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A Vaisnava Poet in Early Modern Bengal

Kavikarnapura's Splendour of Speech

Rembert Lutjeharms author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Oxford University Press

Published:30th Aug '18

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A Vaisnava Poet in Early Modern Bengal cover

This book examines the practice of poetry in the devotional Vaiṣṇava tradition inspired by Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya (1486-1533), through a detailed study of the Sanskrit poetic works of Kavikarṇapūra, one of the most significant sixteenth-century Caitanya Vaiṣṇava poets and theologians. It places his ideas in the context both of Sanskrit literary theory (by exploring his use of earlier works of Sanskrit criticism) and of Vaiṣṇava theology (by tracing the origins of his theological ideas to earlier Vaiṣṇava teachers, especially his guru Śrīnātha). Both Kavikarṇapūra's poetics as well as the style of his poetry is in many ways at odds with those of his time, particularly with respect to the place of phonetic ornamentation and rasa. Like later early modern theorists, Kavikarṇapūra reaches back to the earliest Sanskrit poeticians whom he attempts to harmonise with the theories current in his time, to develop a new poetics that values both literary ornamentation and the suggestion of emotion through rasa. This book argues that the reasons of and purposes for Kavikarṇapūra's literary innovations are firmly rooted in his unique Vaiṣṇava theology, and exemplifies this through a careful reading of select passages from the Ānanda-vṛndāvana, his poetic retelling of Kṛṣṇa's play in Vṛndāvana.

This monograph is outstanding both in terms of the breadth of topics covered and the depth of scholarship through which these topics are explored. * Kiyokazu Okita, International Journal of Hindu Studies *
Rembert Lutjeharms demonstrates why scholars need to consider seriously the work of Karṇapūra...Lutjeharms provides detailed analysis of each of Karṇapūra's six works, showing us how they fit into literary theoretical history as well as their place in Caitanya Vaiṣṇavism. His careful scholarship, and his philological skills, allowed Lutjeharms to produce an important monograph that belongs in the library of every scholar of early modern Vaiṣṇavism. * Rebecca Manring, Indiana University, Journal of the American Oriental Society *
Lutjeharms has assembled a powerful argument for Karūapura's status among Vaisnavas as a theologian and poet to rival the main authorities in the tradition. The range of Sanskrit literary connections in the poet's work, along with the nuanced translations of the multiple meanings of the literary language using Karūapura's own framework, is an impressive instance of utilizing emic perspectives in understanding the texts. * Jeremy Hanes, Reading Religion *

ISBN: 9780198827108

Dimensions: 241mm x 163mm x 28mm

Weight: 730g

372 pages