The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism

epics, the Ra ̄ma ̄yanaand, even more so, the Maha ̄bha ̄rata (Kane 1968: 349–408), as well as in several Pura ̄n.as(Kane 1968: ...

Such, however, is not the traditional view. For the Hindu the dharma as revealed by the Sages is perfect. There are neither unce ...

systems. To achieve that goal the authors have recourse to a vast array of tra- ditionally recognized exegetical principles, whi ...

unknown. As a result, administering the “law” of the dharmas ́a ̄stras to Hindus led to interesting developments in the understa ...

in reality the courts made even the Sanskrit commentaries subordinate to the British Common Law concept of legal precedent. The ...

dharmas ́a ̄stras nothing more than “a pious wish of its metaphysically-minded, ceremonial ridden priestly promulgators, and but ...

CHAPTER 5 The Sanskrit Epics John Brockington “Whatever is here concerning the four aims of mankind may be found elsewhere, but ...

also of the audience in their transmission, while also setting them within the largest possible context. For the Maha ̄bha ̄rata ...

Deity and Ritual Within the narratives of both epics the older pattern of deities and of rituals based on sacrifice, leading to ...

ing instead svarga, “heaven,” while both sam.sa ̄ra andkarma do feature in parts of the Maha ̄bha ̄rata narrative. By the middle ...

To be exact, he appears in a dual role, as the Ya ̄dava chief who sides with the Pa ̄n.d.avas and gives them frequently devious ...

which reaches its climax in Kr.s.n.a’s declaration of his attachment (bhakti)to Arjuna and the promise that by his grace he can ...

duty as a prince to uphold law and order). Similarly, the comparison with Indra gives way to an identification with Vis.n.u, fir ...

Doctrinal Developments Kr.s.n.a and Ra ̄ma are the most widely worshipped of the avata ̄ras of Vis.n.u but the avata ̄ra concept ...

ruler of everyone, Na ̄ra ̄yan.a himself being the ordainer of the universe and the creator. Much of the first six chapters of t ...

ofkarma as the determinant of human destiny is on the whole the dominant one, the prevalence of other views about this, not unco ...

has become a commonplace in the Na ̄ra ̄yan.ı ̄ya, whereas they are more distinct and even contrasted in earlier passages. In al ...

South Indian art is the carving, covering a massive granite outcrop, of Arjuna’s Penance or the Descent of the Gan.ga ̄ from the ...

commissions him to compose the story of the ideal person, Ra ̄ma, just identified as such by the sage Na ̄rada. This continuity ...

CHAPTER 6 The Pura ̄n.as Freda Matchett At the end of her introduction to Pura ̄n.a PerennisWendy Doniger, as editor, invites he ...