[INDOLOGY] Anaysis of ecstasy

[Howard Resnick]

Dear Scholars,

I would appreciate help with the following. In the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava tradition, especially in works of Rūpa Gosvāmī (1489–1564) such as Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, but elsewhere too, there are systematic, technical descriptions of ecstatic states, such as the aṣṭa-sāttvika-bhāvas etc.

We know that in another, related analytic system, that of rasa-vicāra, analysis of primary and secondary ‘rasas’ or mood/flavor of personal relationship, Rūpa borrowed an analytic structure that is traced first to Bharata Muni, at least 1500 years before Rupa, and then to Abhinavagupta who significantly developed and refined rasa-vicāra at least 500 years before Rūpa. Yet, as Gary Tubb once said to me, Rūpa, with real genius, applied to Kṛṣṇa this already ancient system of rasa analysis and classification.

So, finally my question: in his elaborate analysis and classification of ecstatic spiritual states, such as sāttvika-bhāvas and sthāyi bhāvas, is Rūpa again applying to Kṛṣṇa-bhakti an analytic system that already existed for the analysis of non-Vaiṣṇava, or even Vaiṣṇava, literature? Or was the technical analysis of ecstatic states an original contribution of Rūpa? I ask because I suspect that once again Rūpa may have been applying to Kṛṣṇa-bhakti an analytic system already current.

Many thanks for any help with this!

Howard