Sacred Rapture: The Bhakti-rasa Theory of Rūpa Gosvāmī

Abstract

The article "SACRED RAPTURE: THE BHAKTI-RASA THEORY OF RUPA GOSVAMIN" by Neal Delmonico delves into the complex concept of bhakti-rasa within Caitanya Mahaprabhu's Vaishnavism. The article explains that bhakti-rasa is central to the movement's spiritual experience and its rich literary tradition. It outlines Rupa Gosvamin's groundbreaking bhakti-rasa theory as presented in his Bhaktirasamrita-sindhu, distinguishing it from earlier Sanskrit aesthetic rasa theories (like those of Bharata and Abhinavagupta). Delmonico highlights Rupa Gosvamin's radical departure by establishing krsna-rati (love for Krishna) as the sole, supernatural sthayibhava for bhakti-rasa, asserting its transcendent origin and inherent blissful nature. The article also touches upon the developmental stages of this rati from bhava to prema, and its five primary types, demonstrating how devotional emotion itself becomes the sacred rapture of bhakti-rasa.