Reading Royal Ideology in the Devī Māhātmya

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Reading Royal Ideology in the Devī Māhātmya University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies The Vault: Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2015-09-24 Mother of Power, Mother of Kings: Reading Royal Ideology in the Devī Māhātmya Balkaran, Raj Balkaran, R. (2015). Mother of Power, Mother of Kings: Reading Royal Ideology in the Devī Māhātmya (Unpublished doctoral thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/27012 http://hdl.handle.net/11023/2490 doctoral thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Mother of Power, Mother of Kings: Reading Royal Ideology in the Devī Māhātmya by Raj Balkaran A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY GRADUATE PROGRAM IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES CALGARY, ALBERTA SEPTEMBER, 2015 © Raj Balkaran 2015 Abstract The Sanskrit narrative text Devī Māhātmya, “The Greatness of The Goddess” (henceforth DM), extols the triumphs of an all-powerful Goddess, Durgā, over universe-imperiling demons. These exploits are embedded in an intriguing frame narrative: a deposed king solicits the counsel of a forest-dwelling ascetic, who narrates the tripartite acts of Durgā which comprise the main body of the text. Why is this? This study argues that the DM’s frame narrative cleverly engages a dichotomy at the heart of Hinduism: the opposing ideals of asceticism and kingship. These ideals comprise two strands of what is referred to herein as the brāhmaṇic double helix. This work decodes the symbolism of encounters between forest hermits and exiled kings through the lens of the dharmic double helix, demonstrating the extent to which this common narrative trope masterfully encodes the ambivalence of brāhmaṇic ideology. Engaging the tension between the moral necessity for nonviolence and the sociopolitical necessity for violence, this project deconstructs the ideological ambivalence throughout the DM to demonstrate that its frame narrative invariably sheds light on its core content. Its very structure serves to emphasize a theme that prevails throughout the text, one inalienable to the rubric of the episodes themselves: sovereignty on both cosmic and mundane scales. Acknowledging narrative’s paramount function of encoding ideology, this project locates the DM ideologically more so than historically. To draw from Umberto Eco’s narrative theory, this study argues that the DM’s model reader is not only expected to be equipped with the ideological savvy outlined above, but also with a certain structural savvy. The former of these interpretational tools pertains to content, while the latter pertains to form. Regarding the latter, this research demonstrates that the DM’s narrative enframement is an indispensable component ii of a complex, consciously orchestrated, meaningful narrative structure, one purposefully geared towards encoding ideology and eliciting interpretation through structural cues. It constitutes a synchronic study of the glories of the Goddess, one that necessarily makes sense of the text as a whole, frame and all. As emphasized by its subtitle, this thesis is not merely about royal ideology in the DM, it is equally about how to read that ideology. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! iii Acknowledgements The list of conversation partners (friends, strangers, colleagues, students, mentors – and everything in between) who have enriched my life and work is too great to reproduce here. I hope that I’ve been successful in conveying my gratitude to each of them directly. Nevertheless, I wish to acknowledge those who have most crucially contributed to this undertaking. My work has benefitted tremendously from the expertise and influence of my academic supervisor, Dr. Elizabeth Rohlman. Her contribution far exceeds the boundaries of these pages. Among the many things I admire about her are her love of knowledge, commitment to education, and appreciation of narrative. I am very grateful for her continued mentorship and presence in my life. I wish to thank the faculty at the Department of Classics and Religion at the University of Calgary, most notably Drs. Reyes Bertolin, Craig Ginn, Irving Hexham, Morny Joy, Anne Moore, Tinu Ruparell, Eliezer Segal, and Virginia Tumasz. A special note of gratitude goes to Dr. Christopher Framarin, who served on my supervisory committee. Also, it was an honour and a pleasure to have had Dr. Greg Bailey (La Trobe University) aboard as my external examiner. I am indebted to him for his support, and his many fine insights on how to further develop this work. I wish to offer a special thank you to Dr. Hillary Rodrigues (University of Lethbridge). He was not only a member of my doctoral committee, he has been an important influence for me: it was in fact he who pointed me in the direction of the University of Calgary for doctoral studies. I am also grateful to my mentors at the University of Toronto. The influence of Dr. Ajay Rao proved indispensable to my decision to do graduate work under his supervision. I am also indebted to Dr. Arti Dhand for her ongoing inspiration and support. Dr. Walter Dorn (Royal Military College of Canada), too, has played an important role in my path. He was especially instrumental in inaugurating my publishing career. iv I thank my family for their ongoing support of my life’s work, however unexpected its twists and turns. I would like to especially thank my parents for granting me the freedom to make my own choices from a very young age, and my sister, Amanda, for her unrelenting encouragement. Speaking of family, I owe a heartfelt debt of gratitude to Murray and Ruth Roth, who took me in when I came to Calgary, and provided me with a loving home. I learned a great many things from their way of being, least of which was the importance of community. This work would not have been completed without the immense support and guidance of Dr. Babu G. Rao, one of the finest healers and teachers on the planet. He has occasioned deep insight and transformation within me, and I cannot thank him enough for guarding my wellbeing so that I could complete this work. I am forever grateful. Dedication v This work is dedicated to my godfather, K.L. Mantri, in gratitude for his love and patience, and for setting me upon this path of knowledge. vi Table of Contents Abstract .............................................................................................................................. ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iv Dedication .......................................................................................................................... vi Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... vii List of Tables....................................................................................................................... ix Epigraph.............................................................................................................................. x Introduction: Framing Ascetics Framing Kings................................................................... 1 Chapter Outline........................................................................................................ 5 A Note on Nomenclature......................................................................................... 7 Chapter 1: Framing the Framing......................................................................................... 9 Frame I: Colonial Encounters with Purāṇic Narratives............................................ 10 Frame II: Scholarly Encounters with the Devī Māhātmya....................................... 23 Frame III: A Matching Methodology for Thinking in Circles................................. 37 1. Hermeneutic Tool I: Reading a Ring............................................................. 40 2. Hermeneutic Tool II: Ideological Import....................................................... 46 Chapter 2: Finding the Forest Hermit.................................................................................. 54 I. Brāhmaṇism’s Dharmic Double Helix................................................................. 55 II. Encoding the Double Helix................................................................................. 65 1. Village and Wilderness in the Religious Imagination................................... 66 2. Forest-Hermits in the Mahābhārata............................................................. 73 3. Finding the Forest Hermit: Tracing the Fate of the Exiled King................... 79 III. Ascetic Ideology in the Devī Māhātmya........................................................... 84 Chapter 3: Mother of Kings................................................................................................. 91 I. The Womb of Royal Power.................................................................................. 92 II. The Indian King: Divine Protector..................................................................... 107 vii III. Royal Ideology in the Devī Māhātmya.............................................................
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