Thirteenth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

One of the unique characteristics of the Kṛṣṇa-bhakti tradition is its diversity of prayers. My research objective was to study the scriptures of its Gauḍīya branch and define their purpose in prayer, collect quantitative and qualitative data of their content and specifically their subject: to whom do Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas turn with prayers. Thus, I hope to contribute to the field of Religious Studies by offering a clear and structured categorization of the entreaties. My textual analysis focused on the central text of the tradition, the Bhāgavata Purāṇa and later sacred texts like the Caitanya-caritāmṛta and prayer books of the Gauḍīya disciplic succession with the method of close reading. Having read over a thousand prayers I identify eleven intentions or aspirations they express, and nine categories of subjects addressed with entreaty, among them God and his different expansions, saints, holy places, scripture or even the mind. My study reflects that the tradition of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism deserves the attention of scholars in the field of Religious Studies focusing on prayer for a deeper understanding of the possible connections with Divinity beyond prayer to God.