Center for the Study of the Early Modern World

David Buchta’s primary area of specialization is Sanskrit poetry and theology of bhakti, particularly in the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava tradition associated with Caitanya (1486-1533). His approach to this body of literature highlights the interdisciplinarity of the Sanskritic intellectual world; he has thus developed secondary specializations in traditions of Sanskrit poetics (alaṅkāra), linguistics and grammar (vyākaraṇa),philosophical literature (darśana), and technical literature (śāstra) more generally. Buchta is also interested in the reception of Sanskrit literature in Bengali and Hindi sources.