University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies The Vault: Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2019-04-26 Of Deities and Demons: Madhva’s Doctrine of Hierarchy in the Mahābhāratatātparyanirṇaya Sudindra Rao, Anusha Sudindra Rao, A. (2019). Of Deities and Demons: Madhva’s Doctrine of Hierarchy in the Mahābhāratatātparyanirṇaya (Unpublished master's thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. http://hdl.handle.net/1880/110253 master 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 Of Deities and Demons: Madhva’s Doctrine of Hierarchy in the Mahābhāratatātparyanirṇaya by Anusha Sudindra Rao A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMEMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS GRADUATE PROGRAM IN RELIGIOUS STUDIES CALGARY, ALBERTA APRIL, 2019 © Anusha Sudindra Rao 2019 ii Abstract My thesis investigates the thirteenth century South Indian philosopher Madhva’s Doctrine of Hierarchy through an analysis of sections from his Mahābhāratatātparyanirṇaya. Madhva’s Doctrine of Hierarchy ranks all animate beings according to their innate capacity, placing the deity Viṣṇu as the highest God, and Vāyu, the Wind God as his highest devotee and agent. Madhva’s Doctrine of Hierarchy is one of the distinctive features of dualist (Dvaita) Vedānta, a theological system that argues for the fundamental disunity of the individual soul and God. I show in my thesis that Madhva’s Doctrine of Hierarchy reaches its full expression in the Mahābhāratatātparyanirṇaya, a narrative composition that re-interprets three epic texts: the Rāmāyaṇa, the Mahābhārata, and portions of the Bhāgavatapurāṇa. My thesis looks carefully at the three important functions that this doctrine plays within the Mahābhāratatātparyanirṇaya. Firstly, the Doctrine of Hierarchy bridges the distinct genres of scripture (śruti) and epics and myth (itihāsapurāṇa). Secondly, it demonizes proponents of rival theologies. Thirdly, it resolves problematic episodes where moral norms are transgressed by female characters in the epics by deifying the characters in question. My thesis contributes to growing scholarship on the intellectual history of Vedānta by explicating the relationship between literary texts and theology in medieval South India. Keywords: Dvaita, hierarchy, Madhva, Mahābhārata, tāratamya iii Preface This thesis is original, unpublished, independent work by the author, Anusha Sudindra Rao. iv Acknowledgements I owe a huge debt of gratitude to a long list of advisors, teachers, family, and friends who made my thesis writing experience and my life in Calgary memorable. I am very grateful to my supervisors, Prof. Elizabeth Rohlman, and Prof. Christopher Framarin. Thank you, Prof. Rohlman, for making my studies at Calgary possible, and for your unstinting support. Even with Calgary weather weighed in, I think I got an excellent deal! Thank you, Prof. Framarin, for all the Sanskrit reading sessions that kept me motivated, for your patient responses to my barrage of questions, and for working relentlessly on my thesis argument with me. My thanks also to Prof. Wendi Adamek and Prof. Neil Dalal for their insightful comments. I am deeply grateful to Prof. Ajay Rao from the University of Toronto for his incredible mentorship. Thank you, Prof. Rao, for pushing me to challenge myself, and for being so generous with your time and guidance. My sincere thanks to the Department of Classics and Religion at the University of Calgary, and all the faculty that I have worked with. I am indebted to the administrative staff at the department, particularly Ms. Rachel Blake, for all her patience with all my paperwork for the last two years. My love to Durga Kale, Monica di Rosa, and Gabriele Rocella, whose stash of board games, snacks, movies, and witty conversations made my stay at Calgary unforgettable. I am very grateful to Ben and Theresa Harbidge for making Canada feel like home. I am thankful to Rishabh Shukla for persuading me into many well-earned coffee-breaks over the course of my thesis writing. I must also express my thanks to Jonathan Peterson for his invaluable help during my doctoral applications and beyond. v Most of all, my love to my mother, Jayashree Sudindra, who let me fly halfway across the world to study what I wanted to, and my father, Sudindra R, who managed to coax her into letting me (no mean achievement). You mean the world to me. vi Dedication eksamāyadvitīyāya maddvitīyāya eṣa me | prabandho hṛdayasthāya dūrasthāyāpi dīyate || vii Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii Preface............................................................................................................................................ iii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ iv Dedication ...................................................................................................................................... vi Contents ........................................................................................................................................ vii List of Abbreviations ..................................................................................................................... ix Introduction and Review of Literature ............................................................................................ 1 Chapter 1: Bridging the Canons of Śruti and Itihāsapurāṇas....................................................... 10 1.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 10 1.2 Madhva’s Doctrine of Hierarchy ........................................................................................ 11 1.3 The Hierarchy in Madhva’s Technical Works .................................................................... 13 1.4 The Status of Itihāsapurāṇas as Scripture: Problem and Resolutions ................................ 16 1.5 The Hierarchy in Epic Texts ............................................................................................... 21 1.6 Using the Hierarchy to Integrate the Two Canons.............................................................. 27 1.7 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 39 Chapter 2: Vilifying key figures from the epic ............................................................................. 40 2.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 40 2.2 Haters of Viṣṇu ................................................................................................................... 42 2.3 Maṇimat .............................................................................................................................. 45 viii 2.4 Śaṅkara as Śiva ................................................................................................................... 54 2.5 Ekalavya and Śaṅkara ......................................................................................................... 55 2.6 Advaita and Buddhism ........................................................................................................ 59 2.7 Pauṇḍraka Vāsudeva, Jarāsandha and Advaita ................................................................... 62 2.8 Demonization and Madhva’s Claim of Divine Charisma ................................................... 64 2.9 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 67 Chapter 3: Madhva’s Hierarchy and the Deification of Women .................................................. 69 3.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 69 3.2 The Real and Illusory Sītās ................................................................................................. 70 3.3 Sītā’s Abandonment ............................................................................................................ 76 3.4 Draupadī’s Rank and Importance in the Hierarchy ............................................................ 80 3.5 Draupadī and the Marital Bond in the Hierarchy................................................................ 83 3.6 Draupadī’s Infinite Garments ............................................................................................. 86 3.7 Five Goddesses and Draupadī’s Polyandry ........................................................................ 89 3.8 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 98 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 101 Appendix: Madhva’s