Rūpa Gosvāmin’s Transjective Ecology of Love

Abstract

Rūpa Gosvāmin’s theological aesthetics in Bhaktirasāmṛtasindhu and Ujjvalanīlamaṇi frame bhakti (devotion) through rasa theory, culminating in preman (divine love) as the highest devotional experience. He outlines five bhakti-rasas—śānta (tranquility), dāsya (servitude), sakhya (friendship), vātsalya (parental love), and mādhurya (erotic love)—with mādhurya-bhakti-rasa, embodied by Rādhā and the gopīs, as supreme.

Rūpa’s bhakti-sādhana progresses from regulated (vaidhī) to spontaneous (rāgānugā) devotion, emphasizing absorption in Vraja—Kṛṣṇa’s sacred realm—through physical and meditative practice. Preman transcends subject-object binaries, creating a transjective devotional ecology where Kṛṣṇa, bhaktas, and Vraja co-constitute divine love. The gopīs, especially Rādhā (embodying mahābhāva), exemplify egoless, reciprocal love that captivates even Kṛṣṇa.

Rūpa’s works serve as contemplative maps for devotees to internalize Vraja’s sacred landscape, blurring distinctions between practitioner, perfected bhakta, and divine beloved.