Aesthetic Vedanta: The Sacred Path of Passionate Love

Widely acknowledged as a masterpiece of prose, philosophy, and translation, Aesthetic Vedanta beautifully illuminates the timeless Sanskrit poem rasa-lila, the sacred love affair of Radha and Krishna. Interspersed with original poetry and renderings of medieval verse of several Hindu mystics, this book reveals the means to access the spiritual reality of rasa-lila.
Aesthetic Vedanta speaks to us of a tradition that is practical and profoundly beautiful, replete with visualization, ritual, song, and dance, both affirming and spiritualizing the erotic principle that lies within our souls.
“I’m so glad to have Aesthetic Vedanta to spell out the theology of rasa-lila. We’ve waited a long time for someone this accomplished in Sanskrit—this schooled in yoga—to set forth its tender philosophy.”
Andrew Schelling. Naropa Institute, Author of For Love of the Dark One: Songs of Mirabai
“Aesthetic Vedanta recounts India’s most important treatise on romantic love. More practical and interesting than the Kama Sutra, it involves the classic adventure of the fabulous Krishna. Swami Tripurari’s treatment is a masterpiece.”
Louis Meldman, Ph.D., Author of Mystical Sex: Love, Ecstasy, and the Mystical Experience
“Aesthetic Vedanta’s beautiful and sensitive language will make the classic rasa-lila accessible to students of spirituality who have no specific background in Indian religions and philosophies. Its reverential approach makes it a religious classic in its own right.”
Klaus K. Klostermaier, University Distinguished Professor, Chairman, Dept. of Religious Studies, University of Manitoba.
“This book truly deserves, and undoubtedly will receive, a place among serious and scholarly works of global spirituality.”
George Fowler, Author of Learning to Dance Inside: Getting to the Heart of Meditation