Maria Marcinkowska-Rosół | Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (original) (raw)

Books by Maria Marcinkowska-Rosół

Commentary on the Haṭhapradīpikā in Polish with additional studies on (1) vajrolī, (2) the four s... more Commentary on the Haṭhapradīpikā in Polish with additional studies on (1) vajrolī, (2) the four steps of sound contemplation, and (3) the conception of joining prāṇa and apāna.

Książka „Studia nad Hathapradipiką Swatmaramy” poświęcona jest najważniejszemu, klasycznemu traktatowi o hathajodze pt. Hathapradipika („Lampka hathajogi”), napisanemu w języku sanskryckim w XV wieku przez jogina Swatmaramę. Zawiera obszerny, filologiczno-historyczny komentarz do tego dzieła oraz szczegółowo omawia najtrudniejsze spośród poruszanych w nim zagadnień. Stanowi uzupełnienie przekładu Hathapradipiki, który ukazał się w tym samym wydawnictwie w 2018 roku.

Polish translation of the Haṭhapradīpika with an introduction and short explanations., 2018

Hathapradipika („Lampka hathajogi") to najważniejszy, klasyczny traktat o hathajodze, napisany w ... more Hathapradipika („Lampka hathajogi") to najważniejszy, klasyczny traktat o hathajodze, napisany w XV wieku w języku sanskryckim przez jogina Swatmaramę. Składa się on z czterech wykładów omawiających kolejno asany, ćwiczenia oddechowe, mudry i techniki medytacyjne. Niniejsza pozycja stanowi pierwszy polski przekład tego traktatu z oryginału. Książka zawiera również tekst sanskrycki, podstawowe wyjaśnienia, ilustracje opisywanych w traktacie asan oraz obszerny wstęp wprowadzający czytelnika w fascynujący świat hathajogi. Przeznaczona jest dla wszystkich osób uprawiających jogę i zainteresowanych indyjskimi źródłami dzisiejszych praktyk jogicznych.

Papers by Maria Marcinkowska-Rosół

The Journal of Indo-European Studies , 2022

This article deals with descriptions of disturbances of mind and behavior in Homer's Iliad and Od... more This article deals with descriptions of disturbances of mind and behavior in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey and in the Indian poems Mahābhārata and Rāmāyaṇa. We collect and examine Homeric scenes in which the poet depicts the human mind as being negatively affected by various factors, and in which such mental events are related to a behavior that is significantly deficient, and conduct a parallel analysis of the two Sanskrit epics. We first present these scenes according to our classification of 11 types of disturbed behavior, and on this basis we tackle our main question, which concerns the kind of relation between the negative event affecting the mind and the disturbed behavior. We conclude that this relation is basically conceived of as causal, and we present the main ways in which the Greek and the Indian poets construct and express this relation. Finally, we point to the main similarities and differences between the two traditions in this regard.

Classical Philology, 2024

This article analyzes Homeric expressions attributing negative changes or states to the so-called... more This article analyzes Homeric expressions attributing negative changes or states to the so-called “mental organs” (θυμός, φρένες, etc.), and compares them, by means of a transparent classification, with analogous Sanskrit expressions found in the Mahābhārata and Rāmāyaṇa, the second oldest extant representatives of epic poetry in an Indo-European language. Applying the framework of Conceptual Metaphor Theory, we propose to treat the collected expressions as instances of conceptual metaphors; on this basis, we identify the ways of conceptualizing the mind in both traditions. In addition, we use the comparison with the Indian material to capture the specific features of Homer’s psychological ideas.

Mnemosyne, 2021

One of the most widespread and natural ways of conceiving of the human mind in European culture i... more One of the most widespread and natural ways of conceiving of the human mind in European culture is the image of the mind as a container for thoughts, images, memories, reasonings, etc. In this article, we explore the evidence of this metaphor in the Ancient Greek epic poems, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey as well as Hesiod's Theogony and Works and Days, and, for comparative purposes, the evidence of the analogous metaphor in the Ancient Indian epics, the Mahābhārata and the Rāmāyaṇa. We examine how the metaphor is used, what its functions are and what it implies for the conception of mind in both ancient traditions. Additionally, we offer a brief comparison with the image of the mind-container that emerges from the use of this metaphor in modern English.

Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft, 2021

The article deals with the Sanskrit haṭhayogic treatise Haṭhapradīpikā (ca. middle 15th c. CE). I... more The article deals with the Sanskrit haṭhayogic treatise Haṭhapradīpikā (ca. middle 15th c. CE). It offers a discussion of selected passages that pose special problems to our understanding of the text in the light of existing translations and commentaries. Concretely, new interpretations are proposed for stanzas HP 2.72c–f, 3.108–109, 4.45 and 4.65 (numeration according to DIGAMBARJI & KOKAJE 2016), and 3.96 (numeration according to IYANGAR 1972). Emphasis has been laid on a detailed philological analysis of the evidence in close confrontation with both the traditional exegesis (epitomised by the 18th c. commentator Brahmānanda) and modern opinions.

Roczniki Humanistyczne, 2018

The article deals with “brutishness” or “beastliness” (thēriotēs), a concept introduced by Aristo... more The article deals with “brutishness” or “beastliness” (thēriotēs), a concept introduced by Aristotle in the seventh book of the Nicomachean Ethics and defined by him as a negative ethical disposition, different both from vice (kakia) and from incontinence (akrasia), and leading to such pathological behaviours as cannibalism, paedophilia, omophagy, phobias and compulsions. Aristotle’s statements concerning brutishness (VII 1, 1145a15–35, VII 5, 1148b15–1149a24 and VII
6, 1149b23–1150a8) are examined and interpreted in order to clarify the following issues: the essence of thēriotēs as a specific ethical disposition (Sections I–II), its concrete forms and their causes (Section III), the moral-psychological condition of persons with a brutish hexis (Section IV), and their self-consciousness and moral responsibility for their brutish acts (Section V).

Studia Antyczne i Mediewistyczne, 2017

1. ीआिदनाथाय नमो ऽ ु त ै ये नोपिद ा हठयोगिव ा । िव ाजते ो तराजयोगम ् आरोढु िम ोरिधरोिहनीव ।।१।।

Studia Antyczne i Mediewistyczne, 2017

Introduction into the "Hathapradipika" by Swatmarama.

The article deals with the „brutishness” or „beastliness” (thēriotēs), a concept introduced by Ar... more The article deals with the „brutishness” or „beastliness” (thēriotēs), a concept introduced by
Aristotle in the seventh book of the Nicomachean Ethics and defined by him as a negative ethical
disposition, different both from vice (kakia) and from incontinence (akrasia), and leading to such
pathological behaviours as canibalism, paedophilia, omophagia, phobias and compulsions. Aristotle’s
statements concerning the brutishness (VII 1, 1145a15-35, VII 5, 1148b15-1149a24 and
VII 6, 1149b23-1150a8) are examined and interpreted in order to clarify the following issues: the
essence of the thēriotēs as a specific ethical disposition (Part I-II), its concrete forms and their
causes (Part III), the moral-psychological condition of persons with a brutish hexis (Part IV), and
their self-consciousness and moral responsibility for their bestial acts (Part V).

The article deals with the question of the value of the history of philosophy for philosophical r... more The article deals with the question of the value of the history of philosophy for philosophical research. In the first part, it proposes a classification of possible functions realized by references to the philosophical tradition in a philosophical treatise. The proposed typology is meant as a practical tool for identifying and comparing the usage of the past in philosophical texts of any historical period. The second part of the paper illustrates how the classification can be employed by applying it to determine the functions of Aristotle’s discussions of the pre-Socratic doctrines in Metaphysics A.

The paper offers a discussion of Professor Michael Wedin’s interpretation of Aristotle’s argument... more The paper offers a discussion of Professor Michael Wedin’s interpretation of Aristotle’s argument against the intermediate element in GC 2.5, 332a20ff. (Phronesis 58, 2013, 17-31). According to Wedin, the argument consists in proving that the intermediate is composed of contraries, since it possesses a pair of elemental qualities (e.g. hot and wet) and an additional, contrary quality (e.g. dry) responsible for its medium density. In my paper I analyse this proposal, point to its difficulties, show how they could be partially solved and finally advocate an alternative reading which is entirely free of them.

The article deals with the oldest attested criticism of Anaximander’s monism, found in John Philo... more The article deals with the oldest attested criticism of Anaximander’s monism, found in John Philoponus’ (6. cent. A.D.) commentary on the first book of Aristotle’s Physics (In Ph. 88.24-89.2). Philoponus’ argumentation is analytically examined and explained, its premises brought to light and its conclusions evaluated. It is shown how his inquiry, although anticipating the modern discussions about the classification of Anaximander’s doctrine in terms of ‘monism’ or ‘pluralism’, differs from the contemporary approach to the problem, both in results and methodology.

The article deals with Physics III,5, 205a25–28 and examines its function in Aristotle’s argument... more The article deals with Physics III,5, 205a25–28 and examines its function in Aristotle’s argumentation against the existence of an infinite sensible body. Since attempts to connect this passage with the preceding argument (205a23–25) have
so far proved unsuccessful, scholars have resorted to transposing this text after Ph. 205a19 or 205b1 or to postulating a lacuna directly before it (205a25). This
paper shows why those proposals are unsatisfactory and instead proposes another, less radical solution which consists in interpreting the passage in its transmitted
context. More precisely, instead of trying to connect it with 205a23–25 it suggests treating the text as elliptical and seeing in 205a25–28 an important step in an argument based on Aristotle’s theory of natural place, one that is directed
against the existence of an infi nite heterogeneous body composed of a finite number of constituents (205a22–28).

Mnemosyne. A Journal of Classical Studies 67, 2014, 631-638

In EN 1147 b 9-17 Aristotle, summing up his preceding discussion of acrasia, claims that his acco... more In EN 1147 b 9-17 Aristotle, summing up his preceding discussion of acrasia, claims that his account of it partly coincides with the position of Socrates, who denied that knowledge possessed by a man can be ‘mastered’ by a passion (cf. 1145b23-4). The sentence justifying this claim of Aristotle, οὐ γὰρ τῆς κυρίως ἐπιστήμης εἶναι δοκούσης παρούσης γίνεται τὸ πάθος, οὐδ' αὕτη περιέλκεται διὰ τὸ πάθος, ἀλλὰ τῆς αἰσθητικῆς (1147b15-7), has been considered problematic by scholars since the nineteenth century: it seems to imply that a person does not possess knowledge in the proper sense (= the general knowledge contained in the major premiss of the practical syllogism) at the moment of the incontinent action, whereas according to the preceding discussion the passion affects not the knowledge proper, but the opinion concerning the object of sensation (= the minor premiss of the practical syllogism), and only this last interpretation corresponds to the Socratic position. In the article, I try to show that the problematic implication does not have to follow: it is possible to read the text (1147b15-7) in a different way, which is more plausible in the context and perfectly consistent with Aristotle’s account of acrasia.

Göttinger Forum für Altertumswissenschaft 17, 2014, 63-92

Commentary on the Haṭhapradīpikā in Polish with additional studies on (1) vajrolī, (2) the four s... more Commentary on the Haṭhapradīpikā in Polish with additional studies on (1) vajrolī, (2) the four steps of sound contemplation, and (3) the conception of joining prāṇa and apāna.

Książka „Studia nad Hathapradipiką Swatmaramy” poświęcona jest najważniejszemu, klasycznemu traktatowi o hathajodze pt. Hathapradipika („Lampka hathajogi”), napisanemu w języku sanskryckim w XV wieku przez jogina Swatmaramę. Zawiera obszerny, filologiczno-historyczny komentarz do tego dzieła oraz szczegółowo omawia najtrudniejsze spośród poruszanych w nim zagadnień. Stanowi uzupełnienie przekładu Hathapradipiki, który ukazał się w tym samym wydawnictwie w 2018 roku.

Polish translation of the Haṭhapradīpika with an introduction and short explanations., 2018

Hathapradipika („Lampka hathajogi") to najważniejszy, klasyczny traktat o hathajodze, napisany w ... more Hathapradipika („Lampka hathajogi") to najważniejszy, klasyczny traktat o hathajodze, napisany w XV wieku w języku sanskryckim przez jogina Swatmaramę. Składa się on z czterech wykładów omawiających kolejno asany, ćwiczenia oddechowe, mudry i techniki medytacyjne. Niniejsza pozycja stanowi pierwszy polski przekład tego traktatu z oryginału. Książka zawiera również tekst sanskrycki, podstawowe wyjaśnienia, ilustracje opisywanych w traktacie asan oraz obszerny wstęp wprowadzający czytelnika w fascynujący świat hathajogi. Przeznaczona jest dla wszystkich osób uprawiających jogę i zainteresowanych indyjskimi źródłami dzisiejszych praktyk jogicznych.

The Journal of Indo-European Studies , 2022

This article deals with descriptions of disturbances of mind and behavior in Homer's Iliad and Od... more This article deals with descriptions of disturbances of mind and behavior in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey and in the Indian poems Mahābhārata and Rāmāyaṇa. We collect and examine Homeric scenes in which the poet depicts the human mind as being negatively affected by various factors, and in which such mental events are related to a behavior that is significantly deficient, and conduct a parallel analysis of the two Sanskrit epics. We first present these scenes according to our classification of 11 types of disturbed behavior, and on this basis we tackle our main question, which concerns the kind of relation between the negative event affecting the mind and the disturbed behavior. We conclude that this relation is basically conceived of as causal, and we present the main ways in which the Greek and the Indian poets construct and express this relation. Finally, we point to the main similarities and differences between the two traditions in this regard.

Classical Philology, 2024

This article analyzes Homeric expressions attributing negative changes or states to the so-called... more This article analyzes Homeric expressions attributing negative changes or states to the so-called “mental organs” (θυμός, φρένες, etc.), and compares them, by means of a transparent classification, with analogous Sanskrit expressions found in the Mahābhārata and Rāmāyaṇa, the second oldest extant representatives of epic poetry in an Indo-European language. Applying the framework of Conceptual Metaphor Theory, we propose to treat the collected expressions as instances of conceptual metaphors; on this basis, we identify the ways of conceptualizing the mind in both traditions. In addition, we use the comparison with the Indian material to capture the specific features of Homer’s psychological ideas.

Mnemosyne, 2021

One of the most widespread and natural ways of conceiving of the human mind in European culture i... more One of the most widespread and natural ways of conceiving of the human mind in European culture is the image of the mind as a container for thoughts, images, memories, reasonings, etc. In this article, we explore the evidence of this metaphor in the Ancient Greek epic poems, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey as well as Hesiod's Theogony and Works and Days, and, for comparative purposes, the evidence of the analogous metaphor in the Ancient Indian epics, the Mahābhārata and the Rāmāyaṇa. We examine how the metaphor is used, what its functions are and what it implies for the conception of mind in both ancient traditions. Additionally, we offer a brief comparison with the image of the mind-container that emerges from the use of this metaphor in modern English.

Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft, 2021

The article deals with the Sanskrit haṭhayogic treatise Haṭhapradīpikā (ca. middle 15th c. CE). I... more The article deals with the Sanskrit haṭhayogic treatise Haṭhapradīpikā (ca. middle 15th c. CE). It offers a discussion of selected passages that pose special problems to our understanding of the text in the light of existing translations and commentaries. Concretely, new interpretations are proposed for stanzas HP 2.72c–f, 3.108–109, 4.45 and 4.65 (numeration according to DIGAMBARJI & KOKAJE 2016), and 3.96 (numeration according to IYANGAR 1972). Emphasis has been laid on a detailed philological analysis of the evidence in close confrontation with both the traditional exegesis (epitomised by the 18th c. commentator Brahmānanda) and modern opinions.

Roczniki Humanistyczne, 2018

The article deals with “brutishness” or “beastliness” (thēriotēs), a concept introduced by Aristo... more The article deals with “brutishness” or “beastliness” (thēriotēs), a concept introduced by Aristotle in the seventh book of the Nicomachean Ethics and defined by him as a negative ethical disposition, different both from vice (kakia) and from incontinence (akrasia), and leading to such pathological behaviours as cannibalism, paedophilia, omophagy, phobias and compulsions. Aristotle’s statements concerning brutishness (VII 1, 1145a15–35, VII 5, 1148b15–1149a24 and VII
6, 1149b23–1150a8) are examined and interpreted in order to clarify the following issues: the essence of thēriotēs as a specific ethical disposition (Sections I–II), its concrete forms and their causes (Section III), the moral-psychological condition of persons with a brutish hexis (Section IV), and their self-consciousness and moral responsibility for their brutish acts (Section V).

Studia Antyczne i Mediewistyczne, 2017

1. ीआिदनाथाय नमो ऽ ु त ै ये नोपिद ा हठयोगिव ा । िव ाजते ो तराजयोगम ् आरोढु िम ोरिधरोिहनीव ।।१।।

Studia Antyczne i Mediewistyczne, 2017

Introduction into the "Hathapradipika" by Swatmarama.

The article deals with the „brutishness” or „beastliness” (thēriotēs), a concept introduced by Ar... more The article deals with the „brutishness” or „beastliness” (thēriotēs), a concept introduced by
Aristotle in the seventh book of the Nicomachean Ethics and defined by him as a negative ethical
disposition, different both from vice (kakia) and from incontinence (akrasia), and leading to such
pathological behaviours as canibalism, paedophilia, omophagia, phobias and compulsions. Aristotle’s
statements concerning the brutishness (VII 1, 1145a15-35, VII 5, 1148b15-1149a24 and
VII 6, 1149b23-1150a8) are examined and interpreted in order to clarify the following issues: the
essence of the thēriotēs as a specific ethical disposition (Part I-II), its concrete forms and their
causes (Part III), the moral-psychological condition of persons with a brutish hexis (Part IV), and
their self-consciousness and moral responsibility for their bestial acts (Part V).

The article deals with the question of the value of the history of philosophy for philosophical r... more The article deals with the question of the value of the history of philosophy for philosophical research. In the first part, it proposes a classification of possible functions realized by references to the philosophical tradition in a philosophical treatise. The proposed typology is meant as a practical tool for identifying and comparing the usage of the past in philosophical texts of any historical period. The second part of the paper illustrates how the classification can be employed by applying it to determine the functions of Aristotle’s discussions of the pre-Socratic doctrines in Metaphysics A.

The paper offers a discussion of Professor Michael Wedin’s interpretation of Aristotle’s argument... more The paper offers a discussion of Professor Michael Wedin’s interpretation of Aristotle’s argument against the intermediate element in GC 2.5, 332a20ff. (Phronesis 58, 2013, 17-31). According to Wedin, the argument consists in proving that the intermediate is composed of contraries, since it possesses a pair of elemental qualities (e.g. hot and wet) and an additional, contrary quality (e.g. dry) responsible for its medium density. In my paper I analyse this proposal, point to its difficulties, show how they could be partially solved and finally advocate an alternative reading which is entirely free of them.

The article deals with the oldest attested criticism of Anaximander’s monism, found in John Philo... more The article deals with the oldest attested criticism of Anaximander’s monism, found in John Philoponus’ (6. cent. A.D.) commentary on the first book of Aristotle’s Physics (In Ph. 88.24-89.2). Philoponus’ argumentation is analytically examined and explained, its premises brought to light and its conclusions evaluated. It is shown how his inquiry, although anticipating the modern discussions about the classification of Anaximander’s doctrine in terms of ‘monism’ or ‘pluralism’, differs from the contemporary approach to the problem, both in results and methodology.

The article deals with Physics III,5, 205a25–28 and examines its function in Aristotle’s argument... more The article deals with Physics III,5, 205a25–28 and examines its function in Aristotle’s argumentation against the existence of an infinite sensible body. Since attempts to connect this passage with the preceding argument (205a23–25) have
so far proved unsuccessful, scholars have resorted to transposing this text after Ph. 205a19 or 205b1 or to postulating a lacuna directly before it (205a25). This
paper shows why those proposals are unsatisfactory and instead proposes another, less radical solution which consists in interpreting the passage in its transmitted
context. More precisely, instead of trying to connect it with 205a23–25 it suggests treating the text as elliptical and seeing in 205a25–28 an important step in an argument based on Aristotle’s theory of natural place, one that is directed
against the existence of an infi nite heterogeneous body composed of a finite number of constituents (205a22–28).

Mnemosyne. A Journal of Classical Studies 67, 2014, 631-638

In EN 1147 b 9-17 Aristotle, summing up his preceding discussion of acrasia, claims that his acco... more In EN 1147 b 9-17 Aristotle, summing up his preceding discussion of acrasia, claims that his account of it partly coincides with the position of Socrates, who denied that knowledge possessed by a man can be ‘mastered’ by a passion (cf. 1145b23-4). The sentence justifying this claim of Aristotle, οὐ γὰρ τῆς κυρίως ἐπιστήμης εἶναι δοκούσης παρούσης γίνεται τὸ πάθος, οὐδ' αὕτη περιέλκεται διὰ τὸ πάθος, ἀλλὰ τῆς αἰσθητικῆς (1147b15-7), has been considered problematic by scholars since the nineteenth century: it seems to imply that a person does not possess knowledge in the proper sense (= the general knowledge contained in the major premiss of the practical syllogism) at the moment of the incontinent action, whereas according to the preceding discussion the passion affects not the knowledge proper, but the opinion concerning the object of sensation (= the minor premiss of the practical syllogism), and only this last interpretation corresponds to the Socratic position. In the article, I try to show that the problematic implication does not have to follow: it is possible to read the text (1147b15-7) in a different way, which is more plausible in the context and perfectly consistent with Aristotle’s account of acrasia.

Göttinger Forum für Altertumswissenschaft 17, 2014, 63-92

Eranos 105, 2008/2009, 118-123

The article deals with Parmenides’ argument against the second way of inquiry (οὐκ ἔστιν). In the... more The article deals with Parmenides’ argument against the second way of inquiry (οὐκ ἔστιν). In the first part of the paper the fragments 6 (particularly ll. 1-3) und 7 (particularly ll. 1-2) are subjected to an examination presenting numerous problems of their interpretation still unsolved (esp. the lacuna in 6.3, the reference of ταύτης in 6.3, τοῦτο in 7.1 and τῆσδ’ ἀφ’ ὁδοῦ in 7.2, the semantic value of the plural μὴ ἐόντα in 7.1, the meaning of δαμῆι in 7.1, the original context of 7.1-2). The second part of the article offers a new solution for these problems, consisting in the rearrangement of the fragments 6 and 7.1-2. On the basis of this hypothesis a reconstruction of the Parmenidean elenchos of the second way of inquiry is proposed.

Hermes. Zeitschrift für klassiche Philologie 135, 2007, 134-148

Meander 60, 2005, 285-299

The article discusses possible meanings of Parmenides’ fr. B 3 Diels-Kranz (... τὸ γὰρ αὐτὸ νοεῖν... more The article discusses possible meanings of Parmenides’ fr. B 3 Diels-Kranz (... τὸ γὰρ αὐτὸ νοεῖν ἐστίν τε καὶ εἶναι) and its grammatical structure. Special attention is given to the question of continuity of that fragment with fr. B 2, 7–8.