Dāna-keli-kaumudī: Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Masterful One-Act Play
Keywords:
Rupa Gosvami, Dana-keli-kaumudi, one-act play, Radha Krishna, union, vipralambha-prema, sambhoga-prema, toll pastime, Braj folklore, Sanskrit drama, rasa, kila-kincita, Bhaktirasamrtasindhu, Ujjvala-nilamaniAbstract
The article, Dana-keli-kaumudi: Rupa Gosvami's Masterful One-Act Play by Nityananda Dasa, examines Rupa Gosvami's one-act play, Dana-keli-kaumudi, which humorously depicts the toll pastime of Radha and Krishna in union. The article establishes the play's unique contribution by shedding light on a pastime not extensively detailed in Puranic literature but rooted in Braj folklore and devotional poetry.
The author discusses the likely late dating of Dana-keli-kaumudi (around 1549 CE), suggesting Rupa Gosvami reused verses from his other major works like Bhaktirasamrtasindhu and Ujjvala-nilamani. It also highlights the intriguing reason behind its creation: to alleviate Raghunatha dasa Gosvami's intense feelings of separation after reading Rupa's Lalita-madhava. The article details two significant commentaries on the play, Mahati-tika and Madhulika-tika, which aid in understanding its complex layers of meaning. Finally, it provides a brief dramatical analysis, focusing on the play's central theme of Radha's pure love for Krishna, particularly the emotional state of kila-kincita, and explains key Sanskrit dramatic concepts like the five stages of action (avasthas) and the five conditions of the plot (artha-prakrtis) within the context of the play.
