A Genealogy of Divine Paramour: Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi in the History of Sanskrit Dramaturgy and Literary Criticism

Abstract

The article "The Many Voices of the Upadesamrta: Textual Re-use and Eclectic Constructions of Knowledge" by Simon M Haas examines the Upadesamrta, a foundational text in the Caitanya Vaisnava tradition popularly attributed to Rupa Gosvamin. The article reveals that over a third of its eleven verses are reused from diverse sources including moksa dharma, hatha yoga, and niti (political wisdom). Haas employs the conceptual frameworks of "simple re-use" and "eclecticism" to demonstrate that the original contexts of these borrowed verses are often incongruous with Caitanya Vaisnava teachings, which typically reject such paths. The author argues that the redactor of the Upadesamrta strategically selected and subtly amended these verses for expediency, creating a normative framework for bhakti practice. This simple re-use, though initially unrecognized, becomes adaptive re-use for contemporary readers, revealing multiple authorial voices and prompting a renegotiation of the text's perception within the religious community. The study highlights how commentarial traditions further shape the understanding of the text by filling in its inherent discontinuities.