Abstract

The divine player attempts to analyze the relationship between play and religion in the context of Hinduism. It focuses primarily on the youthful god Krsna. The first part part of the book surveys the role of play among the gods and concludes that play seems to be an intrinsic part of the divine in Hinduism. The second part of the book investigates the role of play in religious cult, again focusing on the various Krsna cults. This section concludes that, although playful themes pervade man's religious activity in devotion to Krsna, cultiic activity may not be reduced to play, as some scholars have suggested. The final section of the book points to examples of divine and cultic play in non-Hindu traditions.