Divine Enchantment

In this luminous mystical poem, John Neihardt tells the story of Princess Devanaguy, whose soul descends into an enchanted sleep deep enough to receive the god Vishnu himself. The divine visitor implants within her his sacred child and unfolds before her eyes the secret architecture of the cosmos: the great wheel of creation, the fallen angels' descent, and the coming age when gods will powerfully intervene in human affairs. Through ecstatic visions, Devanaguy beholds truths that shatter the boundaries of mortal understanding. Yet the poem's beating heart lies in her audacious questioning: can finite minds grasp infinite wisdom? Can the divine truly love us enough to act? Neihardt weaves Hindu mythology with Christian resonance, creating a bold syncretic vision where Eastern mysticism meets Western longing. Originally published in the 1920s, this work captures an era when American poets ventured boldly into Eastern spirituality. It endures for readers who crave spiritual quest narratives, who believe the veil between worlds can be pierced, and who wish to witness a mortal soul reaching upward toward the infinite.