The Origins Of Evil In Hindu Mythology PDF
Preview The Origins Of Evil In Hindu Mythology
THE ORIGINS OF EVIL IN HINDU MYTHOLOGY Wendy Doniger O^Flahcrty THE GRIGINS 0F EVIL IN HINDIU MYTHUL‘UGY . 's u I'.. Wendy Doniger O’Flaherty THE ORIGINS OF EVIL IN HINDU MYTHOLOGY By Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty The problem ol-evil, in particular the question of theodicy. has long been overlooked or misunder stood by lndoloeistgwho have itMIIIldIIlCCl thaq there IS no problem OfC‘Jll in Indian thought. 0‘ that it was “solved” by the doctrine ot \ transmigration and karma. W'riters on lndian philosophyhave touchedupon the problembutno one hastreated theextensivemythologyol-evil in Vedicand Purinic texts,whichol'TertheFull range ofIndian approaches to the problem. The intense emotional weight of the question of evil drove Hindus to generate literally hundreds ifdiverse and often cone’lradiCtory alternative answers. Fire-supposing biit'quicltlv transcending the logical n-—.—-—.-—-._.___ yetunsatisfying "answer"olii'eredby thedoctrine ot’ltarina. The very bulk of these texts indicates the importance of the subject in Indian thought, and the failure to take intocfi‘dsideration someof the rather idiosyncratic ltfiian attitudes to this most basic problem has led to widespread niisunderstandiii'got Indian religious thought in genetzil ""1A Dr. O'Flaherty marshals more thanathousand myths from the t'ZIflITSE levels of Indianthought (the Vedasl throughcon ejtpsrar)" tribal traditions. grouping and malysin‘ them according to the "villain" in each lPlOILQCi.AISlDII3lly abstractions such as time, fate. or iieeesgii'. but more often anthropomorphic flaillftfs of gods. tlemons. or (rarely) men. Nli'iy or these myths hive previouslyescaped the noticeor liIClC'lOgHES;many have never been translated before; all .m- newly translated by theauthorandilluminatedbyinutiia‘l’ comparison -one mvrh explaining another—and through ?ll¢3fIII(’flCI.IYIC'rIl approach which draws upon textual exegesis and a stuth of the ritual context of Indian religion. Ollie liindu's reluctance to blame demons or men {or the originOliCVll leadstoapreponderance ofmytlis in which demons ari- virtuous, while the Q '0 4 lhllN' 51-2(lH—0386-8 Rs. 375
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