Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Nāmayugāṣṭaka and the Poetry of Name-List

Abstract

The article, "Rupa Gosvamin's Namayugastaka and the Poetry of Name-Lists" by David Buchta, explores how Rupa Gosvamin, a 16th-century Gaudiya Vaishnava theologian and poet, elevates simple name-list poems to a richly poetic and emotionally nuanced form. While traditional Sanskrit poetry theory (kavya) emphasizes "rasa" (aesthetic emotive experience) through dramatic development, Buchta argues that Rupa's "Namayugastaka" achieves a dramatic effect through the strategic sequencing of Radha and Krishna's names.

The article explains that Rupa's theology of "bhakti-rasa" fundamentally intertwines devotion and aesthetic experience, seeing the recitation of Krishna's names as a powerful means to cultivate love for the deity. Analyzing the "Namayugastaka," a short poem of eight name pairs across three verses, Buchta demonstrates a progression from identifying Radha and Krishna by their conventional names to defining them relationally (as patronymics and friends), then suggesting an ontological identity through dual-ending names, and finally depicting them as lovers. This sequence, Buchta contends, reveals an increasing expression of intimacy and intensity in their relationship, echoing powerful concepts from other devotional texts like Jayadeva's "Gitagovinda." The article concludes that Rupa Gosvamin's innovative use of name-lists not only imbues them with emotional dynamism but also serves as a theological argument for the divine names being the highest form of poetry.