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Epic love poems often share common thematic elements — love in union, love in separation, and love in reunion. While two different religious and cultural traditions such as Islamic Sufism and Hindu Bhaktism might seem to have little in common, their literary expression might suggest otherwise. Lalita Sinha investigates this possibility in Unveiling the Garden of Love by finding common threads shared between the classic love poems The Story of Layla Majnun (written by Nezami in the Sufi tradition) and Gita Govinda (written by Jayadeva in the Hindu tradition). These literary masterpieces, through the saga of human love, open a doorway to understanding the shared experiences of these two diverse religions.
About the Author(s)
Lalita Sinha
Lalita Sinha studied world literatures at Universiti Sains Malaysia, where she served as Senior Lecturer in Comparative Literature and Comparative Religion for more than three decades. Her previous book, The Other Salina: A. Samad Said’s Masterpiece in Translation (2006) has been highly commended by Malaysian National Laureates and the academic book publishers’ council of Malaysia. She currently lives in Penang, Malaysia. Unveiling the Garden of Love is primarily based on her Ph.D research, which is an interpretation and comparison of mystical poems of the Hindu-Bhakti and Islamic-Sufi traditions based on the Traditionalist viewpoint
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Harry Oldmeadow
Harry Oldmeadow was coordinator of Philosophy and Religious Studies at La Trobe University in Australia and author of the acclaimed Traditionalism: Religion in the Light of the Perennial Philosophy (2000), an authoritative introduction to the perspective of Perennialism. Prof. Oldmeadow's contributions to World Wisdom books & DVDs include:
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Reviews
- Lalita Sinha is undoubtedly a talented and thoughtful scholar, endowed with a literary intuition and an understanding of complicated issues related to the mystical interpretation of literary works.
Vladimir Braginsky, Professor of Comparative Literature and Southeast Asian and Islamic Mysticism
- This book combines a hermeneutical approach, masterful and impressive scholarship, analysis, interpretation, and insightful reading, in juxtaposing two traditions. It is rich and penetrating in its understanding of longing and separation, fusion, and confusion relative to mystical states, and the symbolism is deftly treated.
Professor Abrahim H. Khan, Trinity College, University of Toronto
- Comprehensive and very well structured.
Professor Dr. Muhammad Haji Salleh, Poet Laureate of Malaysia
