Essay name: Bhakti-rasayana by Madhusudana Sarasvati
Author:
Lance Edward Nelson
Affiliation: McMaster University / Religious Studies
This is a study and English translation of the Bhakti-rasayana by Madhusudana Sarasvati (16th century)—one of the greatest and most vigorous exponents of Advaita after Shankara-Acharya who was also a great devotee of Krishna. The Bhaktirasayana attempts to merge non-dualist metaphysics with the ecstatic devotion of the Bhagavata Purana, by asserting that Bhakti is the highest goal of life and by arguinng that Bhakti embodies God within the devotee's mind.
Page 379 of: Bhakti-rasayana by Madhusudana Sarasvati
379 (of 553)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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careful study and development, on the other. It is hoped
that this study will accomplish something in the way of
rectifying this neglect.
Madhusūdana's writings on bhakti
represent an important phase of Advaitic thought, one that
strains the limits of the system to their upmost and, in the
process, raises important questions for the tradition as a
whole. It is my feeling that a careful and creative
consideration of the problems that Madhusudana's work raises
would make a significant contribution to the ongoing
vitality of Advaita in its modern context.
