Course Content

In this course, we will read the entire text of the Bhāgavatapurāṇa in translation. Swami Tapasyananda translates this text simply, elegantly, and with the support of canonical interpreters such as Śrīdharasvāmin. We will therefore use his four-volume translation. The text consists of twelve skandhas or books, of which the tenth describes the avatāra and līlā (divine play) of Kṛṣṇa in detail. The Bhāgavatapurāṇa sees itself as continuing the Mahābhārata, drawing the theme of Kṛṣṇa bhakti into focus. We will read the text on the following levels:

(1) literary level, paying attention to the narratives, how they structure the text, and their poetic beauty and modulation;

(2) interpretive level, investigating how the text understands yajña, puruṣa, bhakti, dharma, varṇa, Brahman, etc.;

(3) intertextual level, underscoring the references to the Mahābhārata and the Upaniṣads;

(4) philosophical level, appealing to the different darśanas or philosophical systems to understand the presentation of Brahman as Kṛṣṇa;

(5) theological level, pithily stated as “Kṛṣṇa is bhagavān himself (kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam; Bhāg.P. 1.3.28).

We will follow both traditional approaches as well as modern approaches which focus on historical aspects of the text, and investigate whether we can formulate an appropriately robust contemporary approach. We will also read a selection of pertinent literature such the Upaniṣads, the Brahmasūtra, and the Mahābhārata. The course provides an overview of the origins of Indian philosophy and theology and traces their continuous enrichment to the present day.

In addition, the course will teach basic analytic and critical skills, especially how to read texts carefully paying attention to literary form, structure, context, and nuance. Students will learn how to interpret texts rigorously, to research secondary sources, and to reconstruct an argument in their own language.