Rupas love
Rupa Gosvami's theory of bhaktirasa uses and reworks the theory of the Natyasastra on rasas towards a devotional and religious context in which aesthetic delight is used to achieve union with Krsna. In the present missive, I will compare Rupa Gosvami's theory with the rasa theory of the Natyasastra and the model of and examine Radha's role as a model for devotion, contrasting this model with the models set forth by Jayadeva's Gitagovinda and, later, by Jiva Gosvami and others . I will also explore the duality set forth by Rupa Gosvami's theory of krsna-rati as the supreme emotion in the quest to achieve the rasas he presents and the actual treatment of Radha and her role as an object of devotion within his plays. Our examination must first begin with a brief summary of Rupa's theory. "In his theory of bhaktirasa, Rupa delineates five primary modes (bhavas) through which the devotee may relate to Krishna: santa, contemplative adoration of the transcendent Lord; dasya, humble servitude to the divine master; sakhya, intima
te companionship with the beloved friend; vatsalya, parental affection for the adorable child; and madhurya, passionate love for the supreme lover." (D.M. Wulff, "A Sanskrit Portrait," Divine Consort, p. 28) Rupa considers santa, the rasa resulting from the sthayibhava santirati, to be the least important of the bhaktirasas. This is due to the lack of active participation in Krsna's lilas, as it only involves realization of the Lord's manifest form. Sakhya, dasya and vatsalya rank above santa, but all defer to the highest of the sthayibhavas : madhurya (D.M. Wulff, Drama as religious realization, pp. 26-28) It is devotion through this bhava and its resultant rasa, madhura, that is the main concern of this paper, as Radha is Krsna's most intimate lover and devotee in the plays of Rupa Gosvami. The ambiguity of her role as both vehicle for and object of devotion is what we are mainly concerned with. If one were to take Rupa's theory at face value, it would seem impossible to attribute the same rank to devotion to Radha as
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Approximate Word count = 694
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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