Two moles on Rādhā’s face. New philosophical suggestions in Keśavadāsa’s Nakhaśikha descriptions

This paper outlines some connections between distinct traditions, Sūfīsm and Persian literature on the one hand, and bhakti applied to Rītikāvya on the other, particularly in relation to references to moles in Keśavadāsa’s Nakha-śikha descriptions from Kavipriyā (Handbook for poets, 1601). Although his work displays close similarities with Sanskrit literary patterns, with few references to the Persian language in his compositions, Keśavadāsa does refer to this trait which strays from his poetic traditions. We can therefore trace in his works a trend towards contamination between Persian influences and traditional Sanskrit patterns which brought a new syncretic influence to Hindi literature.