Norman Cutler

Viraha-Bhakti: The Early History of Kṛṣṇa Devotion in South India . By Friedhelm Hardy. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1983. xxiii, 692 pp. Appendixes, Bibliographies, Index.

This book presents a detailed study of the multifarious origins of a specific type of Krsna religion. Hardy charts its developments up to the point at which it entered the pan-Indian scene.

49.95.

Acknowledgments Note on Transliteration Abbreviations Introduction Part I. Poems, Poets, and Poetics Chapter One Poet, God, and Audience in the Poetry of the Tamil Saints Chapter Two The DevoteeOs Experience of the Sacred Tamil Hymns Chapter Three The Poetics of Bhakti Part II. Tamil Classicism and Bhakti: Conflict and Accommodation Chapter Four A Devotional Poem in the Classical Mode Chapter Five A Tamil Allegory of Love Conclusion Part III. Poems Karaikkalammaiyar Poykai, Putam, and Pey: The First Three Alvars Nammalvar Namikkavacakar Notes to the Poems Appendix A The SaintsO Hymns in Present-Day Temple Ritual Appendix B Index of Mythological/Iconographic Allusions and Proper Names Occurring in the Poems Appendix C Index of Motifs Bibliography Index

Songs of experience : the poetics of Tamil devotion

Drawing from topics of religion in India such as bhakti, puja rituals, and spirit posessions, these essays offer a close study of the physical representations of god as the central feature of Hinduism. A valuable tool for students of anthroplogy and the philosophy and history of religion.