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THE SCIENCE of the BREATH in PERSIANATE INDIA Patrick J. D'silva

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THE SCIENCE of the BREATH in PERSIANATE INDIA Patrick J. D'silva THE SCIENCE OF THE BREATH IN PERSIANATE INDIA Patrick J. D’Silva “A dissertation submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctorate of Philosophy in the Department of Religious Studies.” Chapel Hill 2018 Approved by: Carl W. Ernst Emma J. Flatt Juliane Hammer Omid Safi Randall Styers © 2018 Patrick J. D’Silva ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT Patrick J. D’Silva: “The Science of the Breath in Persianate India.” (Under the direction of Carl W. Ernst) This dissertation examines a series of Persian manuscripts containing Indian divination practices centered on knowledge of the breath. In Sanskrit, these breathing practices are known shiva-svarodaya (the texts are presented as a dialogue between Shiva and Parvati). Svara refers to “voiced breath,” thus the term roughly translates as “attainment of voiced breath.” In the 13th CE, these practices are translated from Sanskrit into Persian in a text titled the Kamarupanchashika (“the 50 verses of Kamaru”). This dissertation analyzes the different abridgments of the Kamarupanchashika that circulate from the 14th CE onwards throughout India and Iran. The authors of these texts use the phrase `ilm-i dam, “the science of the breath,” to describe this knowledge. This project examines the process through which these practices came to be integrated within Islamicate knowledge production in India and Iran, as well as how they factor in Euro- American analyses of Islam and Sufism during and after the European colonial period. Chapter One is an introduction to the project and to several of the key foundation texts that serve as necessary background knowledge upon which the remaining chapters build. Chapter Two locates this project within the Islamicate engagement with India (Arabic and Persian: al-Hind) by surveying key authors writing in Arabic and Persian about this region from the 9th-16th centuries CE, ending with an examination of Abu’l Fazl ibn Mubark, court historian to the Mughal emperor Akbar, and the way that `ilm-i dam appears in the A’in-i Akbari (“The Institutes of iii Akbar”). Chapter Three places `ilm-i dam in the broader context of other Indian practices such as yoga and Ayurveda, asking the question of how all of these ways of knowing understand the body and its relationship to the world around it. Chapters Four and Five analyze the way that `ilm-i dam has been received by scholars in Iran and Europe, respectively, comparing how these two interpretive communities categorize `ilm-i dam differently. While the former groups it with practical tools that are distinct from Sufism, the latter associates it with Sufism and Hinduism. Analyzing the motivations and outcomes of these categorizations is key for this project. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It takes a village to write a dissertation. This particular project is no exception. There are so many people who contributed to my graduate work at UNC, as well as earlier years, that I am sure I will fail to recognize all of them. That said, the attempt must still be made. My committee deserves first mention, for without their mentoring, this dissertation would have remained in the 'realm of the unseen'. From the outset, Prof. Carl Ernst guided me with his characteristically reserved style, making 'suggestions' here and there that I took for the mandates that they were. The inspiration for this project came out of a reading course in Persian poetry that I undertook for him during my first semester of the doctoral program, in which he recommended that I read E.G. Browne's travelogue. The results of that bedside reading are in your hands. Prof. Juliane Hammer pushed me to reflect critically on who I am as a scholar, and indeed as a person. Her mentoring has been hugely significant for me throughout my doctoral work; she is a model of the engaged scholar who conveyed to me the importance of each and every word we write because of its connection to the very real world that we all inhabit. Prof. Omid Safi provided much support, introducing me to critical reflection on the mazhab-i `eshq that I know will undergird much of my scholarly and personal life for many years to come. Prof. Emma Flatt encouraged me in myriad ways throughout the project, prompting me to “read sideways” and pursue the study of magic and occultism so as to "expand the realm of human knowledge," a charge that I take seriously. Prof. Randall Styers provided me with sound and judicious advice throughout the dissertation process. Of particular value was his comment at my prospectus v defense that I needed to decide what the "center of gravity" would be for my project, and let that guide me. Beyond my dissertation committee, there are numerous faculty members at UNC, Harvard Divinity School, and Macalester College whose tutelage and mentorship greatly influenced the path I have taken. In addition to those who have taken on the formal role of mentoring through this process, there are many more who have supported me in more material ways. I received a Dean's Merit Fellowship for the first year of doctoral study for the 2013-2014 academic year. I benefited from Title VI Foreign Language and Area Studies funding for the Spring 2015 for the study of Persian language and literature. I received support from the Roshan Heritage Foundation for acquiring copies of Persian manuscripts that are at the heart of this project, and that will feature prominently in projects I will pursue for the remainder of my career. The UNC Summer Research Fellowship allowed me to focus on creating critical editions of several manuscripts over the Summer 2016. I was the beneficiary of funding from the UNC Medieval and Early Modern Studies (MEMS) program for the Dorothy Ford Wiley Dissertation workshop, held in September 2017. The UNC Robert Miller Fund for Graduate Student Excellence made it possible for me to travel to Germany in January 2018. Portions of this research were presented at the 2015, 2016, and 2017 American Academy of Religion (AAR) conferences in Atlanta, GA, San Antonio, TX, and Boston, MA; the 2017 South East Commission for the Study of Religion (SECSOR) conference in Raleigh, NC; and the 2018 Perso-Indica conference in Bonn, Germany. The feedback I received from audiences and fellow panelists at these conferences was very helpful as I progressed through the stages of crafting this dissertation. vi My trip to England to conduct archival research at the British Library was funded by a grant from the MEMS program at UNC, as well as the Roshan Heritage Foundation for Persian Studies. While in England, I benefited immensely from the support of Ursula Sims-Williams, Nur Sobers-Khan, and Saqib Baburi. Without the time they took to help me identify and analyze sources for my research, this project would look and feel very different. On more than one occasion I had cause to call upon my colleagues at the Colorado Translators Association, Corinne McKay and Mylène Vielard. Karen Williams in particular provided exemplary translation of Johannes Fück’s biographical entry on Alfred von Kremer, who plays such an important role in Chapter Five. Many have said that dissertating is lonely work. This is partially true, but I am deeply aware that none of this could have happened without the contributions of so many around me. Countless conversations along the way helped shape my approach to this work, and thus the resulting product bears the mark of many 'course corrections.' I entered the PhD program at UNC intending to study Persian translations of the Qur'an, and am leaving with a dissertation on the science of the breath in Persianate South Asia. While I alone am responsible for the course of this journey, many people have walked this path with me, some for a day, and some for many years. My first colleagues at UNC were Luke Drake, Timothy Smith, Nathan Shradle, Brad Erickson, and Alejandro Moreiras. To my Islamic Studies colleagues with whom I have overlapped and had the chance to collaborate at UNC: Matthew Hotham, Matthew Lynch, Candace Mixon, Michael Muhammad Knight, Katie Merriman, Micah Hughes, Samah Choudhury, and Ehsan Sheikolharam; you all contributed to this project in important ways. From Day One, Myra Quick has been a steady and calming influence. She is due special thanks for supporting me throughout these five years. vii I would like to thank the entire Kabra clan: Joga, Kathryn, Roxanna, Jessica, James (and Freddy) for offering me their home for two weeks while I conducted research at the British Library. During the same period, Daniel Weiss hosted me in Cambridge, helping me access the Browne manuscript whose discovery inspired this project. To my family, especially Emily and Caleb, words cannot adequately express my love and gratitude for all that you are and the many ways you enrich my life. You make me who I am. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ….……………………………………………………………………vii NOTE ON TRANSLITERATIONS ............................................................................................ xvi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................1 Initial Questions ......................................................................................................................1 Terminological Legacies: `ilm as Science, `ilm as Knowledge ..............................................3 What is “science”? ..............................................................................................................7
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