Everyday play in mothering Krishna: rethinking devotional seva (service) and prayer in the Pushtimarg

This thesis is an anthropological study that uses the lens of prayer to explore relationship-building, kinship and play with Krishna in his child form. The ethnographic research took seventeen months with the Pushtimarg (Path of Grace), a transnational Vaishnava bhakti (devotional) movement, in Gujarat India, London and Leicester in the UK. The Pushtimarg practice seva, a devotional service, to baby Krishna which parallels human behaviour such as waking, feeding, sleeping and playing. Seva amongst the Pushtimarg is described as “not quite ritual”, and not “service” in a hierarchical show of humility, national pride or humanitarian aid. Prayer, as both a universal analytic and with a particular definition, offers a relational and communicative understanding of worship. In my interlocutors’ terms, puja (worship) is aligned with ritual, as more rule-bound, while seva is the loving relationship between human and the divine that is unbounded and spontaneous. Indeed, through seva Krishna as a cheeky baby or toddler is made relatable, rather than inspiring awe as transcendent. This awakens a devotional love most often performed in the role of a mother or lover. The social and the individual balance in the explorations of the public performance of seva that is guru-led, yatra (sacred journeys) and connection to land. Yet, the intimacy of the domestic presents a unique perspective into the relationship between human and divine. This thesis suggests that a closer look into the absorptive practices of prayer and seva as care for the divine shows how playful worship is relational and offers a (re)framing of mundane life into a wonder-filled otherworldly (alaukika) perspective.