- 288 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
The Literary Life of Yājñavalkya
About this book
A literary and historical investigation into an ancient Indian religious thinker, tracing his rise in importance in the Hindu tradition.
In this fascinating study, Steven E. Lindquist investigates the intersections between historical context and literary production in the "life" of Y?jñavalkya, the most important ancient Indian literary figure prior to the Buddha. Known for his sharp tongue and deep thought, Y?jñavalkya is associated with a number of "firsts" in Indian religious literary history: the first person to discuss brahman and ?tman thoroughly; the first to put forth a theory of karma and reincarnation; the first to renounce his household life; and the first to dispute with women in religious debate. Throughout early Indian history, he was seen as a priestly bearer of ritual authority, a sage of mystical knowledge, and an innovative propagator of philosophical ideas and religious law. Drawing on history, literary studies, ritual studies, Sanskrit philology, narrative studies, and philosophy, Lindquist traces Y?jñavalkya's literary life-from his earliest mentions in ritual texts, through his developing biography in the Upani?ads, and finally to his role as a hoary sage in narrative literature-offering the first detailed monograph on this central figure in early Indian religious and literary history.
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Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title
- Copyright
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Introduction: Narrative and Method
- Chapter 1: The Origins of a Sage
- Chapter 2: The Mature Yājñavalkya and the Br̥hadāraṇyaka
- Chapter 3: An Ancient Sage and the Paradox of the New
- Chapter 4: Yājñavalkya beyond the Veda
- Conclusion: Yājñavalkya and Ancient Indian Literary Memory
- Appendix: Text and Translation of Br̥hadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (Kāṇva) Chapters 3 and 4
- Notes
- References
- Index
- Back Cover