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University of Copenhagen The Game of Knowledge Playing at Spiritual Liberation in 18th- and 19th-Century Western India Schmidt-Madsen, Jacob Publication date: 2019 Document version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Document license: CC BY-NC-ND Citation for published version (APA): Schmidt-Madsen, J. (2019). The Game of Knowledge: Playing at Spiritual Liberation in 18th- and 19th-Century Western India. Det Humanistiske Fakultet, Københavns Universitet. Download date: 04. okt.. 2021 The Game of Knowledge Playing at Spiritual Liberation in 18th- and 19th-Century Western India by Jacob Schmidt-Madsen Part 1 Thesis Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies University of Copenhagen 2019 THE GAME OF KNOWLEDGE: PLAYING AT SPIRITUAL LIBERATION IN 18TH- AND 19TH-CENTURY WESTERN INDIA Submitted by JACOB SCHMIDT-MADSEN, MA under the supervision of KENNETH GREGORY ZYSK, PhD, DPhil in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in the DEPARTMENT OF CROSS-CULTURAL AND REGIONAL STUDIES at the UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN 2019 The earliest datable gyān caupaṛ chart (Va72#7). Lucknow, 1780-82. Abstract English It has long since been established that the modern children's game of snakes and ladders originated from the Indian game of gyān caupaṛ (game of knowledge), but it has rarely been asked how gyān caupaṛ itself originated, and what exactly constitutes it. The present thesis tells the story of gyān caupaṛ based on nearly 150 unique and mostly unpublished game charts and several little explored secondary sources. The majority of the game charts derive from Vaiṣṇava and Jaina communities in 19th- century western India, though a few reach back to the late 18th century. The thesis argues that the charts developed from tantric drawings of the subtle body used for purposes of meditation and visualization, and only later acquired the properties of a formal game system. Other influences can be traced back to the 12th-century Chinese game of xuanfo tu (table of Buddha selection) and the 15th-century Italian game of gioco dell'oca (game of the goose), but gyān caupaṛ itself does not appear to have been invented before the late 17th or early 18th century. The game charts consist of a sequentially numbered and inscribed grid diagram overlaid with snakes and ladders forming connections between individual squares. The representational value of the charts changes according to the world-views of the different religious communities in which they appear, but they all share a common concern with questions of cosmography, karma, and religious practice. The design is remarkable for its close integration of game mechanics and theme, and while it is possible to reconstruct the rules by which the game was played, little can be said about the uses to which it may have been put beyond that of mere play. Plausible suggestions include education, divination, and self-exploration, but, as evidenced by the later history of the game, such uses have long since fallen away, leaving only the innocent fun of a purely abstract game system. i Danish Det har længe været kendt at det moderne børnespil snakes and ladders stammer fra det indiske spil gyān caupaṛ (videnspillet), men spørgsmål om hvor gyān caupaṛ selv stammer fra, og hvori det rent faktisk består, har sjældent været rejst. Den nærværende afhandling fortæller historien om gyān caupaṛ gennem små 150 unikke og overvejende upubliserede spilleplader samt en række underbelyste sekundære kilder. Størstedelen af spillepladerne stammer fra Vaiṣṇava- og Jaina-miljøer i 1800- tallets vestlige Indien, mens enkelte rækker tilbage til slutningen af 1700-tallet. Afhandlingen argumenterer for at spillepladerne repræsenterer en videreudvikling af tantriske fremstillinger af det astrale legeme til meditations- og visualiseringsbrug der først senere antog karakter af et spil. Andre indflydelser kan spores tilbage til det kinesiske spil xuanfo tu (buddhaudvægelsestabellen) fra 1100-tallet og det italienske spil gioco dell'oca (gåsespillet) fra 1400-tallet, men gyān caupaṛ selv synes først at være blevet til i slutningen af 1600-tallet eller begyndelsen af 1700-tallet. Spillepladerne består af et serielt nummereret og beskrevet feltdiagram med slanger og stiger der forbinder individuelle felter. Spillets repræsentationer veksler afhængig af verdenssynet i de forskellige religiøse miljøer spillepladerne stammer fra, men deler et fælles fokus på kosmografi, karmalære og religiøs praksis. Spildesignet udmærker sig ved en tæt sammenhæng mellem spilmekanik og tematik, og mens det er muligt at rekonstruere de oprindelige regler, er det svært at sige hvilke formål spillet måtte være blevet brugt til ud over ren underholdning. Læring, spådom og selvudforskning regnes alle for plausible forslag, men, som spillets senere historie vidner om, er en sådan brug for længst blevet opgivet til fordel for den uskyldige glæde ved et rent abstrakt spilsystem. ii Table of Contents Part 1: Thesis List of Figures . vii Notes on Transliteration . xiv Abbreviations . xv Preface . xviii Acknowledgments . xxi Introduction . 1 Thesis Outline . 11 Chapter 1: What's in a Game? . 17 Traditional Board Games. 19 Formal Systems . 21 Representational Value . 23 Research Design . 27 Reading the Charts . 29 Analyzing the Charts . 31 Chapter 2: The Beginnings of Gyān Caupaṛ . 35 European Influences . 43 Gioco dell'Oca . 43 Du Point au Point . 47 Ganj . 51 East Asian Influences . 54 Xuanfo Tu . 54 Sa Lam Rnam Bzhag . 58 iii South Asian Influences . 62 Phañjikā . 63 Caupaṛ . 68 Chapter 3: Source Material . 76 General Description . 79 Materials and Manufacture . 81 Illustrations . 84 Inscriptions . 89 Dice and Pawns . 92 Game Manuals . 94 History and Transmission . 96 Uses and Users . 106 Modern Traditions . 107 Early Traditions . 112 Chapter 4: Critical Reading and Analysis . 116 72-Square Vaiṣṇava Charts (Type a) . 120 Cosmos . 124 Realms of Existence . 124 Evolution and Involution 129 Karma . 136 Vices and Virtues . 136 Cycle of Rebirth . 141 Religious Practice . 144 Paths to Liberation . 144 The Subtle Body . 148 84-Square Jaina Charts (Type a1) . 157 Cosmos . 161 Realms and Beings . 161 Karma . 169 Theory and Practice . 169 iv Religious Practice . 177 Vows and Stages . 177 Jaina Tantra and Yoga 182 Comparative Analysis . 188 Chapter 5: Simulation and Narrative . 198 Rules of Play . 200 Basic Rules . 203 Randomizing Agents . 203 Special Throws . 205 Endgame . 207 Other Rules . 211 Sample Playthroughs . 213 72-Square Vaiṣṇava Chart (Type a) 214 84-Square Jaina Chart (Type a1) . 217 Experiential Analysis . 220 Entering the Chart . 223 Following the Path . 224 Creating the Narrative . 225 Interpreting the Experience . 227 Chapter 6: Related Cultural Forms and Practices . 231 Ex. 1: Anatomical Chart . 234 Ex. 2: Cosmographical Chart . 240 Ex. 3: Astrological Chart . 247 Conclusion . 252 Bibliography . 258 v Part 2: Appendices Appendix A: Game Charts . 287 A1: Provenance . 288 A2: Description . 309 Appendix B: Typology . 344 B1: Vaiṣṇava Charts . 346 B2: Jaina Charts . 354 B3: Ṣūfī Charts . 357 B4: Advaita Vedānta Charts . 359 B5: Unidentified Charts . 361 Appendix C: Transcriptions . 362 C1: 72-Square Vaiṣṇava Charts . 363 C2: 84-Square Jaina Charts . 388 Appendix D: Critical Readings. 474 D1: 72-Square Vaiṣṇava Charts (Type a) . 478 D2: 84-Square Jaina Charts (Type a1) . 504 Appendix E: Game Verses . 568 E1: Verses on Vaiṣṇava Charts . 569 E2: Verses on Jaina Charts . 579 Appendix F: Game Texts . 595 F1: Krīḍākauśalya 241-55. 595 F2: Jñān Bājī Ramvānī Rīt. 605 vi List of Figures Frontispiece: The earliest datable gyān caupaṛ chart (Va72#7). Lucknow, 1780-82. Commissioned by Richard Johnson (1753-1807). © British Library Board, London. Acc. no. Johnson Album 5,8. Fig. 1: Untitled game with snakes and ladders. British design registration no. 200682. F. H. Ayres, London, October 1892. © National Archives, London. Fig. 2: Untitled game with arrows and ladders. British patent registration no. 5586. Richard Harte, Croydon, 15 March 1893. © British Library Board, London. Fig. 3: The Royal Pastime of Cupid, or Entertaining Game of the Snake. Published by Richard Holmes Laurie, London, c. 1850. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Acc. no. E.1747-1954. Fig. 4: 124-square Vaiṣṇava gyān caupaṛ chart (Va124#1). Maharashtra (Pune?), c. 1800. © Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, London. Acc. no. 051.001. Fig. 5: Snakes and ladders. Published by Chad Valley Games, Birmingham, 1920-30. Private collection of Luigi Ciompi. Available for non-commercial use at: http://www.giochidelloca.it/scheda.php?id=883. Retrieved 20 Jan, 2019. Fig. 6: The formal system of gyān caupaṛ. Fig. 7: Sample hunt game. Fig. 8: The representational value attributed to the formal system of gyān caupaṛ. Fig. 9: 84-square Jaina chart (Ja84#3a). Rajasthan, dated 1735/36 CE. Possibly a later forgery. Current location unknown. Reproduced from Topsfield 2006a (p. 76, fig. 2). Fig. 10: Il Nuovo et Placevole Gioco dell Ocha. Published by Lucchino Gargano, Italy, 1598. © British Museum, London. Acc. no. 1869,0410.2465.+. Fig. 11: Game of the goose. Gujarat, c. mid-16th century. © Metropolitan Museum, New York. Acc. no. 62.14. vii Fig. 12: Filosofia cortesana. Designed by Alonso de Barros, Madrid, 1587. This version printed by Mario Cartaro, Naples, 1588. © British Museum, London. Acc. no. 1869,0410.2463.+. Fig. 13: Du point au point: pour la fuite des vices et pour la pratique des vertus. Engraved by Le Bossu, Dijon, c. 1675-80. Private collection of Adrian Seville. Available for non- commercial use at: http://www.giochidelloca.it/scheda.php?id=673. Retrieved 20 Jan, 2019. Fig. 14: Ganj. Lucknow, 1780-82. Commissioned by Richard Johnson (1753-1807). Currently in the British Library, London, Johnson Album 5,5. Reproduced from Digby 2006b (p. 108). Fig. 15: Xuanfo tu. Modern reproduction. Currently in the Harvard-Yenching Library, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Reproduced with additional graphics from Ngai 2011 (p. 147, fig. 4.2). Fig. 16: Shengguan tu. China, 1840. © Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford. Acc. no. Sinica 440/2. Fig. 17: Sa lam rnam bzhag.
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