ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a translation of the Upadeśāmṛtam. 38 It is a short work of flowing Sanskrit verses written by the Vaiṣṇava theologian, Rūpa Gosvāmī, in the sixteenth century, from Vrindavan, India. Rūpa Gosvāmī is a significant author in the history of world poetry and theology, or sacred philosophy. Originally inspired and instructed by the great bhakta, ecstatic mystic, teacher, and revivalist, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya (1486–1533 CE), Rūpa became a prolific writer of theological, poetic, and dramatic works. He was one of the most important of several original theologians whose works were essential in establishing the Caitanya school of Vaiṣṇavism, originating in Bengal, India. Rūpa Gosvāmī is also known for his contribution of bhakti rasa, which represents a crowning achievement in the history of the development of dramatic theory and Sanskrit poetics.
