Unveiling the Garden of Love: Mystical Symbolism in Layla Majnun & Gita Govinda

by Lalita Sinha

Overview

Discover the common ground shared between Islamic Sufism and Hindu Bhaktism through their literary expressions. This book examines two classic love poems—The Story of Layla Majnun (written by Nezami in the Sufi tradition) and Gita Govinda (written by Jayadeva in the Hindu tradition)—and finds common experiences of love shared between these seemingly disparate cultures.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781935493518
Publisher:	World Wisdom
Publication date:	07/11/2008
Series:	Perennial Philosophy Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	232
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Lalita Sinha studied world literatures at Universiti Sains Malaysia, where she served as Senior Lecturer in Comparative Literature and Comparative Religion for more than three decades

Table of Contents

Foreword   Harry Oldmeadow     xi
Preface     xvii
Prologue     1
Unveiling the Garden of Love     3
The Issue at Hand     3
Approach to the Issues     7
Limits and Boundaries     15
Towards a Contribution     18
Colors of Love: Some Ideals of Traditional Persian and Indian Literature     21
Milieu, Historicity, and Ahistoricity     23
Literary Expression of the Mystical Experience     41
The Stages of Unio Mystica     47
Blooms of Love's Garden: Initial Union and Separation in Union     51
The State of Initial Union     52
Separation in Union     87
Thorns of Love's Gardens: Longing and the Pain of Separation     93
The State of Separation     93
The Pain of Separation     96
Thorns of Love's Gardens: Fusion and Confusion in Separation     117
Fusion and Confusion     118
Pleasure in Separation     120
The Gardener and the Garden: Return and Union Regained     155
Return and the End     155
Death and Transition     156
Prelude: At the Sill of the Door     157
Reunion: Celestial andSexual Encounter     166
Core and Center: The Original State     178
The Wheels Come Full Circle     182
Where Gardens Congregate     184
The Garden Unveiled: Preserving Diversity, Observing Unity     189
Correspondence and Convergence     190
The Way Forward     193
Epilogue     195
Glossary and Index of Persian/Arabic and Sanskrit Terms     197
Bibliography     201
Biographical Notes     209