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Abhinavagupta's Portrait of a Guru: Revelation and Religious Authority in Kashmir Abhinavagupta's Portrait of a Guru: Revelation and Religious Authority in Kashmir The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:39987948 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA Abhinavagupta’s Portrait of a Guru: Revelation and Religious Authority in Kashmir A dissertation presented by Benjamin Luke Williams to The Department of South Asian Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the subject of South Asian Studies Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts August 2017 © 2017 Benjamin Luke Williams All rights reserved. Dissertation Advisor: Parimal G. Patil Benjamin Luke Williams ABHINAVAGUPTA’S PORTRAIT OF GURU: REVELATION AND RELIGIOUS AUTHORITY IN KASHMIR ABSTRACT This dissertation aims to recover a model of religious authority that placed great importance upon individual gurus who were seen to be indispensable to the process of revelation. This person-centered style of religious authority is implicit in the teachings and identity of the scriptural sources of the Kulam!rga, a complex of traditions that developed out of more esoteric branches of tantric "aivism. For convenience sake, we name this model of religious authority a “Kaula idiom.” The Kaula idiom is contrasted with a highly influential notion of revelation as eternal and authorless, advanced by orthodox interpreters of the Veda, and other Indian traditions that invested the words of sages and seers with great authority. The purpose of recovering and contextualizing the Kaula framework for religious authority is to demonstrate the ways in which it makes Abhinavagupta’s representation of himself as a guru in his lengthy “autobiographical” excerpts intelligible. Although Kaula notions of religious authority and transmission—focused on the agency and intervention of perfected masters (Siddhas)—inform Abhinavagupta’s representation of himself as a guru, his self-portrayal also adds new elements to what an ideal guru should be. A close reading of the form, content, and didactic power of Abhinavagupta autobiographical passages suggests that the ideal guru should not only be a fully-enlightened Kaula master, but also schooled in the finer points of Indian iii scholastic discourse and a connoisseur of Sanskrit poetry; in short, a cosmopolitan Siddha. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION . 1 § 1.1 Key Questions § 1.2 Methodology and Scope CHAPTER TWO: AGENTS OF REVELATION. 23 § 2.1 Revelation in M!m"#s" § 2.2 Revelation in the Pur"$as § 2.3 Revelation in Early %aiva Tantra § 2.4 Siddh"nta § 2.5 Mantrap!&ha § 2.6 Y"mala § 2.7 Vidy"p!&ha CHAPTER THREE: SIDDHAS AND REVELATION. 112 § 3.1 Kulam"rga: A Résumé § 3.2 Revelation in Kaula %aivism § 3.3 Matsyendran"tha § 3.4 Siddhas of the Krama CHAPTER FOUR: SIDDHAS IN KASHMIR. 157 § 4.1 The Descent of Siddhas into Kashmir § 4.2 Abhinavagupta on Revelation § 4.3 Abhinavagupta's Ideal Guru CHAPTER FIVE: ABHINAVAGUPTA AS A COSMOPOLITAN SIDDHA. 282 § 5.1 "Autobiographical" Narrative Epilogues § 5.2 The Pedigree of Family Lineage § 5.3 Born in the Right Place at the Right Time § 5.4 A Comprehensive Education § 5.5 Awakening: The Full Flowering of Realization CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSION. .336 BIBLIOGRAPHY. 345 v Acknowledgements There are so many teachers, friends, colleagues, and family members who have been an inspiration and a source of strength throughout the academic passage that culminated in this dissertation. In my undergraduate days at the University of Vermont, I landed in a department of excellent scholars who helped enkindle a passion for the study of religion. To William Paden I am grateful for showing me how great intellectual powers can be held lightly and gracefully when tempered with benevolence. Jonathan Gold I thank for his dry sense of humor, taking me under his wing, and countenancing my naive idealism as an undergraduate. In Sufia Uddin I found an extraordinary guide who believed in me at every step, and whom I truly hope to emulate as a teacher. At Harvard University I had the good fortune of working with a dissertation committee of distinguished professors who have also served as important mentors over the past ten years, from my wide-eyed first days as a graduate student until the dissertation defense. To Francis Clooney I am grateful for teaching me methods of close reading, at once critical and empathetic, which have expanded my appreciation for the many powers of religious texts. Anne Monius has been a peerless advisor who embodies the rare ideal of being tirelessly dedicated to her students, and her meticulous feedback on numerous drafts of dissertation chapters has done much to improve the final product. Parimal Patil, my primary advisor, has been a sympathetic provocateur, who has always felt free to point out misguided notions as I attempted to articulate my ideas, while simultaneously trusting in my ability to grow as an intellectual. I am grateful for his ever candid feedback, which has helped hone my ability to vi envision a large scale research project and systematically formulate my arguments. Finally, although I have had many excellent teachers at Harvard, Guy Leavitt deserves special mention for being a gentleman, for sharing so liberally from his reservoir of knowledge of Sanskrit, and inspiring me to approach the language systematically and comprehensively. Special thanks also go to Alex Watson for being so generous with his time and knowledge while at Harvard. I am extremely grateful to have received the Fulbright-Nehru student fellowship, which supported my doctoral research in Pondicherry, India, for what turned out to be an extremely fruitful year. At the École française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO), Pondicherry Centre, I found an extraordinary environment for Indological research. I benefited from reading !aiva Siddh"nta texts with R. Sathyanarayanan Sharma, and greatly appreciated his kindness and camaraderie. S.L.P. Anjaneya Sharma graciously took time out of his busy schedule to read Sanskrit with me, and his mastery of the language and good- humored nature both left a powerful impression. I was happy that my time at EFEO Pondicherry overlapped with the visit of a brilliant scholar of Indian philosophy, Kei Kataoka. In our daily Sanskrit sessions and lunches in and around Pondicherry, I was struck by Kei’s wit, razor-sharp sense of humor, and tremendous erudition. Finally, from the moment he returned to Pondicherry, Dominic Goodall served as an exceptional guide during my Fulbright grant, and I am extremely fortunate that he agreed to be an external advisor for this dissertation. Dominic is a rare and formidable scholar for whom I have the greatest respect. I whole-heartedly thank him for (on numerous occasions) vii making time to illuminate Sanskrit verses and passages I found perplexing, and for his comprehensive feedback on every chapter of the dissertation. I would like to acknowledge many of my friends who truly enriched my life during graduate school: Dan Capone, Tara Jones, Brad Kershner, Vedran Peric, Robert Wolsky, Kenzo An, Morgan Dix, Jon Darral-Rew, Federico Parra, Daniel Thorpe, John Churchill, Gibran Rivera, Luella Strattner, Clayton McClintock, Ted Saad, Mary Brooks, Sharon Maxwell, Sridhar Pingali, Bishop Paul Dupuis, Tom Huston, Mahadev Saphier, Gokul Sampath, Robert Canwell, Maya Sikand, and Shivani St. George. Much gratitude especially to Mark Schmanko and Dustin Diperna for showing me the possibility of a friendship that is creative, in the deepest sense of that word. I have many colleagues at Harvard to thank for sharing their brilliant minds and for their good will, in particular Tyler Neill, Roman Palitsky, Zak Stein, Sophia Nasti, Anna Mudd, Finnian Gerety, Kythe Heller, Nan Hutton, Rosanna Picascia, Clarisse Wells, Charlie Carstens, Caley Smith, Norman Sheidlower, Justin Fifield, and Seth Powell. During the writing of this dissertation I was extremely fortunate to have two phenomenal Sanskrit reading partners, not to mention deft intellectual associates, James Reich and Hamsa Stainton. Reading with them has been edifying, and more importantly, a total delight. Some of the fruits of our sessions are on display in references to the !r"ka#$hacarita in chapter five, and I thank them both for their incisive feedback on chapter drafts of this thesis. There are also colleagues who hail from other institutions, whose friendship has been a boon, including Mark McLaughlin, Nirajan Kafle, Borayin Maitreya Larios, Jason Schwartz, Nihar Purohit, Christopher Wallis, and Elaine viii Fisher. Two other scholars, whom I hesitate to call “colleague,” have been great supports during the writing phase of this dissertation, John Nemec and Shaman Hatley. I am so happy to have recently gotten to know John and for the opportunity to work with such a stand-up scholar and human being. I am grateful to Shaman for reading a chapter of the Kaulajñ!nanir"aya with me (which features in chapter three), providing excellent feedback on chapter two, sharing drafts of his forthcoming Brahmay!mala manuscript, and generously bestowing his knowledge in response to my many queries. The greatest support during this long road of study has come from my parents and step-parents, Zoe and Robin, Jeff and Elaine. I thank each of them for their unflinching belief in me—this entire endeavor owes so much to their love and support. More than anyone, my mother Zoe Hardy has provided the inspiration and the means to pursue my dreams. Who knows what amazing deeds I must have performed in past lives to merit a Mother like her. Jacob and Cait, who are also parents to me, I thank for their loving kindness all of these years.
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