After the Āḻvārs: Kṛṣṇa and the Gopīs in the Śrīvaiṣṇava Tradition
Keywords:
Srivaishnava Tradition, Alvars, Krishna, Gopis, Nammalvar, Viraha-Bhakti, Iconic Incarnations, Emotionalism, Bhakti, ArcavataraAbstract
The article "AFTER THE ALVARS: KRISHNA AND THE GOPIS IN THE SRIVAISHNAVA TRADITION" by Nancy Ann Nayar investigates the evolution of the Krishna and Gopis theme within the Srivaishnava tradition following the compositions of the Alvars. It explores whether the intense emotional bhakti, particularly viraha-bhakti (devotion in separation), found in Alvar poetry, specifically Nammalvar's Tiruvaymoli, was sustained by the early Srivaishnava Acharyas. The article observes a shift from an imaginative, myth-based engagement with Krishna and the gopis to a heightened focus on the Lord's iconic incarnations (arcavatara) in temples, where direct sensual perception and emotional fulfillment were sought. It argues that while the explicit emphasis on Krishna and gopis diminished, the emotional intensity and concept of "separation experience" persisted, recontextualized as the devotee's own sense of finitude before the infinite, and importantly, transferred to the Nammalvar himself as the paradigmatic devotee.