30 and 31: theology. For the Christian, the Tr
Page 32 and 33: one finds them helpful. If not, one
Page 34 and 35: specialists. While I do not have mu
Page 36 and 37: ordinary madness--it expresses the
Page 38 and 39: how to enter into that role in Kris
Page 40 and 41: eing in the world but not of it? We
Page 42: that, ultimately, Radha rules in Vr

Vaishnavism 2 - Universalist Radha-Krishnaism

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