Bridal Mysticism: A Study of St. Bernard of Clairvaux and Nammalvar
2008; Duquesne University Press; Volume: 43; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
2162-3937
Autores Tópico(s)Augustinian Studies and Theology
ResumoSt. Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153) belonged to the Cistercian order and, according to Ewert Cousins, played a decisive role in the monastic reform of the twelfth century, stimulating the development of the newly founded Cistercian Order and infusing into its spirituality his own dynamic vision.... He gave impetus to two devotions that flourished in the later Middle Ages, becoming major forces in subsequent spirituality: devotion to Mary and to the humanity of Christ. (1) Cousins pointed out that Bernard become the classic guide for who follow the path of love in Christian spirituality. (2) Among the several works of St. Bernard, we need to look at two of his writings to understand his love mysticism--especially bridal mysticism: On Loving and Sermons on the Song of Songs. According to Jean Leclercq, for Bernard, love was the sole object of the scriptures: Everything comes from and must lead to love; Out of love God seeks us and wants us to seek him. He longs for us, draws us to himself, and is present to us through his powerful words and in his Word. (3) The term Alvar, meaning those who are deep into and immersed in their devotion to Vishnu, refers to a group of twelve poet-saints of South India, particularly the Tamil-speaking area, who lived between the fifth and sixth centuries of the Common Era. Their devotional poems, collectively called Nalayiradivyaprabhandam (Four Thousand Sacred Verses), have remained central to the life of Vaisnavas in South India and to the shaping of the philosophy of Visistadvaita Vedanta (qualified nondualistic Vedanta). The devotion of the Alvars was inspired largely by the stories of Vishnu's incarnations (avatars) narrated in the epics and the Puranas. Their devotion was expressed in the joyful recalling of stories of Vishnu's incarnations, particularly Rama and Krishna, and by imitative role-playing in which they assumed the relationships of servant, child, parent, and lover of the incarnate Lord. They became Yasodha, the foster mother of Krishna; Devaki and Vasudeva, Krishna's real parents; and gopis, the cowherd women of Brindavan, who were romantically involved with Krishna. They also became Kausalya, mother of Rama, and Dasaratha, father of Rama, who died of the agony of separation from his beloved exiled son. The richness of their religious experience, therefore, consisted in the realization of the love of Yasodha for Krishna, of Devaki and Vasudeva for Krishna, of the gopis, and of Kausalya and Dasaratha. Whether in the general role of a child or a servant or in legendary roles such as of Yasodha and others, the devotion of the Alvars consisted in fully realizing the emotional dimensions of their roles. It is interesting to see that many of these characters shared episodes of tragic separation from their focus of love. For instance, though Devaki was the biological mother of Krishna, Krishna was brought up by Yasodha from birth, and Devaki had no opportunity to caress baby Krishna. The gopis who sought the companionship of Krishna were often denied this privilege by Krishna. The Alvars, by assuming these roles, were in some sense striving to experience the pain and agony of separation from their beloved. The logic behind this seems to be that the more they felt separated from God, the more they yearned for God. From their point of view, the best way to sustain one's constant remembrance of (the definition of bhakti, devotion, in Ramanuja) is to feel intensely the sense of separation from God. The bridal mysticism of Nammalvar emerges in the context of the love of the gopis for Krishna, with Nammal_var assuming the form of a woman who has fallen madly in love with Kannan (Krishna). There is another side to this love mysticism; for Nammalvar, the love is triggered, so to speak, by experiencing the beauty of icons installed in temples of Vishnu. This is considered one form of divine manifestation (arca avatara), in which Vishnu, the transcendent and supreme being, out of grace and love for his devotees, who are entangled in the endless and apparently fruitless cycle of rebirths (karma) as a result of having lost their initial connection with the creator at the time of creation, makes himself accessible in iconic form to redeem them. …
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