Jhanki

(“glimpse”) A momentary “glimpse” of
the divine, in which the devotee (bhakta)
gains momentary access to the world of
the gods. Jhankis are most often conveyed through the performing arts:
through the mental images created
when devotional poetry is read, recited,
or sung, or through the images presented
in religious dance, drama, or film.
During these momentary encounters,
the devotee comes briefly into the presence of the deity, sharing the deity’s
world. This stress on the opportunity to
experience a brief physical presence in
the deity’s world is particularly strong in
the Vaishnava devotionalism connected
with the gods Krishna and Rama.
Worship of these deities often stresses
visualization of the deity’s life and everyday actions as a way for devotees to gain
access to that divine world. Devotees of
both deities have created plays, or lilas,
to aid them in this process: for Rama,
they are the Ram Lilas, which are performed throughout India during the
autumn festival season, and for Krishna,
they are the Krishna Lilas, performed
during the annual monsoon season in
Brindavan, Krishna’s childhood home.