Whose Veda, Whose Story? Reflections on digital adhikāra and the straitening of Sanskrit (original) (raw)
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How is Indic Hindu antiquity made relevant to an India that is rewriting itself? The contributions in this special issue take a trans-regional and multi-disciplinary approach in order to suggest some junctures between India's heritage, its temporally complex present, and its trajectory for the future through the medium of "Hindu texts." This project has connected philologists, anthropologists, historians and geographers, as well as performers and practitioners. Our aim is to arrive at a holistic interpretation of "the classical" in contemporary Hindu India and, thereby, at an appreciation of continuities and disjunctures between contemporary and classical sources in ritual and textual contexts. Viewing Hindu scripture in such terms allows us to consider texts as entities used by actors, as abstract entities with cultural force, and also as actors in ethnographic play with those who use them.
International Journal of Hindu Studies 17, 3 (2013): 223–230, 2013
How is Indic Hindu antiquity made relevant to an India that is rewriting itself? The contributions in this special issue take a trans-regional and multi-disciplinary approach in order to suggest some junctures between India's heritage, its temporally complex present, and its trajectory for the future through the medium of "Hindu texts." This project has connected philologists, anthropologists, historians and geographers, as well as performers and practitioners. Our aim is to arrive at a holistic interpretation of "the classical" in contemporary Hindu India and, thereby, at an appreciation of continuities and disjunctures between contemporary and classical sources in ritual and textual contexts. Viewing Hindu scripture in such terms allows us to consider texts as entities used by actors, as abstract entities with cultural force, and also as actors in ethnographic play with those who use them.
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Despite its neglect by scholars in the Western academic world, Rajiv Malhotra’s recent bestselling and impactive book `The Battle for Sanskrit’ (TBFS) succeeds in its objective and will resonate with its target readers: traditional Sanskrit scholars in India as well as English-speaking right-leaning Hindus across the world. Malhotra raises hard questions and presents grim facts in lucid vocabulary and a style which is a combination of academic, critical, trenchant, and motivational. He summarizes debatable and objectionable views and theories of Sheldon Pollock and what he calls ‘American Orientalism’; offers counter-views and alternate theories; and exhorts traditional Sanskrit scholars to critique Pollock’s works, views, and theories more substantially. In this article, I present a detailed review of the book and highlight what in my opinion are the strengths and weaknesses of the book. Although I have a favourable opinion of Malhotra’s book, I hope the contents of the article will prove useful, for the purpose of discussions and debates around the issues raised in the book, to even readers who are neutral or opposed to Malhotra’s views. In addition to an appendix on proofreading errors in TBFS, the article includes two more appendixes—one critiquing Pollock’s claim of an instance of semantic inversion and another analyzing contents of a recent statement that Pollock signed.
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Sanskrit, one of the oldest languages in the world has many joyful takers across the globe who wants to learn the language and the Sanskritic values associated with it. Sanskrit has been the language that has led to the birth many vernaculars and other regional languages. The treasure house of Sanskrit has been recognized by the world and many corporates, heads of various countries want to speak the language and instill its values in their places. The article explores how Sanskrit has re-emerged at the global level and distributing wealth as it did in Ancient India but in a revised way.
Orality and Literacy in the Ancient …, 2010
The Bhāgavatapuṛāna is one of the master-texts of the Sanskritic archive and is the foundational source of narratives relating to the deity Kṛṣṇa. Since it reached its current form about a millennium ago, public 'performances' of the text have been sponsored as a means of accumulating religious and social capital. These week-long events are a significant aspect of contemporary religious practice in the Hindu cultural world, but have received little or no scholarly attention. What is the role of the Sanskrit text in the oral performance of the Bhāgavatapuṛāna? How does the Sanskrit text function vis-à-vis the oral vernacular commentary with accompanies it? In this paper it is argued that a spectrum of social and cultural practices-ritual, oral, textual and performative-all contribute towards the validation and empowerment of the discourse. 1 On the purāṇas in general, see Narayana Rao (2004) and Matchett (2005). The best summaries of the Bhāgavatapurāṇa are Rocher (1986) and Bryant (2007). Goswami (2005) contains a very accurate version of the complete Sanskrit text of the Bh āgavatapurā ṇa with an accurate if quaint English translation. On the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, see Schweig (2007b) and especially a new translation by Bryant (2004).