India's Religions and Caste System
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THE COW in the ELEVATOR an Anthropology of Wonder the COW in the ELEVATOR Tulasi Srinivas
TULASI SRINIVAS THE COW IN THE ELEVATOR AN ANTHROPOLOGY OF WONDER THE COW IN THE ELEVATOR tulasi srinivas THE COW IN THE ELEVATOR An Anthropology of Won der Duke University Press · Durham and London · 2018 © 2018 Duke University Press All rights reserved Printed in the United States of Amer ic a on acid-f ree paper ∞ Text designed by Courtney Leigh Baker Cover designed by Julienne Alexander Typeset in Minion Pro by Westchester Publishing Services Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data Names: Srinivas, Tulasi, author. Title: The cow in the elevator : an anthropology of won der / Tulasi Srinivas. Description: Durham : Duke University Press, 2018. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: lccn 2017049281 (print) | lccn 2017055278 (ebook) isbn 9780822371922 (ebook) isbn 9780822370642 (hardcover : alk. paper) isbn 9780822370796 (pbk. : alk. paper) Subjects: lcsh: Ritual. | Religious life—H induism. | Hinduism and culture— India— Bangalore. | Bangalore (India)— Religious life and customs. | Globalization—R eligious aspects. Classification: lcc bl1226.2 (ebook) | lcc bl1226.2 .s698 2018 (print) | ddc 294.5/4— dc23 lc rec ord available at https:// lccn . loc . gov / 2017049281 Cover art: The Hindu goddess Durga during rush hour traffic. Bangalore, India, 2013. FotoFlirt / Alamy. For my wonderful mother, Rukmini Srinivas contents A Note on Translation · xi Acknowl edgments · xiii O Wonderful! · xix introduction. WONDER, CREATIVITY, AND ETHICAL LIFE IN BANGALORE · 1 Cranes in the Sky · 1 Wondering about Won der · 6 Modern Fractures · 9 Of Bangalore’s Boomtown Bourgeoisie · 13 My Guides into Won der · 16 Going Forward · 31 one. ADVENTURES IN MODERN DWELLING · 34 The Cow in the Elevator · 34 Grounded Won der · 37 And Ungrounded Won der · 39 Back to Earth · 41 Memorialized Cartography · 43 “Dead- Endu” Ganesha · 45 Earthen Prayers and Black Money · 48 Moving Marble · 51 Building Won der · 56 interlude. -
In the Name of Krishna: the Cultural Landscape of a North Indian Pilgrimage Town
In the Name of Krishna: The Cultural Landscape of a North Indian Pilgrimage Town A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA BY Sugata Ray IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Frederick M. Asher, Advisor April 2012 © Sugata Ray 2012 Acknowledgements They say writing a dissertation is a lonely and arduous task. But, I am fortunate to have found friends, colleagues, and mentors who have inspired me to make this laborious task far from arduous. It was Frederick M. Asher, my advisor, who inspired me to turn to places where art historians do not usually venture. The temple city of Khajuraho is not just the exquisite 11th-century temples at the site. Rather, the 11th-century temples are part of a larger visuality that extends to contemporary civic monuments in the city center, Rick suggested in the first class that I took with him. I learnt to move across time and space. To understand modern Vrindavan, one would have to look at its Mughal past; to understand temple architecture, one would have to look for rebellions in the colonial archive. Catherine B. Asher gave me the gift of the Mughal world – a world that I only barely knew before I met her. Today, I speak of the Islamicate world of colonial Vrindavan. Cathy walked me through Mughal mosques, tombs, and gardens on many cold wintry days in Minneapolis and on a hot summer day in Sasaram, Bihar. The Islamicate Krishna in my dissertation thus came into being. -
Secrets of RSS
Secrets of RSS DEMYSTIFYING THE SANGH (The Largest Indian NGO in the World) by Ratan Sharda © Ratan Sharda E-book of second edition released May, 2015 Ratan Sharda, Mumbai, India Email:[email protected]; [email protected] License Notes This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-soldor given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person,please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and didnot purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to yourfavorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hardwork of this author. About the Book Narendra Modi, the present Prime Minister of India, is a true blue RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or National Volunteers Organization) swayamsevak or volunteer. More importantly, he is a product of prachaarak system, a unique institution of RSS. More than his election campaigns, his conduct after becoming the Prime Minister really tells us how a responsible RSS worker and prachaarak responds to any responsibility he is entrusted with. His rise is also illustrative example of submission by author in this book that RSS has been able to design a system that can create ‘extraordinary achievers out of ordinary people’. When the first edition of Secrets of RSS was released, air was thick with motivated propaganda about ‘Saffron terror’ and RSS was the favourite whipping boy as the face of ‘Hindu fascism’. Now as the second edition is ready for release, environment has transformed radically. -
“Re-Rigging” the Vedas: Examining the Effects of Changing Education and Purity Standards and Political Influence on the Contemporary Hindu Priesthood
“Re-Rigging” the Vedas: Examining the Effects of Changing Education and Purity Standards and Political Influence on the Contemporary Hindu Priesthood Christine Shanaberger Religious Studies RST 490 David McMahan, advisor Submitted: May 4, 2006 Graduated: May 13, 2006 1 Introduction In the academic study of religion, we are often given impressions about a tradition that are textually accurate, but do not directly correspond with its practice amongst its devotees. Hinduism is one such tradition where scholarly work has been predominately textual and quite removed from practices “on the ground.” While most scholars recognize that many indigenous Hindu practices do not conform to the Brahmanical standards described in ancient Hindu texts, there has only recently been a movement to study the “popular,” non-Brahmanical traditions, let alone to look at the Brahmanical practice and its variance with ancient conventions. I have personally experienced this inconsistency between textual and popular Hinduism. After spending a semester in India, I quickly realized that my background in the study of Hinduism was, indeed, merely a background. I found myself re-learning aspects of the tradition and theology that I thought I had already understood and redefining the meaning of many practices as I learned of their practical application. Most importantly, I discovered that Hindu practices and beliefs are so diverse that I could never anticipate who would believe or practice in what way. I met many “modernized” Indians who both ignored and retained many orthodox elements of their traditions, priests who were unaware of even the most basic elements of Hindu mythology, and devotees who had no qualms engaging in both orthodox Brahmin and quite unorthodox non-Brahmin religious practices. -
Anekāntavāda and Dialogic Identity Construction
religions Article Anekantav¯ ada¯ and Dialogic Identity Construction Melanie Barbato Seminar für Religionswissenschaft und Interkulturelle Theologie, University of Münster, 48143 Münster, Germany; [email protected] Received: 1 November 2019; Accepted: 14 November 2019; Published: 20 November 2019 Abstract: While strong religious identity is often associated with violence, Jainism, one of the world’s oldest practiced religions, is often regarded as one of the most peaceful religions and has nevertheless persisted through history. In this article, I am arguing that one of the reasons for this persistence is the community’s strategy of dialogic identity construction. The teaching of anekantav¯ ada¯ allows Jainas to both engage with other views constructively and to maintain a coherent sense of self. The article presents an overview of this mechanism in different contexts from the debates of classical Indian philosophy to contemporary associations of anekantav¯ ada¯ with science. Central to the argument is the observation that anekantav¯ ada¯ is in all these contexts used to stabilize Jaina identity, and that anekantav¯ ada¯ should therefore not be interpreted as a form of relativism. Keywords: Jainism; anekantav¯ ada¯ ; identity; Indian philosophy; Indian logic 1. Introduction: Religious Identity and the Dialogic Uses of Anekantav¯ ada¯ Within the debate on the role of religion in public life, strong religious identity is often and controversially discussed within the context of violent extremism.1 Strong religion, as in the title of a book by Gabriel A. Almond, R. Scott Appleby and Emmanuel Sivan (Almond et al. 2003), is sometimes just another word for fundamentalism, with all its “negative connotations” (Ter Haar 2003, p. -
Religion in Modern India • Rel 3336 • Spring 2020
RELIGION IN MODERN INDIA • REL 3336 • SPRING 2020 PROFESSOR INFORMATION Jonathan Edelmann, Ph.D., University of Florida, Department of Religion, Anderson Hall [email protected]; (352) 392-1625 Office Hours: M,W,F • 9:30-10:30 AM or by appointment COURSE INFORMATION Course Meeting Time: Spring 2020 • M,W,F • Period 5, 11:45 AM - 12:35 PM • Matherly 119 Course Qualifications: 3 Credit Hours • Humanities (H), International (N), Writing (WR) 4000 Course Description: The modern period typically covers the years 1550 to 1850 AD. This course covers religion in India since the beginning of the Mughal empire in the mid-sixteenth century, to the formation of the independent and democratic Indian nation in 1947. The concentration of this course is on aesthetics and poetics, and their intersection with religion; philosophies about the nature of god and self in metaphysics or ontology; doctrines about non-dualism and the nature of religious experience; theories of interpretation and religious pluralism; and concepts of science and politics, and their intersection with religion. The modern period in India is defined by a diversity of religious thinkers. This course examines thinkers who represent the native traditions like Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism, as well as the ancient and classical traditions in philosophy and literature that influenced native religions in the modern period. Islam and Christianity began to interact with native Indian religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism during the modern period. Furthermore, Western philosophies, political theories, and sciences were also introduced during India’s modern period. The readings in this course focus on primary texts and secondary sources that critically portray and engage this complex and rich history of India’s modern period. -
The Essential Vedanta: a New Source Book of Advaita Vedanta
Religion/Hinduism Deutsch & Dalvi “[This book] is overall an excellent collection of Advaita philosophic litera- ture, much of it quite inaccessible in translation (even some of the extant translations are now difficult to obtain), and ought to be in the library of The Essential everyone interested in the study of Indian philosophy.” The Essential —Richard Brooks, in Philosophy East and West Vedanta “The publication of this book is an event of the greatest significance for everybody who is interested in the history of philosophy, and of Indian philosophy in particular, due to at least three reasons. First, Advaita Vedānta Vedanta more than any other school represents the peculiarity of Indian thought, so much so that it is often identified with Indian philosophy. Second, the interplay between Vedānta and other Indian philosophical schools and A New Source Book of religious traditions presents to the readers, in the long run, practically a vast panorama of Indian thought and spirituality. Third, the richness of Vedānta Advaita Vedanta sources included in the book, masterly combined with a philosophical reconstruction made by Eliot Deutsch, one of the most respected contem- porary authorities both in Vedānta and comparative philosophy.” —Marietta Stepaniants, Director, Institute of Oriental Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences “The learned editors deserve congratulations for providing us with a complete picture of the origin and the development of Advaita Vedānta in historical perspective from its inception in the Vedic texts. It is a well conceived and well executed anthology of Vedānta philosophy from the original texts, rich in content, most representative and complete in all respects.” —Deba Brata SenSharma, Ex-Director, Institute of Sanskrit and Indological Studies, Kurukshetra University “This volume is a significant contribution, and is a great aid to the study of Advaita Vedānta from its primary source material. -
Hinduism and Hindu Philosophy
Essays on Indian Philosophy UNIVE'aSITY OF HAWAII Uf,FU:{ Essays on Indian Philosophy SHRI KRISHNA SAKSENA UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII PRESS HONOLULU 1970 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 78·114209 Standard Book Number 87022-726-2 Copyright © 1970 by University of Hawaii Press All Rights Reserved Printed in the United States of America Contents The Story of Indian Philosophy 3 Basic Tenets of Indian Philosophy 18 Testimony in Indian Philosophy 24 Hinduism 37 Hinduism and Hindu Philosophy 51 The Jain Religion 54 Some Riddles in the Behavior of Gods and Sages in the Epics and the Puranas 64 Autobiography of a Yogi 71 Jainism 73 Svapramanatva and Svapraka!;>atva: An Inconsistency in Kumarila's Philosophy 77 The Nature of Buddhi according to Sankhya-Yoga 82 The Individual in Social Thought and Practice in India 88 Professor Zaehner and the Comparison of Religions 102 A Comparison between the Eastern and Western Portraits of Man in Our Time 117 Acknowledgments The author wishes to make the following acknowledgments for permission to reprint previously published essays: "The Story of Indian Philosophy," in A History of Philosophical Systems. edited by Vergilius Ferm. New York:The Philosophical Library, 1950. "Basic Tenets of Indian Philosophy," previously published as "Are There Any Basic Tenets of Indian Philosophy?" in The Philosophical Quarterly. "Testimony in Indian Philosophy," previously published as "Authority in Indian Philosophy," in Ph ilosophyEast and West. vo!.l,no. 3 (October 1951). "Hinduism," in Studium Generale. no. 10 (1962). "The Jain Religion," previously published as "Jainism," in Religion in the Twentieth Century. edited by Vergilius Ferm. -
The Religious Lifeworlds of Canada's Goan and Anglo-Indian Communities
Brown Baby Jesus: The Religious Lifeworlds of Canada’s Goan and Anglo-Indian Communities Kathryn Carrière Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the PhD degree in Religion and Classics Religion and Classics Faculty of Arts University of Ottawa © Kathryn Carrière, Ottawa, Canada, 2011 I dedicate this thesis to my husband Reg and our son Gabriel who, of all souls on this Earth, are most dear to me. And, thank you to my Mum and Dad, for teaching me that faith and love come first and foremost. Abstract Employing the concepts of lifeworld (Lebenswelt) and system as primarily discussed by Edmund Husserl and Jürgen Habermas, this dissertation argues that the lifeworlds of Anglo- Indian and Goan Catholics in the Greater Toronto Area have permitted members of these communities to relatively easily understand, interact with and manoeuvre through Canada’s democratic, individualistic and market-driven system. Suggesting that the Catholic faith serves as a multi-dimensional primary lens for Canadian Goan and Anglo-Indians, this sociological ethnography explores how religion has and continues affect their identity as diasporic post- colonial communities. Modifying key elements of traditional Indian culture to reflect their Catholic beliefs, these migrants consider their faith to be the very backdrop upon which their life experiences render meaningful. Through systematic qualitative case studies, I uncover how these individuals have successfully maintained a sense of security and ethnic pride amidst the myriad cultures and religions found in Canada’s multicultural society. Oscillating between the fuzzy boundaries of the Indian traditional and North American liberal worlds, Anglo-Indians and Goans attribute their achievements to their open-minded Westernized upbringing, their traditional Indian roots and their Catholic-centred principles effectively making them, in their opinions, admirable models of accommodation to Canada’s system. -
Faculty of Juridical Sciences
FACULTY OF JURIDICAL SCIENCES COURSE:BALLB Semester –IV SUBJECT: SOCIOLOGY-III SUBJECT CODE:BAL-401 NAME OF FACULTY: DR.SHIV KUMAR TRIPATHI Lecture-21 Varna (Hinduism) Varṇa (Sanskrit: व셍ण, romanized: varṇa), a Sanskrit word with several meanings including type, order, colour or class,[1][2] was used to refer to social classes in Hindu texts like the Manusmriti.[1][3][4] These and other Hindu texts classified the society in principle into four varnas:[1][5] Brahmins: priests, scholars and teachers. Kshatriyas: rulers, warriors and administrators. [6] Vaishyas: agriculturalists and merchants. Shudras: laborers and service providers. Communities which belong to one of the four varnas or classes are called savarna or "caste Hindus". The Dalits and tribes who do not belong to any varna were called avarna.[7][8] This quadruple division is a form of social stratification, quite different from the more nuanced system Jātis which correspond to the European term "caste".[9] The varna system is discussed in Hindu texts, and understood as idealised human callings.[10][11] The concept is generally traced to the Purusha Sukta verse of the Rig Veda. The commentary on the Varna system in the Manusmriti is oft-cited.[12] Counter to these textual classifications, many Hindu texts and doctrines question and disagree with the Varna system of social classification.[13] Etymology and origins The Sanskrit term varna is derived from the root vṛ, meaning "to cover, to envelop, count, classify consider, describe or choose" (compare vṛtra).[14] The word appears -
Key Terms and People Section Summary
Name Class Date Ancient India Section 2 MAIN IDEAS 1. Indian society divided into distinct social classes under the Aryans. 2. The Aryans practiced a religion known as Brahmanism. 3. Hinduism developed out of Brahmanism and influences from other cultures. 4. The Jains reacted to Hinduism by breaking away to form their own religion. Key Terms and People caste system a division of Indian society into groups based on a person’s birth, wealth, or occupation Hinduism the most widespread religion in India today reincarnation the belief that the soul, once a person dies, is reborn in another person karma the effects that good or bad actions have on a person’s soul Jainism a nonviolent religion based on the teachings of Mahavira nonviolence the avoidance of violent actions Section Summary INDIAN SOCIETY DIVIDES Aryan society was divided into social classes. There Rank the main groups of the were four main groups, called varnas. The Brahmins Aryan social classes in order of (BRAH-muhns) were priests and were the highest importance, with one (1) being highest and four (4) being the ranking varna. The Kshatriyas (KSHA-tree-uhs) lowest: were rulers or warriors. The Vaisyas (VYSH-yuhs) Brahmins were commoners, including farmers, craftspeople, Sudras Kshatriyas and traders. The Sudras (SOO-drahs) were laborers Vaisyas and servants. This caste system became more complex, In ancient India, why was it important to belong to some dividing Indian society into groups based on rank, caste? wealth or occupation. Castes were family based. If you were born into a caste, you would probably stay in it for your whole life. -
K.P. Aleaz, "The Gospel in the Advaitic Culture of India: the Case of Neo
The Gospel in the Advaitic Culture of India : The Case ofNeo-Vedantic Christologies K.P.ALEAZ * Advaita Vedanta is a religiqus experience which has taken birth in the soil of our motherland. One important feature of this culmination of Vedic thought (Vedanta) is that it cannot be tied down to the narrow boundaries of any one particular religion. Advaita Vedanta stands for unity and universality in the midst of diversities.1 As a result it can very well function as a symbol of Indian composite culture. Advaita has "an enduring influence on the clutural life of India enabling people to hold together diversities in languages, races, ethnic groups, religions, and more recently different political ideologies as well. " 2 It was its cultural unity based on religion that held India together historically as one. The survival of the political unity of India is based on its cultural · unity within which there persists a 'core' of religion to which the senseofAdvaitaor'not-twoism'makesanenduringcontribution.3 Advaita represents a grand vision of unity that encompasses nature, humanity and God.4 Sociological and social anthropological studies have shown that in Indian religious tradition the sacred is not external to the secular; it is the inherent potency ofthe secualr. There is a secular-sacred continuum. There is a continuum between the gods and the humans, a continuum of advaita, and this is to be found even among the primitive substratum of Indian population. 5 So the point is, such a unitive vision of Advaita is very relevant for an Indian understanding of the gospel manifested in Jesus.