Indology and Rationality 1
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Tapas in the Rg Veda
TAPAS IN THE ---RG VEDA TAPAS IN THE RG VEDA By ANTHONY L. MURUOCK, B.A. A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts McMaster University April 1983 MASTER OF ARTS (1983) McMaster University (Religious Studies) Hamilton, Ontario TITLE: Tapas in the fuL Veda AUTHOR: Anthony L. Murdock, B.A. (York University) SUPERVISORS: Professor D. Kinsley Professor P. Younger Professor P. Granoff NUMBER OF PAGES: v, 95 ii ABSTRACT It is my contention in this thesis that the term tapas means heat, and heat only, in the Bi[ Veda. Many reputable scholars have suggested that tapas refers to asceticism in several instances in the RV. I propose that these suggestions are in fact unnecessary. To determine the exact meaning of tapas in its many occurrences in the RV, I have given primary attention to those contexts (i.e. hymns) in which the meaning of tapas is absolutely unambiguous. I then proceed with this meaning in mind to more ambiguous instances. In those instances where the meaning of tapas is unambiguous it always refers to some kind of heat, and never to asceticism. Since there are unambiguous cases where ~apas means heat in the RV, and there are no unambiguous instances in the RV where tapas means asceticism, it only seems natural to assume that tapas means heat in all instances. The various occurrences of tapas as heat are organized in a new system of contextual classifications to demonstrate that tapas as heat still has a variety of functions and usages in the RV. -
Magicians, Sorcerers and Witches: Considering Pretantric, Non-Sectarian Sources of Tantric Practices
Article Magicians, Sorcerers and Witches: Considering Pretantric, Non-sectarian Sources of Tantric Practices Ronald M. Davidson Department of Religious Studies, Farifield University, Fairfield, CT 06824, USA; [email protected] Received: 27 June 2017; Accepted: 23 August 2017; Published: 13 September 2017 Abstract: Most models on the origins of tantrism have been either inattentive to or dismissive of non-literate, non-sectarian ritual systems. Groups of magicians, sorcerers or witches operated in India since before the advent of tantrism and continued to perform ritual, entertainment and curative functions down to the present. There is no evidence that they were tantric in any significant way, and it is not clear that they were concerned with any of the liberation ideologies that are a hallmark of the sectarian systems, even while they had their own separate identities and specific divinities. This paper provides evidence for the durability of these systems and their continuation as sources for some of the ritual and nomenclature of the sectarian tantric traditions, including the predisposition to ritual creativity and bricolage. Keywords: tantra; mantra; ritual; magician; sorcerer; seeress; vidyādhara; māyākāra; aindrajālika; non-literate 1. Introduction1 In the emergence of alternative religious systems such as tantrism, a number of factors have historically been seen at play. Among these are elements that might be called ‘pre-existing’. That is, they themselves are not representative of the eventual emergent system, but they provide some of the raw material—ritual, ideological, terminological, functional, or other—for its development. Indology, and in particular the study of Indian ritual, has been less than adroit at discussing such phenomena, especially when it may be designated or classified as ‘magical’ in some sense. -
Indology-Studies in Germany
Indology-studies in Germany With special reference to Literature, ãgveda and Fire-Worship By Rita Kamlapurkar A thesis submitted towards the fulfilment for Degree of Ph.D. in Indology Under the guidance of Dr. Shripad Bhat And Co-Guidance of Dr. G. U. Thite Shri Bal Mukund Lohiya Centre Of Sanskrit And Indological Studies Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, Pune. December 2010. Acknowledgements : Achieving the ultimate goal while studying the Vedas might require many rebirths, as the ancient ãÈis narrate. In this scrutiny it has been tried to touch some droplets of this vast ocean of knowledge, as it’s a bold act with meagre knowledge. It is being tried to thank all those, who have extended a valuable hand in this task. I sincerely thank Dr. Shripad Bhat without whose enlightening, constant encouragement and noteworthy suggestions this work would not have existed. I thank Dr. G. U. Thite for his valuable suggestions and who took out time from his busy schedule and guided me. The constant encouragement of Dr. Sunanda Mahajan has helped me in completing this work. I thank the Librarian and staff of Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune, Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad, Pune and Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth for their help. I am very much grateful to Homa-Hof-Heiligenberg, Germany, its staff and Ms. Sirgun Bracht, for keeping the questionnaire regarding the Agnihotra-practice in the farm and helping me in collecting the data. My special thanks to all my German friends for their great help. Special thanks to Dr. Ulrich Berk and the Editorial staff of ‘Homanewsletter’ for their help. -
Autochthonous Aryans? the Evidence from Old Indian and Iranian Texts
Michael Witzel Harvard University Autochthonous Aryans? The Evidence from Old Indian and Iranian Texts. INTRODUCTION §1. Terminology § 2. Texts § 3. Dates §4. Indo-Aryans in the RV §5. Irano-Aryans in the Avesta §6. The Indo-Iranians §7. An ''Aryan'' Race? §8. Immigration §9. Remembrance of immigration §10. Linguistic and cultural acculturation THE AUTOCHTHONOUS ARYAN THEORY § 11. The ''Aryan Invasion'' and the "Out of India" theories LANGUAGE §12. Vedic, Iranian and Indo-European §13. Absence of Indian influences in Indo-Iranian §14. Date of Indo-Aryan innovations §15. Absence of retroflexes in Iranian §16. Absence of 'Indian' words in Iranian §17. Indo-European words in Indo-Iranian; Indo-European archaisms vs. Indian innovations §18. Absence of Indian influence in Mitanni Indo-Aryan Summary: Linguistics CHRONOLOGY §19. Lack of agreement of the autochthonous theory with the historical evidence: dating of kings and teachers ARCHAEOLOGY __________________________________________ Electronic Journal of Vedic Studies 7-3 (EJVS) 2001(1-115) Autochthonous Aryans? 2 §20. Archaeology and texts §21. RV and the Indus civilization: horses and chariots §22. Absence of towns in the RV §23. Absence of wheat and rice in the RV §24. RV class society and the Indus civilization §25. The Sarasvatī and dating of the RV and the Bråhmaas §26. Harappan fire rituals? §27. Cultural continuity: pottery and the Indus script VEDIC TEXTS AND SCIENCE §28. The ''astronomical code of the RV'' §29. Astronomy: the equinoxes in ŚB §30. Astronomy: Jyotia Vedåga and the -
``Retrofitting a Vedic Origin for a Classical Hindu Goddess''
“Retrofitting a Vedic Origin for a Classical Hindu Goddess” Timothy Lubin To cite this version: Timothy Lubin. “Retrofitting a Vedic Origin for a Classical Hindu Goddess”. Journal of the American Oriental Society, University of Michigan, 2020, 140 (1), pp.37-46. halshs-03024668 HAL Id: halshs-03024668 https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-03024668 Submitted on 25 Nov 2020 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Retrofitting a Vedic Origin for a Classical Hindu Goddess Timothy Lubin Washington and Lee University Many Hindu deities as known from classical sources (i.e, from the epics, Purāṇas, and later religious literature and iconography) have a very slender profile in the Vedic texts, appearing in only a few passages and often represented in ways that seem peripheral to their full, classical personae. Ritualists and devotees steeped in that older literature took pains to connect those deities to Vedic mantras and rites, in order to validate them with the prestige of venerable orthodoxy as well as to provide a basis for Brahmin priestly roles in their worship. The case of the goddess Durgā is particularly striking in this respect, since her Vedic “footprint” is so small. -
Rethinking Neo-Vedānta: Swami Vivekananda and the Selective
religions Article Rethinking Neo-Vedanta:¯ Swami Vivekananda and the Selective Historiography of Advaita Vedanta¯ 1 James Madaio Oriental Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences, Pod Vodárenskou vˇeží 4, Prague 18208, Czech Republic; [email protected] Academic Editor: Francis X. Clooney, S.J. Received: 10 April 2017; Accepted: 16 May 2017; Published: 24 May 2017 Abstract: This paper problematizes the prevalent model of studying the “Neo-Vedanta”¯ of Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902) principally in terms of an influx of Western ideas and nationalism. In particular, I demonstrate how scholarly constructions of “Neo-Vedanta”¯ consistently appeal to a high culture, staticized understanding of “traditional” Advaita Vedanta¯ as the alterity for locating Vivekananda’s “neo” or new teachings. In doing so, such studies ignore the diverse medieval and early modern developments in advaitic and Advaita Vedantic¯ traditions which were well-known to Vivekananda and other “Neo-Vedantins”.¯ Redressing this discursive imbalance, I propose that close attention to the way in which Swami Vivekananda drew from Indic texts opens up a wider frame for understanding the swami and the genealogy of his cosmopolitan theology. Keywords: Swami Vivekananda; Neo-Vedanta;¯ Advaita Vedanta;¯ Advaita; modern Hinduism 1. Introduction Reconsidering the study of Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902), perhaps the most influential architect of global Hinduism, is instructive for shedding light on certain problematic trends in the analysis of precolonial and colonial period advaita related movements. It also calls reflexive attention to the way in which interpretations of Vivekananda’s life and teachings can often be implicated in what H. White calls the “practical past” (White 2014); that is, readings of the past that are ideologically pursued in the service of the present. -
The Indo-Aryan Controversy
13 ARYAN PAST AND POST-COLONIAL PRESENT The polemics and politics of indigenous Aryanism Lars Martin Fosse It is legitimate to search for the Indo-Europeans on protohistoric ground, but this is a prolongation of the hypothesis, not a verification of it. The truth of the idea of “Indo-European” lies in the language and the religion, not in archaeology. (Bernard Sergent)1 On October 16, 1996, the Indian newspaper The Economic Times published an article, quoted on the Internet, about a conference entitled “Indologists discount Aryan influx theory.” The first paragraph reads: A conference of over 300 Indologists here has rejected the Aryan Invasion Theory. The conference on “Revisiting Indus-Saraswati Age and Ancient India,” attended by scholars all over the world, was aimed at correcting the “dis- torted Hindu history,” according to Ms Reeta Singh, one of the organisers. “Recent archaeological discoveries have fully established that there was a continuous evolution of civilization on the Indian subcontinent from about 5000 BC, which remained uninterrupted through 1000 BC. This leaves no scope whatsoever to support an Aryan invasion theory,” a resolution at the conference said. It explained that the term Arya in Indian literature has no racial or linguistic connotations. It was used in the noble sense. (The Economic Times, October 16, 1996) This remarkable plebiscite shows to what degree the question of Indo-Aryan origins has become politicized. Normally scholarly questions are not made the subject of popular vote. But then the conference was sponsored by various American Hindu organizations, among which we find the Vishwa Hindu Parishad Atlanta Chapter and the Arya Samaj Chicago, both branches of important Indian 434 ARYAN PAST AND POST-COLONIAL PRESENT Hindu revivalist organizations. -
The Bhagavad Gita: Ancient Poem, Modern Readers
Narrative Section of a Successful Application The attached document contains the grant narrative and selected portions of a previously funded grant application. It is not intended to serve as a model, but to give you a sense of how a successful application may be crafted. Every successful application is different, and each applicant is urged to prepare a proposal that reflects its unique project and aspirations. Prospective applicants should consult the current Summer Seminars and Institutes guidelines, which reflect the most recent information and instructions, at https://www.neh.gov/program/summer-seminars-and-institutes-higher-education-faculty Applicants are also strongly encouraged to consult with the NEH Division of Education Programs staff well before a grant deadline. Note: The attachment only contains the grant narrative and selected portions, not the entire funded application. In addition, certain portions may have been redacted to protect the privacy interests of an individual and/or to protect confidential commercial and financial information and/or to protect copyrighted materials. Project Title: The Bhagavad Gita: Ancient Poem, Modern Readers Institution: Bard College Project Director: Richard Davis Grant Program: Summer Seminars and Institutes (Seminar for Higher Education Faculty) 400 7th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024 P 202.606.8500 F 202.606.8394 [email protected] www.neh.gov The Bhagavad Gita: Ancient Poem, Modern Readers Summer Seminar for College and University Teachers Director: Richard H. Davis, Bard College Table of Contents I. Table of Contents ………………………………………………………………………. i II. Narrative Description …………………………………………………………………. 1 A. Intellectual rationale …………………………………………………………... 1 B. Program of study ……………………………………………………………… 7 C. Project faculty and staff ……………………………………………………… 12 D. -
1 AĀ, Aiār Aitareya-Āraṇyaka < Ed. Keith> the Aitareya Āraṇyaka. Edited from the Manuscripts in the India Office A
ヴェーダ文献学関係略語および書誌一覧 2018 年 8 月 27 日版 ヴェーダ学関係の論文において使用される,頻度の高い省略表記をここに指針として示 す。 注記 ・ 文献名には □. を付けない。ジャンル名などには □. を付ける。ただし,慣行に従い, YV,YS はこの限りではない。大文字に終わる言語名も OIA, MIA などとする。 ・ 省略表記中「 , 」によって列挙されるものは選択肢候補の意味である。 ・ 刊本を明記する必要がある場合には ,< > 中の略記等を用いて論文中に言及する。執筆 者の判断に従ってさらに短縮も可能。例, ŚB, Ed. Kalyan-Bombay → ŚB, Ed. K-Bomb.,Ed. Kaly-B., Ed.K-B など。 ・ 論文においては,原則として ṁ,m̐ を アヌナースィカに,ṃ をアヌスヴァーラに用い るが,下記の書誌情報においては,各出版物における表記に従う。 一次文献,その他略表記 AĀ, AiĀr Aitareya-Āraṇyaka < Ed. Keith> The Aitareya Āraṇyaka. Edited from the manuscripts in the India Office and the Library of the Royal Asiatic Society with introduction, translation, notes, indexes, and an appendix containing the portion hitherto unpublished of the Śāṅkhāyana Āraṇyaka by Arthur Berriedale Keith. Anecdota oxoniensia, Aryan Series, vol. 1, part 9. Oxford: Clarendon Press (Revised ed. Delhi: Eastern Book Linkers, 1995). <Ed.Munishwar Deo> Aitareyāraṇyaka with the commentary of Sāyaṇa ( = aitareyāraṇyakam: sāyaṇabhāṣyasametam samālocanātmakaṃ saṃskaraṇam). Vishveshvaranand Indological Series 82. Hoshiarpur: Vishveshvaranand Vedic Research Institute, 1992. <Ed. Ānandāś.> aitareyāraṇyakam. śrīmatsāyaṇācāryaviracitabhāṣyasametam. Ānandāśrama- Saṃskṛta-granthāvaliḥ, granthāṅkaḥ 38. Poona: Ānadāśrama, 1898 (3rd ed. Poona: Ānāndāśrama, 1959). <Ed. Pillai> 1 Aitareyāraṇyaka, with Mokṣapradāvr̥ tti of Ṣaḍguruśiṣya. Edited by K. Raghavan Pillai. Trivandrum Sanskrit series, no. 221. Trivandrum: Unoversity of Kerala, 1968. AB, AiBr Aitareya-Brāhmaṇa <Ed. Aufrecht> Das Aitareya Brāhmaṇa. Mit Auszügen aus dem Commentare von Sāyaṇācārya und anderen Beilagen herausgegeben von Theodor Aufrecht. Bonn: Adolph Marcus, 1879 (Repr.: Hildesheim: Georg Olms, 1975). <Ed. Haug> The Aitareya Brahmanam of the Rigveda containing the earliest speculations of the Brahmans on the meaning of the sacrificial prayers, and on the origin, performance, and sense of the rites of the Vedic religion. Edited, translated and explained by Martin Haug. -
A Contextualized Study of Vivekananda's Neo- Vedanta (Through Karl Mannheim Approach of Sociology of Knowledge)
Available online at http://www.journalijdr.com ISSN: 2230-9926 International Journal of Development Research Vol. 07, Issue, 11, pp.16647-16651, November, 2017 ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLEORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE OPEN ACCESS A CONTEXTUALIZED STUDY OF VIVEKANANDA’S NEO- VEDANTA (THROUGH KARL MANNHEIM APPROACH OF SOCIOLOGY OF KNOWLEDGE) 1*Dr. Nosheen Zaheer and 2Zainab Mazhar 1Associate Professor, HoD Islamic Studies and Dean of Humanities SBKWU Quetta, 2Assistant Professor SBKWU Quetta ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article History: This paper aims to evaluate a contextualized interpretation of Vivekananda’s neo-Vedanta in nineteen century Received 04th August 2017 Bengali society by implementing the Karl Mannheim approach of sociology of knowledge. This approach Received in revised form will focus the socio-historical perspectives that facilitate the transformation of Classical Indian Vedanta 26th September, 2017 philosophy to neo-Vedanta. Religious encountering in pluralistic society posed serious threats of assimilations Accepted 11th October, 2017 and syncreticism to religious beliefs. This issue is going to be examined in especial context of Hinduism th through Karl Mannheim approach’s horizontal and vertical mobility. Here horizontal mobility reflects the role Published online 29 November, 2017 and contribution of the Warren Hasting, orientalists and Christian missionaries as a key factor in destabilizing Key Words: the core beliefs of Hinduism (Idol worship, caste system and Brahmins the soul custodians of religious knowledge). That further makes road for vertical mobility of in four cast strata of Hindu society by questioning the authority and monopoly of Brahmins (priestly class of Hindus). Thus, results in collapsing of neo-Vedanta, intellectual monopoly of Brahmins by creating free intelligentsia who were fully equipped to reinterpret Advaita Vedanta, classical Hinduism. -
The Development of the Vedic Canon and Its Schools : the Social and Political Milieu
Michael Witzel Harvard University The Development of the Vedic Canon and its Schools : The Social and Political Milieu (Materials on Vedic Śåkhås, 8) Le problème de la śåkhå est au centre des problèmes védiques, ... si l’on réussissait à établir ... la filiation des écoles, on saurait du même coup comment s’est développé l’ensemble du védisme. Louis Renou Les écoles védiques, 208 § 0. THE NATURE OF THE VEDIC CANON § 1. THE GVEDA § 1.1. The structure of the RV collection § 1.2. The historical background § 1.3. Two Stages in the collection of the gvedic materials § 2. COLLECTIONS OF THE MANTRA PERIOD IN THE LANDS OF THE KURU § 2.1. The social and political conditions: The Kuru realm § 2.2. The texts of the Mantra period § 2.3. The Såmaveda § 2.4. The Yajurveda § 2.5. The Atharvaveda § 2.6. The gveda Khila Collection § 2.7. The Four Vedas § 3. FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE CANON: EARLY YAJURVEDA PROSE AND THE BRĀHMAAS § 3.1. The Historical Background § 3.2. The early Bråhmaa style collections of the CarS, MS/KS, TS § 3.3. The early Yajurveda Sahitås of the Kuru realm: MS, KS/KpS § 4. THE TEXTS OF THE PAÑCĀLA LANDS § 4.1. The Taittirīyas and their subschools § 4.2. Early Bråhmaa texts of the Pañcåla lands: Śåyåyani and Jaiminīya texts § 5. THE EASTERN TERRITORIES § 5.1. The social and political situation § 5.2. The eastern fringe area: Kosala § 5.3. The Śatapatha Bråhmaa of the Kåva school § 5.4. Baudhåyana Śrautasūtra § 5.5. Kau ītaki Bråhmaa § 6. THE EASTERN CORE AREA: VIDEHA § 6.1. -
Curriculum Vitae
CURRICULUM VITAE J. Patrick Olivelle http://www.utexas.edu/cola/depts/asianstudies/faculty/olivelle PERSONAL Nationality: U.S.A. Office: Department of Asian Studies, University of Texas, 120 Inner Campus Dr. , University Station G 9300 Austin, TX 78712-0587. EDUCATION University of Pennsylvania: Ph.D. (History of Indian Religions), 1974. University of Oxford, England: B.A. Honors (Sanskrit and Pāli), First Class, 1972; M.A. 1977. HONORS 2017 Prize of Fondation Colette Caillat of the Institut de France. Honorary Degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, University of Chicago, June 11, 2016. Career Research Excellence Award, The University of Texas at Austin, 2011. President, American Oriental Society, 2005-06. Vice President, American Oriental Society, 2004-2005. Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities, 2006-present. Featured in a 7-page article “Recent Contributions of Patrick Olivelle to Indology.” Religious Studies Review 26(2000): 157–163. The 2001 Gonda Lecturer at the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Numata Professor, University of Vienna, Austria. 2001. Guggenheim Fellowship, 1996-97. Alma Cowden Madden Centennial Professor in Liberal Arts, 2000-2006. Christie and Stanley E. Adams, Jr. Centennial Professor in Liberal Arts, 1998-2000. U.S. Delegate, Oxford University Press, 1998-present. Book Award: Association for Asian Studies, A. K. Ramanujan Translation Award, 1998, for Upaniṣads. Book Award: American Academy of Religion's Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion in the Historical category, 1994, for The Āśrama System. Mircea Eliade Lecturer in Comparative Religion, University of Western Michigan, 1997. FEATURE ARTICLES “From Sri Lanka to Texas: Patrick Olivelle and the Study of South Asia.” Steven E.