Publisher’s Statement

I perpetually worship Hari in human form—the greatly precious incarnation, Rama, fit for royal consecration, beautiful in body, noble, and wide-eyed. I shall worship no other.¹

Madhura Upasana in Ram Bhakti Literature is a wholly new and extremely engaging treatment of its subject in Hindi. The author is himself a sensitive practitioner of this mode of worship. Readers will learn from his introduction how diligently he had to labour in preparing it. A close reading will also show how far he has succeeded in examining and expounding the subject entrusted to him. We believe that many passages reveal the depth of his self-study, his reflectiveness, and the seriousness of his experience of rasa.

There is abundant literature on madhura upāsanā in Krishna devotion. This book will now make clear that sweet worship is by no means absent from the literature of Rama devotion.

Among the divine incarnations, Rama and Krishna are the most beautiful. Both are worshipped through the sweet mode, though their beauty differs somewhat. Rama’s beauty is veiled by gentle and gracious character; Krishna’s contains the charming crookedness of playful sport. Rama delights the people; Krishna is the people’s ornament. The lustre of serenity upon Rama’s lotus face is cooling. The lovely rays of joyous delight playing upon Krishna’s mind-enchanting face are radiant. Rama smiles only through his lips and eyes; Krishna smiles not only through lips and eyes but through his eyebrows as well—indeed, every limb and every pore of his body appears always to be laughing.

For this reason Krishna excites the worshipping devotee’s sweet feeling more strongly than Rama. The winsome innocence of Rama’s lovely form contains none of the teasing boldness that stirs the devotee’s amorous feeling, whereas Krishna’s restless, clever, graceful, tender figure almost forcibly gathers the worshipper’s sweet emotion into an embrace. Yet innocence and playful boldness are both attractive. By disclosing the mysteries cherished by rasikas, this book will encourage the sweet worship of Rama’s devotees.