The Blazing Sapphire (Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi)

Abstract

The articel presents "The Blazing Sapphire: A Translation in Progress of Rupa Gosvamin's Ujjvala-nilamani", an Article by Neal Delmonico. This Article explores Rupa Gosvamin's foundational Sanskrit work, Ujjvala-nilamani, a key text for the 16th-century Caitanya Vaisnava movement. The Article highlights the Sapphire's focus on madhura-rasa, a form of "sweet" devotional rapture characterized by impassioned, erotic love for Krishna, particularly inspired by the cowherd women (gopis). It details the work's significant influence on North Indian religious literature and poetry, its intricate phenomenology of divine love, and the theological debates it sparked regarding the nature of Radha and Krishna's relationship. Furthermore, the Article presents the Sapphire as a significant humanistic text, re-evaluating human life and senses through the depiction of divine intimacy, and addresses the historical neglect of emotional devotionalism in Western scholarship. The importance of the ongoing translation for understanding this rich tradition and its broader humanistic insights is emphasized.