The Breathing Body, Whistling Flute, and Sonic Divine: Oneness and Distinction in Bengal Vaishnavism’s Devotional Aesthetics

This paper studies complex narratives connecting the Hindu deity Krishna, his melodious flute, and porous, sonic human body in popular devotional sect, Bengal Vaishnavism. From devotee–lover responding to Krishna’s flute call outside, envying flute’s privileged position on lips, becoming deity’s through yogic breath–sound fusions—texts abound with nuanced relations of equivalence differentiation among devotee–flute–god. Based primarily readings religious texts, fieldwork makers/players bamboo analyses theological constructions correlating body–flute–divinity. Lying at confluence yogic, tantric, thought, striking conceptual problem about Vaishnavism is: are body, divinity distinct or same? I argue that descriptions both classical Sanskrit texts oral lore performances draw together ostensibly opposed paradigms Yoga (oneness divinity) passionate devotion/bhakti (difference): its fine, airy feeling fusing body’s inner breathing self, sweet melody producing a subservient temperament towards lover–god outside. Flute sounds embody peculiar dialectic difference-and-identity devotee–flute–god, much like flute–lip-lock itself, bringing affective life Vaishnava philosophical foundation achintya-bhed-abhed (inconceivability between principles separation indistinction).