Singing Krishna

Sound Becomes Sight in Paramanand's Poetry

A. Whitney Sanford

• Publisher: SUNY Press
• Year: 2009
• ISBN:
  9780791478622
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Hinduism

Singing Krishna introduces Param?nand, one of north India's greatest medieval poet-saints, whose poetry has been sung from the sixteenth century to the present in ritual service to the Hindu deity Krishna. A. Whitney Sanford examines how hearing Param?nand's poetry in ritual context serves as a threshold for devotees between this world and Krishna's divine world. To "see Krishna" is a primary goal of the devotee, and Param?nand deftly constructs a vision through words. Sanford employs the dual strategies of interpreting Param?nand's poems—which sing the cycles of Krishna's activities—and illustrating the importance of their ritual contexts. This approach offers insight into the nature of the devotional experience that is not accessible by simply studying the poetry or rituals in isolation. Sanford shows that the significance of Param?nand's poetry lies not only in its beauty and historical importance but finally in its capacity to permit the devotee to see through the ephemeral world into Krishna's world.

Table of contents

• Singing Krishna
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1. Paramānand’s Poetic World
• 2. The End of the Night: Poetry, Memory, and Culture
• 3. Krishna’s Morning Games: Creating Intimacy through Treachery
• 4. Afternoon: Experiencing the Food of Love
• 5. Night: Playing the Game of Love
• 6. Autumn to Spring: Gopīs, Birds, and the Moon
• 7. Summer—Seeing Reality: The Synaesthetic Transformation