What does the popular Sanskrit term bhakti mean? Is it a self-evident concept? With an
acknowledgment of complexity and variety this book helps to grasp the essential meaning
and various dimensions of a God-experience and its implication for a transformed and
transforming life. Taking the famous figures Jesus and Krsna, as presented by two popular
texts (St. John's Gospel and the Rasalila section), two distinctive bhakti frameworks are
analysed and compared. Any bhakti experience does not happen in a vacuum and Jesus and
Krsna were not only multifaceted figures but also they went through a long process of
ascendency to divine supremacy. For those who want to understand bhakti this book might
prove to be an engaging guide.
Contents
Foreword
Introduction
1. What is Bhakti? A Summary of Definitions and Discussions
2. Jesus and Krsna : Multi-faceted Figures
3. Jesus and Krsna : Process of Ascendency to Supreme Divinity
4. Selections from St John's Gospel Pertinent to Kristu Bhakti
5. Highlights of the Rasalila
6. Kristu Bhakti and Krsna Bhakti : A Comparative Analysis
Conclusions
Select Bibliography
Index
Dr. Israel Selvanayagam from Tamilnadu has taught Religions (Hinduism)
and Interfaith Relations at Tamilnadu Theological Seminary-Madurai, Wesley
College-Bristol, Queen' College and United College of the Ascension-Birmingham, United
Theological College- Bangalore and Gurukul Theological College and Research
Institute-Chennai. He has widely published both in English and Tamil. Currently he lives
in the United Kingdom.
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