!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! ! Istituto!di!Studi!Orientali! Maison!RenéXGinouvès,! ! Archéologie!et!Ethnologie! ! ! Corso!di!Dottorato!in!Civiltà,!Società!e! Milieux,!Cultures!et!Sociétés!du!Passé! Culture!dell’Africa!e!dell’Asia! et!du!Présent! Ciclo!XXVI!! ! ! ! Disciplina:!Storia!dell’India! Discipline:!Anthropologie! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! A!Past!for!the!Present:!The!Role!of!the!Śrī!Maṭh!and!! the!Jagadgurū!in!the!Evolution!of!the!Rāmānandī! Sampradāya! ! ! PhD!Thesis!by! Daniela!BEVILACQUA! ! Tutors:!Mario!PRAYER,!Véronique!BOUILLIER! ! ! ! Jury! ! Véronique!Bouillier! Gilles!Tarabout! Federico!Squarcini! Antonio!Rigopoulos! ! ! ! April!29,!2015! Résume' Le#Passé#pour#le#Présent:#le#Rôle#du#Śrī#Maṭh#et#du#Jagadgurū# dans#l’évolution#de#la#Sampradāya#des#Rāmānandī# Cette'thèse'vise'à'décrire'comment'un'ordre'religieux'subit'des'processus'd’évolution'et'de' transformation' qui' permettent' d’interpréter' et' de' satisfaire' les' besoins' religieux' de' la' société.'L’hypothèse'à'la'base'de'ce'travail'est'que'les'ordres'religieux'et'les'gourous'sont' des'éléments'centraux'qui'caractérisent'et'influencent'la'société'indienne'dans'le'passé'et' dans'le'présent.' Dans' cette' thèse,' je' focalise' mon' attention' sur' le' sampradāya' des' Rāmānandī) –' groupe'religieux'datant'de'Rāmānanda'–'qui'eut'un'rôle'primordial'dans'la'diffusion'de'la'' bhakti)de'Ram)(dévotion'envers'Ram)'dans'le'nord'de'l’Inde'vers'la'fin'du'XVème'siècle.' Mon' but' est' de' montrer' comment' la' figure' de' Rāmānanda' et' l’organisation' de' l’ordre' religieux' ont' évolué' au' cours' des' siècles,' pour' être' capables' ensuite' d’interpréter' les' principaux'changements'survenus'au'XXème'siècle.' A'cause'de'ces'différences'internes,'les'Rāmānandīs'n’ont'jamais'eu'de'représentant' dans' un' centre' officiel' qui' puisse' fonctionner' comme' pôle' directeur' pour' l’ordre.' Donc,' l’utilisation'du'titre'de'Jagadgurū'Rāmānandācārya'et'la'construction'du'Śrī'Math'au'XXème' siècle'représentent'un'changement'significatif'dans'l’histoire'de'l’ordre.'C’est'pour'cela'que' j’ai'formulé'mes'principales'questions,'base'de'ma'recherche,'sur'ce'thème':' 1) pourquoi' au' XXème' siècle,' un) sampradāya' caractérisé' par' diverses' disciplines' religieuses' (sādhanā0s)' et' diffusé' dans' différents' centres' indépendants' a' senti' la' nécessité' de' créer' la' fonction' de' Jagadgurū' Rāmānandācārya' comme' leader' principal'?' 2) le'Śrī'Math'faitVil'partie'de'la'reconstruction'du'charisme'du'Rāmānanda'et'estVil'un' instrument'pour'aider'à'la'fonction'de'Jagadgurū'Rāmānandācārya'?' Pour'effectuer'ce'type'd’analyse,'j’ai'utilisé'une'approche'multidisciplinaire,'dans' laquelle' méthodologies' anthropologique' et' historique' coopèrent' ' pour' retracer' l’évolution'de'la'tradition'des'Rāmānandī'de'leur'origine'à'nos'jours' ' MotsVclés':' ' 1)' Rāmānanda';' 2)' Rām' bhakti';' 3)' Hindou' gourou';' 4);' Jagadguru';' 5)' Tradition;'5)'Traditionalisme'Modern'Hindou';'6)'Ascétisme'' Resume' A#Past#for#the#Present:#The#Role#of#the#Śrī#Maṭh#and#the# Jagadgurū#in#the#Evolution#of#the#Rāmānandī#Sampradāya# In'this'dissertation,'I'focus'my'attention'on'the'Rāmānandī'sampradāya'–'a'religious'group' supposedly' formed' by' the' religious' teacher' Rāmānanda' –' that' had' a' primary' role' in' spreading' Rām' bhakti' (devotion' toward' Rām)' throughout' northern' India,' possibly' from' the'end'of'the'15th'century.'My'purpose'here'is'to'reconstruct'how'the'representation'of' Rāmānanda'and'the'organization'of'the'sampradāya'evolved'over'the'centuries'in'order'to' interpret'the'two'main'changes'that'have'occurred'in'the'20th'century:'the'establishment'of' the' office' of' Jagadgurū' Rāmānandācārya' as' the' leader' of' the' sampradāya,' and' the' construction'of'the'Śrī'Maṭh,'a'monastery'on'the'place'where,'according'to'the'Rāmānandī' tradition,'Rāmānanda'used'to'preach.''' Because' of' these' internal' distinctions,' the' RāmānandīVs' have' never' had' a' single' representative'leader'installed'in'a'particular'place'that'could'work'as'directive'pole'for' the'sampradāya.'Therefore,'the'bestowing'of'the'title'of'Jagadgurū'Rāmānandācārya'and' the'construction'of'the'Śrī'Maṭh'in'the'20th'century'represent'a'significant'change'in'the' history' of' the' order.' For' this' reason,' I' formulated' the' main' questions' at' the' base' of' my' research'as'follows:'' 1' Why' has' a' sampradāya) characterized' by' several' religious' disciplines' (sādhanāVs)' and' spread'across'several'independent'religious'centers'established'the'office'of'a'Jagadgurū' Rāmānandācārya'as'central'leader'in'the'20th'century?'' 2'Which'role'does'the'Śrī'Maṭh'play'in'the'reconstruction'of'Rāmānanda’s'charisma'and'in' support'of'the'office'of'Jagadgurū'Rāmānandācārya?'' To' accomplish' my' analysis' I' employ' a' multidisciplinary' approach' –' described' in' Chapter' 1' –' in' which' anthropological' and' historical' methodologies' cooperate' to' reconstruct'the'evolution'of'the'Rāmānandī'tradition'from'its'origin'until'the'present.' ' ' ' Keywords:'1)'Rāmānandī'sampradāya;'2)'Rām'bhakti;'3)'Hindu'guru;'4)'Jagadguru;' 4)'Tradition;'5)Modern'Hindu'traditionalism;'6)'Asceticism' Table&of&contents&& Acknowledgments& & & & & & & & & & ix& Notes&on&transliteration& & & & & & & & & xi& Prologue& & & & & & & & & & & 1& Introduction& & & & & & & & & & 3! 1.!Which!Hinduism?! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 5! 2.!On!tradition!and!change:!invention!or!evolution?! ! ! ! ! ! 9! 3.!Asceticism!and!Bhakti! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 14! 3.1!Asceticism!and!bhakti:!a!general!overview! ! ! ! ! 14! ! 3.2!Vaiṣṇava!bhakti' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' 18! ! 3.3!Rām!bhakti!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 22! 3.4!Guru!as!spiritual!master! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 24! ! ! 3.4.1!The!guru!in!the!Vaiṣṇava!context! ! ! ! ! 26!! ! 3.5!Asceticism!and!guruship!in!the!Rāmānandī!sampradāya' ' ' ' 28! !! 3.6!The!guruNśiṣya!relationship! ! ! ! ! ! ! 36! 4.!Structure!of!this!dissertation!and!its!place!in!comparison!! with!other!studies!of!the!sampradāya'' ' ' ' ' ' ' 37&& Chapter&1.&Multidisciplinarity,&Methodology&and&Fieldwork& Introduction! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 43! 1.!On!Multidisciplinarity! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 43!! 2.!Theoretical!influences! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 45!! 3.!Collecting!historical!data! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 49! ! 3.1!The!Early!History! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 49! 3.2.!Contemporary!History! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 50! 4.!Collecting!ethnographic!data! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 51! 4.1!On!positionality,!reflexivity,!experienceNnear!and!experienceNdistant!concepts! 51! 5.!Dealing!with!the!fieldwork! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 56! 5.1!Demarcation!of!the!field:!time! ! ! ! ! ! ! 56! 5.2!The!choice!of!the!place:!the!Śrī!Maṭh!and!its!inhabitants! ! ! ! 57! 5.3!Notes!on!religious!festivals!and!celebrations,!participant!observation! ! 59! 5.4!Qualitative!interviews:!talking!with!lay!people! ! ! ! ! 61! ! 5.4.1!Talking!with!ascetics!and!brahmacarīNs! ! ! ! ! 62! ! 5.4.2!DarśanNs!and!interviews!with!the!Jagadgurū! ! ! ! 63! 5.5!Translations!of!books!and!materials!produced!by!the!Śrī!Maṭh! ! ! 64! 5.6!Different!setting!in!Varanasi! ! ! ! ! ! ! 65! 5.7!Different!geographical!settings! ! ! ! ! ! ! 66! ! 5.7.1!Delhi! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 66!! ! 5.7.2!Haridwar!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 66! ! 5.7.3!Ayodhya! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 66!! ! 5.7.4!Allahabad!and!the!Mahā!Kumbh!Melā! ! ! ! ! 67! ! 5.7.5!Jaipur,!Galtā!and!Revāsā!! ! ! ! ! ! 67! 6!Problems!faced!during!the!fieldwork! ! ! ! ! ! ! 68! 6.1!Language!issue!and!the!decision!not!to!have!an!assistant!! ! ! 68!! 6.2!Dealing!with!people! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 70!! 6.3!Limits!in!the!quality!of!material! ! ! ! ! ! ! 70!! 6.4!The!neverNending!fieldwork! ! ! ! ! ! ! 71! Chapter&2.&On&Rāmānanda:&his&life,&teachings&and&disciples&! Introduction! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 73! ! iii! 1!A!comparison!of!hagiographies! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 73! ! 1.1!The!earliest!hagiographies! ! ! ! ! ! ! 76!! 1.1.1!Nābhādās’s!Bhaktamāl! ! ! ! ! ! ! 76! 1.1.2!Anantadās’s!Parcāī' ' ' ' ' ' ' 78! 1.2!The!18th!and!19th!century! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 80! 1.2.1!Rasik'Prakaś'Bhaktamāl! ! ! ! ! ! ! 82! 1.2.2!Bhaviṣya'Purāṇa!! ! ! ! ! ! ! 82! 1.2.3!Agastya'Saṃhitā!! ! ! ! ! ! ! 83! 1.2.4!Bhaktisudhāsvād'Tilak! ! ! ! ! ! ! 85! 1.3!The!20th!century! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 87!! 1.3.1!Vālmīki'Saṃhitā! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 88!! 1.3.2!Śrīmad'Rāmānanda'Digvijaya! ! ! ! ! ! 88!! 1.3.3!Prasaṅga'Pārijāt!! ! ! ! ! ! ! 89! 1.3.4!Rāmānandāyan!and!Jagadgurū'Rāmānandācarya! ! ! 89! 1.3.5!Bhagvān'Rāmānandācārya! ! ! ! ! ! 89! ! 1.4!Today’s!publications! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 90! ! 1.4.1!Hints!from!the!Śrī'Maṭh!Prakaś! ! ! ! ! ! 91! ' 1.4.2!Swāmī'Rāmānanda'the'Pioneer'of'Rām'Bhakti' ' ' ' 93! 2.!Scholarly!perspectives!about!Rāmānanda!in!19th!–!20th!century! ! ! ! 95!! 2.1!References!from!orientalists! ! ! ! ! ! ! 95! 2.2!Scholars!of!Hindi!literature! ! ! ! ! ! ! 101! 2.3!Contemporary!studies! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 103!! 3.!The!literary!production!of!Rāmānanda! ! ! ! ! ! ! 106! 3.1!The!Hindi!Production! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 107! 3.1.1!Texts!linked!with!the!tapasī'śākhā' ' ' ' ' 108! 3.1.2!Rāmānanda!in!the!Sant!collections! ! ! ! ! 110! 3.1.2.1!PādaNs! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 111! 3.1.3!The!Rāmaite!cult!! ! ! ! ! ! ! 112! 3.1.4!Other!works!and!a!few!remark! ! ! ! ! ! 113! 3.2!The!Sanskrit!Production! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 114! 3.2.1!Vaiṣṇava'Matābja'Bhāskara' ' ' ' ' ' 115! 3.2.2!Rāmārcana'Paddhati' ' ' ' ' ' ' 116! 3.2.3!Some!remarks! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 117! 4.!The!disciples! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 119! 4.1!Padmāvatī!and!Surasarī! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 119! 4.2!Anantānanda! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 119! 4.3!Sukhānanda,!Surasurānanda,!Narahariyānanda! ! ! ! ! 120! 4.4!Pīpā! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 121! 4.5!Dhanā! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 122! 4.6!Raidās! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 123!! 4.7!Kabīr! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 125! 4.8!Sen!!