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Saint Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109) was the theologean who came up with the famous ontological argument. This argument proposes that God must exist. God is generally defined as “that than which nothing greater can be conceived of,” but some ‘being’ existing not only in the mind, but also in reality, would be greater than God. […]

Insofar as so much attention is focussed on the issue of climate change, and the degree to which cows do or do not impact upon it, I would like to draw my reader’s attention to the significant role of cows in Rupa Goswami’s Sanskrit drama Vidagdha Madhava, (translated into English by Arjundas Adhikari as A

Faithful representation of exchanges of feelings between characters has always been a central objective for the Sanskrit playwright, no less so in the spiritual drama Vidagdha Madhava, aka, A Portrait of Lord Shree Krishna, by Rupa Goswami (translated into English by Arjundas Adhikari). Specious representations of feelings in Sanskrit literature are a major faux pas,

One might question whether the prevalence of Sanskrit words incorporated over time by the majority of the world’s languages indicates a greater global influence of the Sanskrit speaking culture of antiquity than that which is supposed. The frequency of Sanskrit words turning up in most European languages is an etymological curiosity that might well prompt

A true genius admits that he/she knows nothing. So said Albert Einstein. It would appear that the greater learning possessed by someone, the more humble that someone is inspired to be. The learned orientalist Max Muller (above) remarked on how impressed he was by the manner in which the “Hindoos” of colonial India cooperated with

From the seven acts of the spiritual drama Vidagdha Madhava by Rupa Goswami, it is easy to pick out vignettes that demonstrate the range of lively colours that make up the vibrant personalities of Radha and Krishna. Of course, the same can be said for Rupa Goswami’s second play, Lalita Madhava. My current efforts are

For those familiar with the great culture from which it springs, Rupa Goswami’s spiritual drama, A Portrait of Lord Shree Krishna (aka Vidagdha Madhava), potentially raises one rather curious question, namely: is Krishna God, or isn’t He? Because, from the way the drama recounts how Krishna was treated by the cowherd girls, or how he

We all need a portrait of Lord Shree Krishna! Something to keep on one’s desk, or in one’s wallet or on a sideboard. That’s the literal variety – a picture, a painting. The play – A Portrait of Lord Shree Krishna, or Vidagdha Madhava, translated into English by Arjundas Adhikari is good too, but you

You don’t have to look very far to see why spiritual drama is a prominent feature of Hinduism, for spirituality has permeated the very foundations of Indian life. The influence of this spirituality on antiquity has been examined by many historians, in particular the well-known Orientalist and British Museum librarian, the Rev. Thomas Maurice: These

Vidagdha Madhava by Rupa Goswami is a play that falls within the very ancient tradition of Hindu drama, and more specifically, within the genre of Hindu drama that surrounds the glorious legend of Lord Shree Krishna and His beloved consort, Radha. Legends about Him are told in the very oldest of Indian writings, such as

The famous author/translator, Edith Grossman, passed away in September this year. Ms. Grossman’s translation of Don Quixote is considered one of the finest English-language translations of the Spanish novel, ever. Some esteemed critics dubbed her “the Glen Gould of translators, because, she too, articulated every note.” In a speech in a tribute to the Spanish

What is meant by, ‘Hindu’, is the question: that is, to what degree is there a sharing of beliefs among those people of the Indian subcontinent known as Hindus. Around the 850s (BCE), India’s Persian neighbours began replacing their s’s with h’s, and started calling the trans-boundary river Sindhu (aka Indus) the ‘Hindu’, and calling