Many Buddhas, One Buddha: A Study and Translation of Avadanasataka 1–40, by Naomi Appleton. Sheffield: Equinox, 2020. x + 245 pp., £75 (hb), £26.95 (pb or ebook). ISBN 9781781798966 (hb), 9781781798973 (pb), 9781781798980 (ePDF).
{"title":"Many Buddhas, One Buddha: A Study and Translation of Avadanasataka 1–40, by Naomi Appleton","authors":"Nathan McGovern","doi":"10.1558/rosa.26589","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/rosa.26589","url":null,"abstract":"Many Buddhas, One Buddha: A Study and Translation of Avadanasataka 1–40, by Naomi Appleton. Sheffield: Equinox, 2020. x + 245 pp., £75 (hb), £26.95 (pb or ebook). ISBN 9781781798966 (hb), 9781781798973 (pb), 9781781798980 (ePDF).","PeriodicalId":38179,"journal":{"name":"Religions of South Asia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2023-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47353301","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The Gayatri is a ubiquitous Vedic verbal ritual formula (mantra) in Brahmanical traditions and the modern period of Hinduism. This essay traces the Gayatri’s changing theological backgrounds, ritual contexts and political uses in the modern period. It seeks to understand the history of the Gayatri’s transformations in modern India, and questions how the Gayatri transitioned from a private initiation ritual in Vedic Brahmanical culture to a popular public mantra. Hindu reform movements at the turn of the twentieth century provide important clues for how the mantra may have become more public, particularly through reconversion rituals (suddhis) to Hinduism regardless of gender, religion, or caste. Reconversion rituals contributed to removing the Gayatri from the jurisdiction of orthodox Brahmanical authorities, and transformed it from a central symbol of twice-born Vedic identity into a broader symbol of Hindu identity. In some cases, the Gayatri is now universalized as a secular mantra in India, though one that maintains tacit Hindu or Indian nationalist identities.
{"title":"Gayatri in the Modern Era","authors":"Neil Dalal","doi":"10.1558/rosa.23214","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/rosa.23214","url":null,"abstract":"The Gayatri is a ubiquitous Vedic verbal ritual formula (mantra) in Brahmanical traditions and the modern period of Hinduism. This essay traces the Gayatri’s changing theological backgrounds, ritual contexts and political uses in the modern period. It seeks to understand the history of the Gayatri’s transformations in modern India, and questions how the Gayatri transitioned from a private initiation ritual in Vedic Brahmanical culture to a popular public mantra. Hindu reform movements at the turn of the twentieth century provide important clues for how the mantra may have become more public, particularly through reconversion rituals (suddhis) to Hinduism regardless of gender, religion, or caste. Reconversion rituals contributed to removing the Gayatri from the jurisdiction of orthodox Brahmanical authorities, and transformed it from a central symbol of twice-born Vedic identity into a broader symbol of Hindu identity. In some cases, the Gayatri is now universalized as a secular mantra in India, though one that maintains tacit Hindu or Indian nationalist identities.","PeriodicalId":38179,"journal":{"name":"Religions of South Asia","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2023-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41729233","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The Hagiographer and the Avatar: The Life and Works of Narayan Kasturi, by Antonio Rigopoulos. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2021. xxv + 499 pp., £75 (hb), £25 (pb). ISBN 978-1-4384-8229-3 (hb), 978-1-4384-8228-6 (pb).
{"title":"The Hagiographer and the Avatar: The Life and Works of Narayan Kasturi, by Antonio Rigopoulos","authors":"Robin Rinehart","doi":"10.1558/rosa.26590","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/rosa.26590","url":null,"abstract":"The Hagiographer and the Avatar: The Life and Works of Narayan Kasturi, by Antonio Rigopoulos. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2021. xxv + 499 pp., £75 (hb), £25 (pb). ISBN 978-1-4384-8229-3 (hb), 978-1-4384-8228-6 (pb).","PeriodicalId":38179,"journal":{"name":"Religions of South Asia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2023-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43546055","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Interpretation of the UpaniSads has occupied scholars from ancient times to the present, and ancient interpretations have influenced modern scholars even if they are not committed to any Vedantic school. This article looks at the history of interpretation of Katha Upanisad 6.4, which speaks of embodiment in worlds after death. Because such embodiment seems contrary to received ideas, this verse has been subject to conjectural emendations, or to interpretations which are difficult to reconcile with the text. The article looks at earlier Vedic ideas about existence after death, and some later ideas, and attempts to show that the apparent meaning of the verse is consistent with such ideas.
{"title":"Freedom from the world and freedom in the worlds","authors":"Dermot Killingley","doi":"10.1558/rosa.24256","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/rosa.24256","url":null,"abstract":"Interpretation of the UpaniSads has occupied scholars from ancient times to the present, and ancient interpretations have influenced modern scholars even if they are not committed to any Vedantic school. This article looks at the history of interpretation of Katha Upanisad 6.4, which speaks of embodiment in worlds after death. Because such embodiment seems contrary to received ideas, this verse has been subject to conjectural emendations, or to interpretations which are difficult to reconcile with the text. The article looks at earlier Vedic ideas about existence after death, and some later ideas, and attempts to show that the apparent meaning of the verse is consistent with such ideas.","PeriodicalId":38179,"journal":{"name":"Religions of South Asia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2023-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45487650","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article argues that the religious and social developments of seventeenth-century Jain communities in northern India can be characterized as vernacularization. This is a process in which religious expression turns towards the quotidian, the local and the practical, and is strongly intertwined with vernacular literature and art. The article makes its argument by discussing the Dharmapariksa-bhasa by the Digambara author Manohardas (seventeenth century). This so-far unstudied text is an Old Hindi version of Amitagati’s Sanskrit Dharmapariksa (eleventh century) which criticizes by means of comical narration Brahmanical myths and beliefs. Presenting selections from this text, the article will highlight the intricate ways by which Manohardas’s bhasa reframes the Dharmapariksa to express the complexity that is vernacular Jainism. This involves emphasizing the spiritual-mystical interpretation of Jainism that was in vogue, but also drawing attention to the religious praxis of Jains and their others. The transposition into the northern Indian vernacular idiom suggests the role literary language played in vernacularizing Jainism. The discussions in the article present a Jainism that, while reflecting on its own tradition, defines itself in terms of the everyday regional religious environment of northern India.
{"title":"Vernacularizing Jainism","authors":"Heleen De Jonckheere","doi":"10.1558/rosa.23301","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/rosa.23301","url":null,"abstract":"This article argues that the religious and social developments of seventeenth-century Jain communities in northern India can be characterized as vernacularization. This is a process in which religious expression turns towards the quotidian, the local and the practical, and is strongly intertwined with vernacular literature and art. The article makes its argument by discussing the Dharmapariksa-bhasa by the Digambara author Manohardas (seventeenth century). This so-far unstudied text is an Old Hindi version of Amitagati’s Sanskrit Dharmapariksa (eleventh century) which criticizes by means of comical narration Brahmanical myths and beliefs. Presenting selections from this text, the article will highlight the intricate ways by which Manohardas’s bhasa reframes the Dharmapariksa to express the complexity that is vernacular Jainism. This involves emphasizing the spiritual-mystical interpretation of Jainism that was in vogue, but also drawing attention to the religious praxis of Jains and their others. The transposition into the northern Indian vernacular idiom suggests the role literary language played in vernacularizing Jainism. The discussions in the article present a Jainism that, while reflecting on its own tradition, defines itself in terms of the everyday regional religious environment of northern India.","PeriodicalId":38179,"journal":{"name":"Religions of South Asia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2023-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47401742","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The Skandapurana is one of the earliest Puranas, with a strong Saiva message throughout the entire text. It promotes devotion to Siva and narrates stories about Siva, his relatives and followers. It does not, however, deny other gods. At least six narratives concern Visnu and his deeds. Three of these are manifestation myths, narrating Visnu’s conquest of the Asuras. For its retellings, such as Visnu’s manifestation myths, the Skandapurana combines known narrative elements with new characterizations, features and scenes. This is not only observable in the stories as a whole, but also on the level of narrative details. In this article, I will show this by studying one of Visnu’s primary weapons, the cakra, ‘discus’. The description of the cakra sometimes agrees with those in other texts, such as its fiery appearance and its quality of returning to its owner. At the same time, there are various new characterizations, for example the fact that it originally belongs to or comes from Siva. With the help of a theory referred to as narrative consistency, I will explore the reasons behind the inclusion of known elements and the introduction of new elements, as well as the reasons behind a combination of the two.
{"title":"Visnu’s Cakra as Narrative Weapon in the Skandapurana","authors":"Sanne Dokter-Mersch","doi":"10.1558/rosa.22984","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/rosa.22984","url":null,"abstract":"The Skandapurana is one of the earliest Puranas, with a strong Saiva message throughout the entire text. It promotes devotion to Siva and narrates stories about Siva, his relatives and followers. It does not, however, deny other gods. At least six narratives concern Visnu and his deeds. Three of these are manifestation myths, narrating Visnu’s conquest of the Asuras. For its retellings, such as Visnu’s manifestation myths, the Skandapurana combines known narrative elements with new characterizations, features and scenes. This is not only observable in the stories as a whole, but also on the level of narrative details. In this article, I will show this by studying one of Visnu’s primary weapons, the cakra, ‘discus’. The description of the cakra sometimes agrees with those in other texts, such as its fiery appearance and its quality of returning to its owner. At the same time, there are various new characterizations, for example the fact that it originally belongs to or comes from Siva. With the help of a theory referred to as narrative consistency, I will explore the reasons behind the inclusion of known elements and the introduction of new elements, as well as the reasons behind a combination of the two.","PeriodicalId":38179,"journal":{"name":"Religions of South Asia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2023-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44106669","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bhakti and Power: Debating India’s Religion of the Heart, edited by John Stratton Hawley, Christian Lee Novetzke and Swapna Sharma. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press, 2019. xii + 255 pp. ISBN 9780295745503 (pb).
{"title":"Bhakti and Power: Debating India’s Religion of the Heart, edited by John Stratton Hawley, Christian Lee Novetzke and Swapna Sharma","authors":"Dermot Killingley","doi":"10.1558/rosa.26588","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/rosa.26588","url":null,"abstract":"Bhakti and Power: Debating India’s Religion of the Heart, edited by John Stratton Hawley, Christian Lee Novetzke and Swapna Sharma. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press, 2019. xii + 255 pp. ISBN 9780295745503 (pb).","PeriodicalId":38179,"journal":{"name":"Religions of South Asia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2023-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42083404","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
In the Tamil siddha texts, the passages on yoga frequently interlace with teachings on alchemy. The texts on these domains of the traditional siddha knowledge are often composed in a deliberately ambiguous and obscure manner, which results from the use of various strategies, such as wordplay riddles, metaphors, ellipses and vague technical vocabulary. In this article, I examine ambiguous passages in the alchemical literature of the Siddhars which, apart from their literal, alchemical meaning, can be also interpreted as metaphorical allusions to yogic practices and concepts. I concentrate mostly on the literature ascribed to Siddhar Yakopu, tentatively dated to the seventeenth century. I analyse several instances of equivocal verses and consider the possible role of the obscure passages. I study the intertwined alchemical and yogic discourse and I reflect on the siddha understanding of matter.
{"title":"Alchemical Metaphors and their Yogic Interpretations in Selected Passages of the Tamil Siddha Literature","authors":"Ilona Kędzia-Warych","doi":"10.1558/rosa.25165","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/rosa.25165","url":null,"abstract":"In the Tamil siddha texts, the passages on yoga frequently interlace with teachings on alchemy. The texts on these domains of the traditional siddha knowledge are often composed in a deliberately ambiguous and obscure manner, which results from the use of various strategies, such as wordplay riddles, metaphors, ellipses and vague technical vocabulary. In this article, I examine ambiguous passages in the alchemical literature of the Siddhars which, apart from their literal, alchemical meaning, can be also interpreted as metaphorical allusions to yogic practices and concepts. I concentrate mostly on the literature ascribed to Siddhar Yakopu, tentatively dated to the seventeenth century. I analyse several instances of equivocal verses and consider the possible role of the obscure passages. I study the intertwined alchemical and yogic discourse and I reflect on the siddha understanding of matter.","PeriodicalId":38179,"journal":{"name":"Religions of South Asia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2023-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45058642","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Creating the Universe: Depictions of the Cosmos in Himalayan Buddhism, by Eric Huntington. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2019. xx + 283 pp., $65 (hb). ISBN: 9780295744063.
{"title":"Creating the Universe: Depictions of the Cosmos in Himalayan Buddhism, by Eric Huntington","authors":"Geoffrey Samuel","doi":"10.1558/rosa.26591","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/rosa.26591","url":null,"abstract":"Creating the Universe: Depictions of the Cosmos in Himalayan Buddhism, by Eric Huntington. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2019. xx + 283 pp., $65 (hb). ISBN: 9780295744063.","PeriodicalId":38179,"journal":{"name":"Religions of South Asia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2023-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46447315","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Editorial","authors":"D. Killingley, Anna S. King, Karen O’Brien-Kop","doi":"10.1558/rosa.26587","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1558/rosa.26587","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":38179,"journal":{"name":"Religions of South Asia","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.1,"publicationDate":"2023-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42732096","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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