Ascetics and Brahmins : Studies in Ideologies and Institutions

328 Pages·2013·2.418 MB·English

by  Olivelle, Patrick

ASCETICS AND BRAHMINS
Cultural, Historical and Textual Studies of Religions
The volumes featured in the Anthem Cultural, Historical and
Textual Studies of Religions series are the expression of an
international community of scholars committed to the reshaping
of the field of textual and historical studies of religions. Titles in this
series examine practice, ritual, and other textual religious products,
crossing different area studies and time frames. Featuring a vast
range of interpretive perspectives, this innovative series aims
to enhance the way we look at religious traditions.
Series Editor
Federico Squarcini, University of Firenze, Italy
Editorial Board
Piero Capelli, University of Venezia, Italy
Vincent Eltschinger, ICIHA, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austria
Christoph Emmrich, University of Toronto, Canada
James Fitzgerald, Brown University, USA
Jonardon Ganeri, University of Sussex, UK
Barbara A. Holdrege, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA
Sheldon Pollock, Columbia University, USA
Karin Preisendanz, University of Vienna, Austria
Alessandro Saggioro, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
Cristina Scherrer-Schaub, University of Lausanne and EPHE, France
Romila Thapar, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India
Ananya Vajpeyi, University of Massachusetts Boston, USA
Marco Ventura, University of Siena, Italy
Vincenzo Vergiani, University of Cambridge, UK
ASCETICS AND BRAHMINS
STUDIES IN IDEOLOGIES AND INSTITUTIONS
Patrick Olivelle
Anthem Press
An imprint of Wimbledon Publishing Company
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Copyright © Patrick Olivelle 2011
The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
Graphics and layout © Mario Caricchio
Cover photography © Clelia Pellicano
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ISBN-13: 978 0 85728 432 7 (Hbk)
ISBN-10: 0 85728 432 0 (Hbk)
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Contents
Abbreviations 7
Preface 9
1. Introduction to Renunciation in the Hindu Traditions 11
2. The Ascetic and the Domestic in Brahmanical Religiosity 27
3. Village vs. Wilderness: Ascetic Ideals and the Hindu World 43
4. A Definition of World Renunciation 63
5. From Feast to Fast: Food and the Indian Ascetic 71
6. The Beast and the Ascetic: The Wild in the Indian
Religious Imagination 91
7. Deconstruction of the Body in Indian Asceticism 101
8. Contributions to the Semantic History of Sa∫nyåsa 127
9. The Semantic History of å†rama 145
10. Renunciation in the Sa∫nyåsa Upanißads 165
11. Odes of Renunciation 197
12. Ritual Suicide and the Rite of Renunciation 207
6 ASCETICSANDBRAHMINS
13. The Renouncer’s Staff: triviß™abdha, tridañ∂a,
and ekadañ∂a 231
14. Pa∞camå†ramavidhi:Rite for Becoming a Naked Ascetic 249
15. Ånandatœrtha’s Sa∫nyåsapaddhati : AHandbook for
Madhvaite Ascetics 263
16. Renouncer and Renunciation in the Dharma†åstras 271
17. King and Ascetic: State Control of Asceticism
in the Artha†åstra 293
Bibliography 307
Index 319
Abbreviations
AÅ Aitareya Årañyaka
AB Aitareya Bråhmaña
ÅpDh Åpastamba Dharmasütra
ÅrU Åruñi Upanißad (Schrader 1912, Olivelle 1992)
A‡ Artha†åstra
ņG® ņvalåyana G®hyasütra
A†rU ņrama Upanißad
AU Aitareya Upanißad
AV Atharva Veda
BDh Baudhåyana Dharmasütra
BhG Bhagavad Gœtå
BraU Brahma Upanißad (Schrader 1912, Olivelle 1992)
B®AU B®had-Avadhüta Upanißad (Schrader 1912, Olivelle 1992)
B®D B®had Devatå
B®Sm B®haspati Sm®ti
BSaU B®hat-Sa∫nyåsa Upanißad (Schrader 1912, Olivelle 1992)
BU B®hadårañyaka Upanißad
CU Chåndogya Upanißad
DN Dœgha Nikåya
GDh Gautama Dharmasütra
GoB Gopatha Bråhmaña
IIJ Indo-Iranian Journal
JåbU Jåbåla Upanißad (Schrader 1912, Olivelle 1992)
JaiB Jaiminœya Bråhmaña
JMV Jœvanmuktiviveka of Vidyårañya
JUB Jaiminœya-Upanißad-Bråhmaña
KS Kå™haka Sa∫hitå of the Black Yajur Veda
KSm Kåtyåyana Sm®ti
K†rU Ka™ha†ruti Upanißad (Schrader 1912, Olivelle 1992)
KßU Kaußœtaki Upanißad
8 ASCETICSANDBRAHMINS
Ln Liõganirüpaña. The third chapter of Yådava Prakå†a’s Yatidharma-
samuccaya. Ed. and tr. in Olivelle 1986—87. See also Olivelle 1995a
LSaU Laghu-Sa∫nyåsa Upanißad (Schrader 1912, Olivelle 1992)
MaiU Maitreya Upanißad (Schrader 1912, Olivelle 1992)
MåñU Mañ∂ükya Upanißad
MBh Mahåbhårata
MDh Månava Dharma†åstra
MK Mœmå∫så-ko†a
MN Majjhima Nikåya
Mnp Mœmå∫så-nyåya-prakå†a
MS Maitråyañœ Sa∫hitå of the Black Yajur Veda
MuñU Muñ∂aka Upanißad
NpvU Nåradaparivråjaka Upanißad (Schrader 1912, Olivelle 1992)
Nrd Ånandånubhava,Nyåyaratnadœpåvali.Ed. and tr. in Olivelle 1986—87
NSm Nårada Sm®ti
PåM Pårå†ara-Mådhavœya.Mådhava’s commentary on the Parå†ara-sm®ti
PhpU Paramaha∫sa-parivråjaka Upanißad (Schrader 1912, Olivelle 1992)
PhU Paramaha∫sa Upanißad (Schrader 1912, Olivelle 1992)
Pms Pürva-mœmå∫så-sütra of Jaimini.
PU Pra†na Upanißad
Råm Råmåyaña
¥V ¥g Veda
Sa∫U Sa∫nyåsa Upanißad (Schrader 1912, Olivelle 1992)
‡åõG® ‡åõkhåyana G®hyasütra
‡å™U ‡å™yåyanœya Upanißad (Schrader 1912, Olivelle 1992)
‡B ‡atapatha Bråhmaña
SN Sa∫yutta Nikåya
SuNi Sutta Nipåta
SV Såma Veda
‡vU ‡vetå†vatara Upanißad
TB Taittirœya Bråhmaña
TS Taittirœya Sa∫hitåof the Black Yajur Veda
TU Taittirœya Upanißad
TurU Turyåtœtåvadhüta Upanißad (Schrader 1912, Olivelle 1992)
VaDh Vasiß™ha Dharmasütra
VeS Vedånta Sütra
ViDh Vißñu Dharmasütra
Vin Vinaya Pi™aka
VkhDh Vaikhånasa Dharmasütra
VkhG Vaikhånasa G®hyasütra
VS Våjanaseyi Sa∫hitå of the White Yajur Veda
WZKS Wiener Zeitschrift fr die Kunde Sdasiens
Ybh Yatiliõgabhedabhaõgavåda. The 64th chapter of Vedånta De†ika’s
‡atadüßañœ.Ed. and tr. in Olivelle 1986—87.
YDh Yåj∞avalkya Dharma†åstra
YDhS Yatidharmasa∫graha of Vi†ve†vara Sarasvatœ
Yls Yatiliõgasamarthana. The tenth chapter of Varadaråjasüri’s Prameyamå-
lå.Ed. and tr. in Olivelle 1986—87.
YPra Yatidharmaprakå†a of Våsudevå†rama (Olivelle 1976—77)
YU Yåj∞avalkya Upanißad (Schrader 1912, Olivelle 1992)
Preface
This is the second volume of my collected papers. The first was
published under the title Language, Texts, and Society: Explorations in
Ancient Indian Culture and Religion, in the same series as this volume.
That volume included papers dealing with Indian culture and reli-
gion in general and with ancient Sanskrit texts. The present volume
brings together papers dealing specifically with Indian asceticism.
This volume was also the brainchild of Federico Squarcini. I thank
him for his assiduous work on both volumes.
The papers included in this volume span thirty years. Many repre-
sent my earliest work. It is quite natural that as one matures both in
years and, hopefully, in wisdom, one’s approaches and theoretical
models change. It would have been impractical and unwise to rewrite
all my earlier papers. Wherever necessary I have added notes to indi-
cate my evolving views; sometimes I have improved my prose; and fre-
quently, I have updated the bibliography and added the Sanskrit text
to translations. I have deleted portions that were redundant because
of other works I have published subsequently. Even though some of
these papers are now dated, I hope bringing them together in a sin-
gle volume will prove to be helpful to scholars and students.
Most of the individuals who have helped my intellectual develop-
ment over the years I have thanked in the preface to the first volume
of my collected papers. In my early years in the academe when many
of the papers collected here were written, the Department of
Religious Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington, provided a
nurturing atmosphere. I thank all my colleagues there for many
happy and productive years. Two of my students helped me with the
preparation of this volume. Spencer Johnson made electronic ver-
sions of many of the papers written before the advent of the comput-
er. Mark McClish prepared the index.
10 ASCETICSANDBRAHMINS
My wife Suman has been a collaborator in all my research endeav-
ors, especially those involving the painstaking reading of manu-
scripts. My daughter Meera, now a wonderful young —recently
married— woman, bore with patience and good humor the strange
activities of her parents.
Patrick Olivelle
Austin, March 2006