Garland of Devotees: Nabhadas' 'Bhaktamal' and Modern Hinduism

This dissertation explores the Bhaktamal and its subsequent tradition. Nabhadas' late sixteenth- or early seventeenth-century collection of hagiographies praises the qualities of hundreds of devotees and thereby sets the boundaries of a devotional community that far exceeds the sectarian context in which its author wrote. By closely considering the Bhaktamal, its commentaries, manuscripts, and print editions, this thesis traces crucial aspects of the development of modern Hinduism from the early seventeenth century until the beginning of the twentieth. Priyadas completed the first major commentary on the Bhaktamal in 1712, approximately a century after Nabhadas composed his garland. Priyadas presents a conception of the Vaishnava community that differs significantly from Nabhadas'. After Priyadas, the Bhaktamal tradition continued to develop through a thriving manuscript culture, and the Bhaktamal became a popular text. During the nineteenth century, the Bhaktamal shaped British understandings of Indian society and played a central role in traditionalist articulations of modern Hinduism. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the concerted efforts of "Sitaramsaran&dotbelow;" Bhagvan Prasad "Rupkala" and George Abraham Grierson helped to create a sense of fixity within the Bhaktamal tradition. Since the time of its composition, the Bhaktamal has remained a prominent locus of dispute over the boundaries and logic of the broad-based devotional community that we now know as Hinduism.