Gopīnāth Kavirāj e la scienza solare

Sara Bianchi

doi:10.13135/1825-263X/3625

Sara Bianchi independent researcher

DOI: https://doi.org/10.13135/1825-263X/3625

Keywords: Gopīnāth Kavirāj, Indian philosophy, Tantra, tantric sādhanā, guru, sūrya-vijñāna

Abstract

This paper outlines the richness and complexity of Gopīnāth Kavirāj’s (1887-1976) contribution to the Indological studies, in particular in the field of Tantric studies. Kavirāj was at the same time an important academic scholar acknowledged both in India and in the West, a traditional paṇḍit and a Tantric sādhaka. These three experiences were inextricably connected: for him the only valuable knowledge was the one that allows spiritual achievements. The focus is in particular on sūrya-vijñāna (solar science), a nearly unkown technique to materialize objects seemingly from nothing, strictly connected to Kavirāj’s guru, Viśuddhānand Paramhaṃs. In my opinion Kavirāj’s treatment of sūrya-vijñāna is an interesting example of the link between sādhanā world and critical thought in his work.

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Author Biography

Sara Bianchi, independent researcher

Sara Bianchi graduated in Hindi Language and Literature at the University of Turin. In 2010 she got her PhD in Indological and Tibetological Studies with a dissertation on Gopīnāth Kavirāj’s thought and work. She has worked as translator and editor and has taught the Hindi and Italian languages to migrants and refugees.

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