did S ́aivism) expanded beyond the borders of India into southeast Asia where it
has left an important legacy. Cutting across historical trajectories, being institu-
tions common to the S ́aiva, Vais.n.ava, and Vaidika traditions, we have the lifestyle
options of the householder and the renouncer. T. N. Madan has done very
important work on this often neglected aspect of Hinduism. In his essay he looks
at what it is to be a householder and examines the idea in the textual sources as
both institution and ideal, indicating values set against the value of renuncia-
tion and turning one’s back on family and society. Closely allied to Madan’s essay
in that both are examining central institutions and realms of value within
Hinduism, Patrick Olivelle discusses the renouncer tradition. Here Olivelle gives
an account of the origins and institution of renunciation, showing how the
sources reveal a tension between the ascetic values of renunciation and the
values of the male householder, discussed by Madan, to marry, father children,
and perform ritual enjoined on him by scripture.
Lastly in this part we look at the particularity of contemporary, regional
traditions, with two examples taken from different regions and contexts. Rich
Freeman describes the fascinating phenomenon of the teyyam, the ritualized
dance-possession rituals of Kerala performed annually by low-caste specialists.
Tracy Pintchman gives an account based on previously unpublished fieldwork,
of women’s ritual devotions to Krishna in a Benares community, during the
month of Ka ̄rtik.
- Systematic thought
Moving away from religious traditions and texts as such, part III is concerned
with systematic aspects of Indian thought. The part itself is divided into “The
Indian Sciences” and “Philosophy and Theology.” The section on the Indian sci-
ences is a unique feature of this collection of essays, as these areas are so often
neglected in introductory texts and surveys such as this. Rationality is not, of
course, the sole possession of the West, and India (as did China) developed very
early an empirical investigation of the world, especially an inquiry into lan-
guage, along with more speculative, philosophical inquiry. The purpose of this
section is an examination of some of these developments by scholars who have
worked closely together on this project, and to emphasize the importance of sys-
tematic, rational thinking that, at some levels, feeds directly into the philosoph-
ical discourse of the traditions. Frits Staal, whose work has done so much to
highlight the scientific and systematic nature of early Indian thought, begins
with a brief account of science in India followed by an essay on the science of
language, a precursor to modern linguistics. Takao Hayashi then discusses
Indian mathematics and shows how mathematical knowledge developed from
practical concerns of calculation, not only in relation to state income, but in
relation to the need to make measurements for vedic ritual, particularly the
fire altar. More abstract considerations developed and Hayashi discusses, for
example, an Indian proof of Pythagorean theorem. While astrology is often
introduction: establishing the boundaries 15