Crossing the Lines of Caste
Visvamitra and the Construction of Brahmin Power in Hindu Mythology
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Product details:
- Publisher OUP USA
- Date of Publication 25 June 2015
- ISBN 9780199341115
- Binding Paperback
- No. of pages334 pages
- Size 231x155x22 mm
- Weight 386 g
- Language English 0
Categories
Short description:
Crossing the Lines of Caste offers a cultural-historical analysis of the legends of Visvamitra, a sage who is said to have used his ascetic power to change his caste and become a Brahmin. It reveals how and why mythological culture has played an active role in the construction of Brahmin social power for more than three thousand years.
MoreLong description:
What does it mean to be a Brahmin, and what could it mean to become one? Over the years, intellectuals and dogmatists have offered plenty of answers to the first question, but the latter presents a cultural puzzle, since normative Brahminical ideology deems it impossible for an ordinary individual to change caste without first undergoing death and rebirth.
There is, however, one notable figure in the Hindu mythological tradition who is said to have transformed himself from a king into a Brahmin by amassing great ascetic power, or tapas: the ornery sage Visvamitra. Through texts composed in Sanskrit and vernacular languages, oral performances, and visual media, Crossing the Lines of Caste examines the rich mosaic of legends about Visvamitra found across the Hindu mythological tradition. It offers a comprehensive historical analysis of how the "storyworlds" conjured up through these various tellings have served to adapt, upgrade, and reinforce the social identity of real-world Brahmin communities, from the ancient Vedic past up to the hypermodern present.
Using a performance-centered approach to situate the production of the Visvamitra legends within specific historical contexts, Crossing the Lines of Caste reveals how and why mythological culture has played an active, dialogical role in the construction of Brahmin social power over the last three thousand years.
This book makes us appreciate how fortunate we are to have reached a point where a single young author can show command of texts from multiple periods, genres, and South Asian languages to present an inside story that never stops retelling itself from the Rig Veda into modern times. For a class, or for the general reader, I can think of no better introduction to the peccadillos of Hinduism.
Table of Contents:
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Note on Transliteration
Abbreviations
About the Companion Website
Introduction: Crossing the Lines of Caste
Foundations
1. Poet, Priest, and Prince: Glimpses of Visvamitra in Vedic Literature
2. Genealogy of the Brahmin Other in the Sanskrit Epics
Adaptations
3. Spinning the Brahmin Other in the Early Puranas
4. Geo-Mapping the Brahmin Other in Regional Puranic Literature
Confrontations
5. Encountering the Brahmin Double in Medieval India
6. Becoming a New Brahmin in Modern India
Conclusions: Texts, Performances, and Hindu Mythological Culture
Catalogue of Visvamitra Legends
Bibliography
Index
