Acting as a Way of Salvation - A Study of Raganuga Bhakti Sadhana

David L. Haberman

Oxford University Press

1988

225 páginas

7h 30m

ISBN-10: 0195053214

Sixteenth-century Hindu Theologian Rupa Gosvanim established a technique by which, in imitating one of the significante figures in Krishna's dramatic world, a devotee might actually come to inhabit the world of the character whose part he or she was playing.
"Acting As a Way of Salvation" shows that the Hindu view of reality accepts such role playing, called Raganuga Bhakti Sadhana, as a natural part of human experience - the preeminent way to salvation. Haberman challanges the assumption that Hindu devotionalism or "bhakti" is a religion of grace which requires no discipline or effort. He shows that deliberate dramatic technique is a significant part of the tradition, as ultimate reality is believed to be a cosmic drama - the eternal play of Krishna. According to Gaudiya Vaisnavism, whose religious activities center around raganuga bhakti sadhana, there is a whole world of which we are normally unaware, and that each of us has a "double". Haberman investigates this extraordinary double called the "perfected body" and the disciplined transformation techniques used in taking on the role, and demonstrates that the "perfected body" is the key to entering and participating in the dramatic world of Krishna's play.
Throughout the book, Haberman explores Indian dramatic theory, Rupa's unique application of that theory to devotionalism, developments in the practice of this technique, its contemporary manifestations, and finally, the technique's significance to religious experience in general. Presenting documents and materials never before examined in Western texts, this fascinating study will appeal to scholars of both religion and drama, students of North Indian "bhakti" and those with a general interest in south Asian religious culture.