Overview

Vedic Sanskrit literature contains a wealth of material concerning the mythology and religious practices of India between 1500 and 500 B.C.E.-a crucial period in the formation of traditional Indian culture. Stephanie W. Jamison here addresses the conditions that have limited our understanding of Vedic myth and ritual, such as the profusion and obscurity of the texts and the tendency on the part of scholars to approach mythology and ritual independently. Tracing two key myths through a variety of texts, Jamison provides insight into the relationship between early Indic myth and ritual as well as offering a new methodology for their study. After a brief survey of Vedic literature and religion, Jamison examines the recurrences of the myths ""Indra fed the Yatis to the hyenas"" and ""Svarbhanu pierced the sun with darkness."" Focusing on their verbal form and ritual setting, she essays a general interpretation of the myths and their ritual purpose. Her book sheds new light on some central figures in Vedic mythology and on the evolution of Vedic mythological narrative, and it points to parallels in other cultures as well. Indologists and other scholars and students of South Asian culture, Indo-Eurepeanists, folklorists, historians of religion, classicists, and comparatists will welcome this rich and suggestive introduction to the Vedic tradition.

Full Product Details

Author:   Stephanie W. Jamison
Publisher:   Cornell University Press
Imprint:   Cornell University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.40cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.907kg
ISBN:  

9780801477324

ISBN 10:   0801477328
Pages:   360
Publication Date:   07 April 2011
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

"Foreword by Gregory Nagy Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction A. ""Vedic"" B. The Texts i. The Vedas ii. The Yajur Veda and the Brahmanas iii. The Sutras C. Vedic Ritual D. Vedic Mythology E. The Case Studies PART I. INDRA AND THE YATIS 1. Texts 2. Participants A. The Yatis i. Ritualists or Shamans? ii. Death at the Ritual iii. The Yatis' Killing: A Sin of Indra's? B. The Salavrkeyas i. Hyenas and Their Young ii. Indra and the Mother Hyena 3. The Ritual in the Myth A. Yatis' Ritual Flaws B. The Yatis' Place on the Ritual Ground: The Uttaravedi i. The Uttaravedi: A Dangerous Place ii. Some Fierce Transformations iii. Why Is the Uttaravedi Dangerous? C. The Yatis' Ritual Successes i. The Sautramani ii. The Pasubandha iii. The Varunapraghasa and the Kariri Isti 4. The Episode of the Survivors A. Syumarasmi and the Horse i. A Clever Escape and a Second Birth ii. The Sniff-Kiss iii. What the Horse Did B. Indra as Father Appendix: On Two Recent Treatments of the Yati Myth PART II. SVARBHANU AND THE WOUNDED SUN 5. The Texts and the Myth A. The Texts B. Overview of the Myth 6. The Remedies-Skin Diseases, Hair, and Fertility 146 A. Apala: A Parallel to Svarbhanu i. Apala's Story ii. Apala, Akupara, and Svarbhanu iii. The Tortoise Akupara iv. Apala as Ritualist v. Apala's Objectives vi. Indra, Pusan, and Marriage? B. Ritual and Magic Reflections of the Myth i. Skin Diseases and the Sun: Samala ii. The Rite for Splendor iii. A Charm against Skin Disease 7. Rescuing the Sun-Failed Birth and Rebirth A. Atri and Company: The Rescuers of the Sun B. The Rebirth and Failed Birth of the Sun i. The Rebirth of the Sun ii. Other Mythic Descriptions of Birth iii. The Fourth Sheep C. Some Other Failed Births of the Sun i. Saving the Sun from Miscarriage ii. Martanda/Vivasvant iii. Agni and Surya in the Womb 8. Failed Birth and Rebirth of Atri A. Atri and Miscarriage B. The Atreyi i. The Atreyi in Legal Texts ii. Legal Reflections in the Brahmanas iii. The Atreyi in Atri's Mythology C. Atri as Symbol of Abortion in the Srauta Sutras D. Atri's Second Birth i. Atri's Kettle in the RV ii. A Disguised Parallel in the JB iii. Wombs and Their Substitutes 9. Atri's Qualifications and Means for Rescuing the Sun 243 A. The Rescue of the Sun: Why Atri? B. Atri's Parentage C. Atri's Means i. The Ritual ii. 'Mere' Reverence and the Fourth Formulation iii. The Fourth (Part of) Speech iv. Creative Imperfection v. Pied Beauty 10. The Wounding of the Sun A. Who Is Svarbhanu? B. What Did Svarbhanu Do to the Sun? i. The Piercing of the Sun ii. The Maya of Svarbhanu iii. Smoke in the Skin-Disease Charm? C. The Svarbhanu Myth as Reflecting the Physical World i. Catastrophic Events ii. Cyclical Events D. What Did the Sun Say? RV V. 40. 7 E. What Did the Sun Do Wrong? i. Prajapati's Incest ii. The Participants iii. Verbal Parallels between the Myths iv. Why Heal the Sun? Glossary of Technical Terms in Vedic Ritual and Religion A Note on Sanskrit Pronunciation References Index of Passages Cited Index of Sanskrit Terms General Index"

Reviews

<p> In The Ravenous Hyenas and the Wounded Sun, Stephanie Jamison rescues two Vedic myths from oblivion. In the process of this seemingly small task, she restores vigor to Vedic studies in particular and to the study of mythology in general. -Journal of Religion

Author Information

Stephanie Jamison is Professor of Asian Languages and Cultures and Head of the Program in Indo-European Studies at UCLA. She is the author most recently of Sacrificed Wife/Sacrificer’s Wife: Women, Ritual, and Hospitality in Ancient India and The Rig Veda between Two Worlds.

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