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)鈥攐ne 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 405 of: Bhakti-rasayana by Madhusudana Sarasvati
405 (of 553)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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NOTES: CHAPTER TWO 393 matters, as well as that of his disciples, is consistently
Vai峁ａ箛ava in tone and language (Hacker, "Relations of Early
Advaitins to Vaisnavism, pp. 147-154). In this article
Hacker further suggests that the wide-spread notion that
艢amkara's religious background and sympathy was Saiva was
originated by the much later writer Madhava-Vidy膩ra峁嘺, "who
on the basis of the mere name 艢ankara constructed the legend
of the bh膩峁ak膩ra having been an incorporation of the divine
Samkara or Siva" (p. 148). Cf. also Mayeda, A Thousand
Teachings, p. 8, note 13.
19 pratyak峁m eva j墨vasye艣varaviparitadharmatvam,
BSSB 3.2.5; SHS II, 705 (Th II, 139).
20 vi艣e峁 hi bhavati s膩r墨raparamesvarayo岣� / eka岣�
kart膩 bhokt膩 dharm膩dharmas膩dhana岣� sukhadu岣h膩dim膩m艣 ca, ekas
tadvipar墨to 'napahatap膩pmatv膩digu峁嘺岣�, BSSB 1.2.8; SHS I,
155.
21 satyam / [I艣vara岣 艣ar墨re bhavati, na tu 艣ar墨ra
eva bhavati / "jy膩y膩n p峁泃hivy膩 jy膩y膩n antarik峁Ｄ乼, 膩k膩艣avat
sarvagatas ca nityah" iti ca vy膩ptitva艣rava峁嚹乼 / jivas tu
艣arira eva bhavati, BSSB 1.2.3; SHS I, 150.
p.
22 BSSB 3.2.9: "The soul which rises cannot be the
Lord, who is everlastingly free from Nescience" (Th II,
149). SGB, intro., describes Isvara as "eternally pure,
enlightened, and liberated" (nitya艣uddhabuddhamukta, see
note 34).
23 "Omniscient, the source of scripture" (BSSB 1.1.3;
Th I, 20); "all knowing, all perceiving" (BSSB 1.2.21; Th
I, 136); "absolute ruler of past and the future" (BSSB
1.3.24; Th I, 196).
24 BSSB 1.3.30; Th I, 215.
25 BSSB 2.2.33; Th I, 357.
26 BSSB 4.4.17; Th II, 415-416.
27 BSSB 2.1.14; Th I, 329.
28 BSSB 2.3.41; Th II, 59.
29 BSSB 2.3.41; Th II, 58-59.
30 BSSB 2.1.35-36; Th I, 359-361.
31 BSSB 1.1.5; Th I, 50.
