The 16th-century North Indian religious devotee; poet and musician; SvÄmÄ« HaridÄs; composed lyrics in Braj BhÄá¹£Ä; dedicated to the divine couple RÄdhÄ and Kṛṣṇa. One hundred twenty-eight of them were later compiled in two anthologies: the didactic Aá¹£á¹ÄdaÅ› siddhÄnta and the rapturous KelimÄl; and became the theological basis of the HaridÄsÄ« sampradÄya; a sect which still flourishes in Vrindaban; U.P. Neither of these important works has hitherto been edited; properly translated or studied academically. The focus of this book is the text of HaridÄs's poetry: its transmission; edition and interpretation. Sixteen 18th-19th century manuscripts are collated for the edition and classified with the help of computer programmes originally employed in taxonomy. The apparatus criticus is followed by an annotated English translation in which readings are assessed and points of linguistic interest discussed. The language of HaridÄs's text is thoroughly examined; and a comprehensive etymological glossary is included to enhance our knowledge of Braj. Going beyond textual criticism; the book sets HaridÄs's verses in a broader context. The introductory chapter discusses the theological views of the HaridÄsÄ« tradition against the background of bhakti; analyses the sources of information about HaridÄs; and attempts to reconstruct his life. Since HaridÄs's lyrics were composed to be sung some of their musical features are analysed. The text of the KelimÄl is also examined through the sectarian concerns of its main commentaries. This study will be an important source of information to all scholars of Braj language and Kṛṣṇa devotionalism.
#3857758 in Books 2006-12-31Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.70 x 1.40 x 6.60l; 2.35 #File Name: 9004156046474 pages
Review
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful. IndispensibleBy Bernard KwanI have been using this book in the course I am taking on Chinese Buddhism at Hong Kong University; and I have to say that the depth of research involved in compiling this book is outstanding and despite being originally published more than three decades ago. This current reprint is as useful as ever in its analysis of early Buddhism in China. It also builds on previous research and shows how prior theories such Liang Qichao's theory of Buddhism being disseminated from the south; through the maritime ports is no longer tenable.The book makes good use of the textual analysis and also balances it with a good understanding and depiction of the historical period and the political events that characterized each period; which helps place the Buddhism in context as one can start to get lost in the large number of monks and their translations. The part on the period of the three kingdoms was especially good; with the author dealing with each kingdom in turn; and this shed additional light on some of the characters that one may have been acquainted with from the romance of the three kingdom novels - like Cao Cao and Sun Quan and the Sima family.The book is also very useful in that it includes the Chinese characters for all the names and difficult concepts within the text; unlike some books where you have to flip backwards and forwards to a glossary at the back of the book.
