Seeing Krishna: The Religous World of a Brahman Family in Vrindaban
Margaret H. Case
Oxford University Press, 2000.

Seeing Krishna provides a window into the rich world of contemporary devotional Hinduism, a world that we have not had a chance to explore very well in this course. On the other hand, nearly everything we have done will prepare you for reading this book. Therefore, the extra-credit project on Seeing Krishna asks you to address the world of the book in terms resonate with your course learning, and perhaps with learning you have achieved in other courses. You may think of this as a "response paper," that is, an essay which presents a thoughtful, analytic response to the book. Start with ideas and themes that intrigue you, attending especially to the ways the material in this book takes as its starting point the classic stories of Krishna's loves that we considered in the Bhagavata Purana. Another starting point is the third chapter of Eck, in which she discusses the experience of sacred geography. One way of thinking about the essay is an answer to the question: What is it like for Maharaj ji, his family, and the others of the town to live in Vrindaban, where Krishna lived and played? What does it mean for them to be in this place and live a life which revolves around "seeing Krishna."

This essay should be a minimum of six pages, and executed in a format following "Style Sheet: Mechanicals." The assignment is required of Religious Studies Majors, and optional for everyone else. A possible additional 7% extra credit may be earned, depending on the quality of your work. Shape your work in structure and style so that it is intelligent and enjoyable for the reader. The essay is due by Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 12 noon in the box next to my office door.