Sacred Texts of Yoga
 

Reviews


"This is the most complete presentation of the Rasa Lila, focusing on the text and story itself and looking at it, as it requires, from each of its many viewpoints. The scholarship and teaching quality are first-rate. . . . Schweig's approach is inclusive, consciously reaching out to all levels of reader/devotee/connoisseur and clearly wishing not to leave anyone behind. . . . [E]veryone interested in Hinduism, literature, and religion should consider buying this book."

--James D. Redington, S.J., Journal of Vaishnava Studies


"A fascinating study and eloquent translation of the beloved story of the all-attractive god Krishna's nocturnal dalliances with the cowherder women of Vraja as described in the Bhagavata Purana. . . . Schweig render[s] this Sanskrit classic into elegant English."

--Joel Bordeaux, Altar Magazine


This book is an event-for Vaishnavas and everyone else. Long awaited by insiders, it will be a grace to outsiders, too. . . . [E]veryone interested in Hinduism, literature, and religion should consider buying this boo--especially those who incline to mystical love religion and its literature."

--James D. Redington, Jr., Yoga and Vaishnavism


"Scholars of Vaisnavism will be pleased by this volume and its singular focus."

--Frederick M. Smith, Religious Studies Review


Endorsements


"This is truly first-rate scholarship. The five-chapter dramatic poem of the Rasa Lila is a gem of world literature, and Schweig has polished it masterfully. His translation gives a sense of the poetic aspect of the work as well as its theology."

--E. F. Bryant, Rutgers University


"Schweig's translation is accurate, expressive, and poetic. This book will be useful to classes in a variety of disciplines, including world literature, Eastern religions, and comparative art and culture."

--June McDaniel, College of Charleston


"A comprehensive presentation of the Rasa Lila chapters from the Bhagavata Purana has been much awaited, and this volume by Dr. Graham Schweig will surely satisfy scholars and aesthetes alike. Dr. Schweig's knowledgeable mind has danced well with his sensitive heart to produce a great accomplishment."

--Acharya Shrivatsa Goswami, Radha Raman Temple, Vrindavana, India
author of Celebrating Krishna



The Bhagavad Gita is often regarded as the Bible of India. With a gripping story and deeply compelling message, it is unquestionably one of the most popular sacred texts of Asia and, along with the Bible and the Qur'an, one of the most important holy scriptures in the world.


Part of an ancient Hindu epic poem, the dialogue of the Bhagavad Gita takes place on a battlefield, where a war for the possession of a North Indian kingdom is about to ensue between two noble families related by blood. The epic's hero, young Prince Arjuna, is torn between his duty as a warrior and his revulsion at the thought of his brothers and cousins killing each other over control of the realm. Frozen by this ethical dilemma, he debates the big questions of life and death with the supreme Hindu deity Krishna, cleverly disguised as his charioteer. By the end of the story, Eastern beliefs about mortality and reincarnation, the vision and practice of yoga, the Indian social order and its responsibilities, family loyalty, spiritual knowledge, and the loftiest pursuits of the human heart are explored in depth. Explaining the very purpose of life and existence, this classic has stood the test of twenty-three centuries. It is presented here in a thoroughly accurate, illuminating, and beautiful translation that is sure to become the standard for our day.

BHAGAVAD GITA

The Beloved Lord’s Secret Love Song

by Graham M. Schweig

DANCE OF DIVINE LOVE

India’s Classic Sacred Love Story: The Rasa Lila of Krishna

by Graham M. Schweig

Dance of Divine Love presents India’s classical sacred love story known as the Rasa Lila. It is a dramatic poem about young maidens joining with their ideal beloved to perform the wondrous “circle dance of love”, or Rasa. Its story is an expression of the eternal soul’s loving union with the supreme deity in “divine play”, or Lila. The Rasa Lila is considered the ultimate message of one of India’s most treasured scriptures, the Bhagavat Purana.

The narrator of this story tells us that the highest devotional love for God is attained when hearing or reciting the Rasa Lila. Undeniably, its charming poetic imagery, combined with deeply resonating devotional motifs, expresses to any reader much about the nature of love. Narrated in eloquently rich and flowing Sanskri verse, it has been recognized as one of the most beautiful love poems ever written.