From Poet to Kavi
Walther Eidlitz’ Spiritual Odyssey
Keywords:
Walther Eidlitz, Vamandas, Kavi, Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Spiritual Odyssey, Sadananda, Bhakti, Advaita Vedanta, Anthroposophy, AutobiographyAbstract
This article traces the spiritual journey of Austrian poet and writer Walther Eidlitz (1892–1976), also known as Vamandas, from a secular poet to a kavi (divine poet) within the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. Drawing from the Sadananda-Archive, the paper examines Eidlitz's early life, his pre-Vaishnava spiritual explorations including Anthroposophy and a disturbing flirtation with Nazi-esotericism, and his eventual conversion to Vaishnavism after meeting Svami Sadananda dasa in an internment camp in India. The abstract highlights Eidlitz's internal struggles between Advaita Vedanta and Bhakti, and his eventual realization that true poetic expression (kavi) in Vaishnavism necessitates the renunciation of personal ego and desires for fame, focusing solely on the loving service of the divine.
