The book "Bhakti in Vaiṣṇava Traditions" provides a comprehensive exploration of the diverse dimensions of bhakti (devotion) within the Vaiṣṇava traditions of India. Vaiṣṇavism, a major pillar of India's spiritual heritage, is deeply rooted in the practice of bhakti, which signifies intense love and devotion towards the divine. The book is divided into three sections: Bhāgavata Purāṇa and Bhagavad Gītā, Bhakti in Vedanta, and Regional Traditions. The first section examines the foundational texts of bhakti—Bhāgavata Purāṇa and Bhagavad Gītā—which articulate the profound relationship between the devotee and the divine. Through themes such as divine līlās (cosmic plays), devotional aesthetics, and interpretative roles of commentators, this part illuminates the transformative power of unwavering devotion. The second section addresses bhakti within Vedāntic philosophy, with a focus on Śaṅkara's Advaita Vedanta and its evolution in the writings of Rāmānuja, Svāminārāyaṇa, Nimbārka, and Madhusūdana Sarasvati. It explores how each of these Vedāntic traditions conceptualizes and integrates bhakti, offering a nuanced view of the diverse philosophical frameworks within Vaiṣṇavism. The final section delves into the regional manifestations of Vaiṣṇava bhakti, covering traditions such as the Vārkarī movement, Caitanya Vaiṣṇavism, and Braj Vaiṣṇavism. This section captures the rich cultural and devotional expressions that vary across regions, further illustrating the dynamic and multifaceted nature of bhakti within Vaiṣṇava practice. Through its examination of scriptural texts, philosophical developments, and regional traditions, this book presents a vivid portrait of the role of bhakti in shaping the spiritual landscape of Vaiṣṇavism.

‘And as long as my spirit dwells in my body, maiden with the serene smile! I will be yours, this is the solemn truth I tell thee.’ The quotation is a translation of Otto Fredrik Tullberg’s (1802–1853) inscription on a stone in Uppsala. In the 1830s, Tullberg carved out these lines in Sanskrit, derived from the fifth song of the story of Nala and Damayanti in Mahabharata, as a declaration of love to his fiancé Sophia Ridderbielke (Bhikhabhai 2016). The Orientalist Tullberg is often recognized as the founder of Indological studies and the first to introduce an interest for Indian religions in Swedish academia.

This chapter provides an overview of the development of the study of Indian religions at Swedish universities, which started in the nineteenth century with an Orientalist and philological study of classical language and texts and evolved into comparative Indo-European languages and Indology. As the discipline of History of Religions was established in the twentieth century, the study of Indian religions was gradually separated from linguistics and came to include theoretical and methodological approaches from humanities and social sciences that combined ethnographic research on contemporary religions with studies of history, languages and texts. The overview illustrates how the fields of research have expanded and diversified to include Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Sikh traditions which trace their origins to India and historically expanded to greater Asia and later globally through an extensive migration, as well as ideas and practices derived from the Indian traditions in movements that operate transnationally across borders. While the international study of the Asian religions has developed into specialized and interdisciplinary research fields of Hindu, Buddhist, Jaina and Sikh studies, Sweden has never developed corresponding research environments. Rather, the study of Indian religions has been firmly incorporated within the discipline of History and Anthropology of Religion and worked closely with the philological study of Indian languages and texts....

The article Chaitanya Birthplace Controversy examines the historical, cultural, and religious significance of the dispute between two competing locations—Nabadwip and Mayapur—as the birthplace of the revered Bengali saint Kṛṣṇa Caitanya (1486–1534), the central figure of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. The study traces the rise of Nabadwip as a religious and educational center from the 15th century onward, and its gradual decline as colonial and political influences reshaped the region. The controversy intensified in 1894 when Bhaktivinoda Thakur, a key reformer of the Vaishnava movement, identified Mayapur as the true birthplace of Caitanya. His son, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, solidified this claim through the establishment of religious institutions and pilgrimages. The article explores the religious, sociological, and economic implications of this dispute, focusing on the role of sacred geography, institutional rivalry, and the transformation of both locations into major pilgrimage sites. The article concludes by analyzing the ongoing tensions between the communities of Nabadwip and Mayapur and their respective claims to Caitanya's legacy.

This article explores the life and contributions of Vinode Vani Dasi (Daisy Cecilia Bowtell), one of the first Western female devotees of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition. Born in England in 1887, Vinode Vani Dasi became deeply involved in the Gaudiya Math movement, dedicating her life to the propagation of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's teachings in Britain. The article delves into her spiritual journey, highlighting her role as a dedicated supporter, teacher, and even an officiating guru within the Gaudiya Mission in London. It examines her contributions to the establishment of the Vasudeva Gaudiya Math in London and her involvement in numerous spiritual activities. Drawing on letters, interviews, and historical documents, the article provides a detailed portrait of Vinode Vani’s devotion, her relationship with Gaudiya Vaishnavism, and her lasting impact on the development of the tradition in the West.

The events that are the focus of the present investigation relate to a schism within the Gaudiya Math and Mission, a modern traditionalist Hindu religious institution dedicated to the revival of Chaitanya Vaishnava bhakti that was set in motion in 1918 in Mayapur, West Bengal, by the Bengali Vaishnava intellectual Swami Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati (1874-1937). By the time of Bhaktisiddhanta's passing in 1937, the Gaudiya Math and Mission had grown to be a dynamic and influential institution. Bhaktisiddhanta's departure had nevertheless exposed palpable tensions within his fledgling movement that assumed the form of a dramatic crisis of succession that engulfed the institution soon after his passing. This article examines in some detail the first three months of the initial court case that ensued after Bhaktisiddhanta's passing. The material to be examined herein has been acquired from the archives of the Calcutta High Court. These legal documents offer a unique glimpse into the complex inner dy namics of this modern Gaudiya Vaishnava schismatic conflict.

Handbook of Hinduism in Europe portrays and analyses how Hindu traditions have expanded across the continent, and presents the main Hindu communities, religious groups, forms, practices and teachings. The Handbook does this in two parts, Part One covers historical and thematic topics which are of importance for understanding Hinduism in Europe as a whole and Part Two has chapters on Hindu traditions in every country in Europe. Hindu traditions have a long history of interaction with Europe, but the developments during the last fifty years represent a new phase. Globalization and increased ease of communication have led to the presence of a great plurality of Hindu traditions. Hinduism has become one of the major religions in Europe and is present in every country of the continent.

During the twentieth century, various unsuccessful attempts were made by certain European Hindu communities to organise forums and umbrella organisations at the national level. That changed in the first decades of the twenty-first century when several such organisations were formally registered, thus providing their communities with a platform for political, social, and cultural interaction and exchange. This chapter focuses on the twelve national umbrella organisations that are members of the Hindu Forum of Europe (HFE) and the challenges they face when interacting with Europe’s secular states, which have been challenged by the growing diversity of their national religious landscapes

Sweden’s encounter with Hindu traditions began with the first Swedish Indologists, who translated a number of Indic texts from German or English into the Swedish tongue. Not long thereafter, Swedish language-studies scholars began making their own translations directly from the Sanskrit, and eventually Hinduism itself arrived at Sweden’s shores with the first wave of migrants from South Asia. Today, Hinduism in Sweden is represented by a variety of communities, which can be distinguished according to their unique ethnic, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds. Its presence and cultural impact is made known through a diversity of Hindu temples and organisations, annual festivals such as Rathayātrā and Dīvālī, newly established guru movements, Western converts, and the widespread practice of yoga. Despite certain ongoing challenges, Hindus appear to be well-integrated members of Swedish society who actively participate in all aspects of Swedish culture. Umbrella organisations have been created for the purpose of cooperation and representation as well as for preserving Hindu identity among diaspora communities. One of the primary challenges facing members of the Hindu diaspora concerns the transmission of their various religious traditions to future generations.

Bringing together scholars from across the disciplines of social and intellectual history, philology, theology, and anthropology to systematically investigate Vaiṣṇavism in colonial Bengal, this book highlights the significant roles—religious, social, and cultural—that a prominent Hindu devotional current played in the lives of wide and diverse sections of colonial Bengali society. Not only does the book thereby enrich our understanding of the history and development of Bengali Vaiṣṇavism, but it also sheds valuable new light on the texture and dynamics of colonial Hinduism beyond the discursive and social-historical parameters of an entrenched Hindu "Renaissance" paradigm. A landmark in the burgeoning field of Bengali Vaiṣṇava studies, this book will be of interest to scholars of modern Hinduism, religion, and colonial South Asian social and intellectual history.

It is customary to conceive of the manifold Vaiṣṇava trajectories and modalities that find their source of inspiration in Viṣṇu or one of his numerous alternate identities—most commonly, Rāma or Kṛṣṇa—as broadly constituting a cohesive “religious current”. Indeed, the term “Vaiṣṇava” is suggestive of an “overarching” religion. Such an understanding is justified not least by the broad continuity of conceptions of the divine and the somewhat congruent textual and ritual foundations exhibited by the various Vaiṣṇava traditions across several centuries and South Asian regions. It is nevertheless essential to bear in mind that such a unitary construal of Vaiṣṇavism, even if at times articulated in indigenous sources, can only ever be an “ideal view”, one that in reality corresponds to the “aggregation of a multitude of varied traditions”. Any critical approach to Vaiṣṇavism cannot therefore fail to attend to the specificities concomitant with a given Vaiṣṇava expression’s geographical and temporal context. The present introduction discusses the book, which proffers a focused examination of Vaiṣṇavism in one such context.