1) Readings for Thursday, 19 September:

Hymns to Krishna, Hopkins, The Hindu Religious Tradition 64-73, Samskara 27-50

2) Assignment for Thursday: Response Paper on the Bhagavad Gita or Hymns to Krishna

3) Questions on Readings

4) A Passage from the Gita

5) Development of Theistic Personal Devotion

• Theism, Henotheism, Monotheism, Pantheism
• Theophany
• The development of Theism in the Classical Hindu Tradition
• Bhakti Literature, The Puranas, Vernacular Hinduism, Vernacular "Veda"
• The Darshanas (Seeings)
  • Yoga / Patanjali
    • Yama (restraint), Niyama (observance), Asana (posture), Pranayama (breath-control),
      Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana-Zen (Concentration),
      Samadhi 1 (nondual conciousness of object only), Samadhi 2 (pure-conciousness)
  • Samkhya (underlying Yogic philosophy) / Purushas and Prakriti (with Gunas)
  • Mimansa (on the rite and its merit)
  • Vedanta ("End of the Veda"): Commentaries on Upanishads, Brahma Sutras, Gita
    • Advaita (non-dualism) / Shankara d. 820 CE / World as Maya (illusion)
    • Modified non-dualism / Ramanuja / Individuals and World as Real / 11th Century
    • Dvaita (dualism) / Madhva / 13th Century
  • Nyaya and Vaiseshika (logical systems -- not directly relevant to this class)M
• The Trimurti (murti-form, tri-three). Major roles, thought each carries out all three roles:
  • Brahma (Creator)
  • Vishnu (Preserver)
  • Shiva (Destroyer)
• Vedic Vishnu, Popular Vasudeva-Krishna (Bhagavan, "Bountiful Lord"), Narayana, Hari
  • Bhagavad Gita
  • Vishnu Purana / Yogic Purusha, Prakirti, Gunas.
    Kala (Time) / Threefold Ahamkara ("I faculty):
    • Tamas (material elements and sense elements)
    • Rajas (sense organs and organs of action)
    • Sattva (manas - Mind)
  • Vishnu creates as Brahma, preserves as Vishnu, destroys as Rudra (Shiva): Cosmic Play (Lila)
    • Once cycle is a day of Brahma or Kalpa
    • One Kalpa passes through many Maha Yugas (Great Yugas)
    • Each Maha Yuga contains four lesser Yugas:
      • the fourth Yuga, age of dissolution (Kali Yuga) preceding doomsday and fire
    • Vishnu intervenes through his Avatars: Krishna, Rama, Boar, Man-Lion, and Dwarf
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    •  
• Krishna Purana
  • Krishna Gopala (Krishna Cowherder), born as a cowherd after earlier children are killed.
  • Vishnu the supreme master of universe is Krishna as a baby in the arms of a Cowherder wife
  • Dances with Gopis (Cowgirls). Gopis sneak out. Flute-playing Krishna dances and makes
    to each.
• Bhagavata Purana: Gopis as models of Bhakti: abandon and self-surrender
  • Alvars and Nayanars (Tamil Veda: both Vaishnavite and Shaivite). [Professor Stephen Hopkins at Swarthmore]
  • Madhva to Chaitanya: increased Bhakti devotion. Chaitanya (ritual cross-dressing).
    • Sudras increasingly included
    • Hare Krishna chant, one offshoot: the modern Hare Krisha Movement
  • Bengali Love Poems: Radha (queen of Gopis) and Krishna
• Home and Temple
• Puja (worship), including Prasada (free gift) and Darshana (seeing) of Murti (Form)
• Hymns to Krishna: Erotic Abandon and Self-Surrender
• Smartas (Brahmanical Groups based on Smirti, second category of sacred texts)