Nabadwip Bhava Taranga or time cinema of the Bengal Vaishnavism

Introduction. The article analyzes the key value-semantic moments of the genesis of the Caitanya cult in West Bengal, as well as the philosophical forms of Gaudiya theology (Bengali Vishnuism).Materials and Methods. The theoretical state of the problem lies in the lacuna of the idiographic descripti...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: A. S. Timoshchuk
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Minin Nizhny Novgorod State Pedagogical University 2022-07-01
Series:Вестник Мининского университета
Subjects:
Online Access:https://vestnik.mininuniver.ru/jour/article/view/1302
_version_ 1818159413696921600
author A. S. Timoshchuk
author_facet A. S. Timoshchuk
author_sort A. S. Timoshchuk
collection DOAJ
description Introduction. The article analyzes the key value-semantic moments of the genesis of the Caitanya cult in West Bengal, as well as the philosophical forms of Gaudiya theology (Bengali Vishnuism).Materials and Methods. The theoretical state of the problem lies in the lacuna of the idiographic description of the genesis of the new religious movement, which is Bengali Vishnuism. Structural, systemic, comparative, factorial and phenomenological types of analysis form the basis of the methodology. The construction of a new religion is understood as the production of a symbolic universe, the spiritual generation of a value-semantic system that allows subjects to function in an antagonistic worldResults. The aesthetic reflection of Chaitanya and the dynamics of his movement are conceptualized as a ribbon of kairos running before the eyes of the beholder. The title of the article reproduces the birthplace of Chaitanya in Bengal, the center for the spread of the new religion (Navadwip), the emotional pressure of the teachings of bhakti (bhava) and the undulating dynamics of the development of the Chaitanya movement (taranga). In the context of Western philosophy, the process of emergent formation of Bengali Vaishnuism is terminated as a movie theater of time or a visual attitude of the observer that allows one to make a broad overview of forms, contents, actors, and institutions.Discussion and Conclusions. The visual culture of our time requires openness, manifestation of processes and states. The space-time perspective of the Caitanya cult appears as a series of transformations replacing incompleteness and poetry with institutionalization and form. The aesthetic vision offered by Chaitanya is transformed in time into a special intellectual-reflective genre of profane freak show.Scientific novelty. In terms of the progress of technology, we sometimes ask ourselves, why do we need knowledge created by people of the past who lived in the Middle Ages, or in the Bronze Age? Or is there knowledge that does not become obsolete over time? Metaphysics of Plato? Aristotle's formal logic? The paraconsistent logic of the mystic Caitanya? Another historical question that inevitably arises when referring to the past - what new can be said about an event from which we are rapidly moving away? However, another logic is at work here – the big is seen from a distance. The further we are from Caitanya, the more we value the meager Bengali sources about him, the more other knowledge we have that allows us to assess the global context of the new ideational system.Practical significance. Bengali Vaishnavism is constantly in the center of attention of specialists in history, linguistics, religious studies and sociology. Until now, interest in the charismatic selforganization of the Chaitanya Movement has not faded, how its personality, spirit and initiatives influenced the evolution of a whole ramified direction of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. It is obvious for religious scholars that Mahaprabhu was deified by his followers, but this does not deny the creative potential of the new religious movement, its power of generating meaning and creating new sociocultural forms.
first_indexed 2024-12-11T15:45:35Z
format Article
id doaj.art-94307f6b441542cf8cea505539988a53
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2307-1281
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-11T15:45:35Z
publishDate 2022-07-01
publisher Minin Nizhny Novgorod State Pedagogical University
record_format Article
series Вестник Мининского университета
spelling doaj.art-94307f6b441542cf8cea505539988a532022-12-22T00:59:41ZengMinin Nizhny Novgorod State Pedagogical UniversityВестник Мининского университета2307-12812022-07-0110210.26795/2307-1281-2022-10-2-12837Nabadwip Bhava Taranga or time cinema of the Bengal VaishnavismA. S. Timoshchuk0Vladimir Law Institute of the Federal Penitentiary Service of RussiaIntroduction. The article analyzes the key value-semantic moments of the genesis of the Caitanya cult in West Bengal, as well as the philosophical forms of Gaudiya theology (Bengali Vishnuism).Materials and Methods. The theoretical state of the problem lies in the lacuna of the idiographic description of the genesis of the new religious movement, which is Bengali Vishnuism. Structural, systemic, comparative, factorial and phenomenological types of analysis form the basis of the methodology. The construction of a new religion is understood as the production of a symbolic universe, the spiritual generation of a value-semantic system that allows subjects to function in an antagonistic worldResults. The aesthetic reflection of Chaitanya and the dynamics of his movement are conceptualized as a ribbon of kairos running before the eyes of the beholder. The title of the article reproduces the birthplace of Chaitanya in Bengal, the center for the spread of the new religion (Navadwip), the emotional pressure of the teachings of bhakti (bhava) and the undulating dynamics of the development of the Chaitanya movement (taranga). In the context of Western philosophy, the process of emergent formation of Bengali Vaishnuism is terminated as a movie theater of time or a visual attitude of the observer that allows one to make a broad overview of forms, contents, actors, and institutions.Discussion and Conclusions. The visual culture of our time requires openness, manifestation of processes and states. The space-time perspective of the Caitanya cult appears as a series of transformations replacing incompleteness and poetry with institutionalization and form. The aesthetic vision offered by Chaitanya is transformed in time into a special intellectual-reflective genre of profane freak show.Scientific novelty. In terms of the progress of technology, we sometimes ask ourselves, why do we need knowledge created by people of the past who lived in the Middle Ages, or in the Bronze Age? Or is there knowledge that does not become obsolete over time? Metaphysics of Plato? Aristotle's formal logic? The paraconsistent logic of the mystic Caitanya? Another historical question that inevitably arises when referring to the past - what new can be said about an event from which we are rapidly moving away? However, another logic is at work here – the big is seen from a distance. The further we are from Caitanya, the more we value the meager Bengali sources about him, the more other knowledge we have that allows us to assess the global context of the new ideational system.Practical significance. Bengali Vaishnavism is constantly in the center of attention of specialists in history, linguistics, religious studies and sociology. Until now, interest in the charismatic selforganization of the Chaitanya Movement has not faded, how its personality, spirit and initiatives influenced the evolution of a whole ramified direction of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. It is obvious for religious scholars that Mahaprabhu was deified by his followers, but this does not deny the creative potential of the new religious movement, its power of generating meaning and creating new sociocultural forms.https://vestnik.mininuniver.ru/jour/article/view/1302caitanyanimaymahaprabhugaudiya aestheticsbhakti-margsahajatheater metaphysicstime tapephenomenology of religion
spellingShingle A. S. Timoshchuk
Nabadwip Bhava Taranga or time cinema of the Bengal Vaishnavism
Вестник Мининского университета
caitanya
nimay
mahaprabhu
gaudiya aesthetics
bhakti-marg
sahaja
theater metaphysics
time tape
phenomenology of religion
title Nabadwip Bhava Taranga or time cinema of the Bengal Vaishnavism
title_full Nabadwip Bhava Taranga or time cinema of the Bengal Vaishnavism
title_fullStr Nabadwip Bhava Taranga or time cinema of the Bengal Vaishnavism
title_full_unstemmed Nabadwip Bhava Taranga or time cinema of the Bengal Vaishnavism
title_short Nabadwip Bhava Taranga or time cinema of the Bengal Vaishnavism
title_sort nabadwip bhava taranga or time cinema of the bengal vaishnavism
topic caitanya
nimay
mahaprabhu
gaudiya aesthetics
bhakti-marg
sahaja
theater metaphysics
time tape
phenomenology of religion
url https://vestnik.mininuniver.ru/jour/article/view/1302
work_keys_str_mv AT astimoshchuk nabadwipbhavatarangaortimecinemaofthebengalvaishnavism