Homo Ritualis: Hindu Ritual and Its Significance for Ritual Theory (Oxford Ritual Studies)

Is the richness and diversity of rituals and celebrations in South Asia unique? Are Indians or Hindus more involved in rituals than people of other faiths and other places? If so, what makes them special? Can we speak of a homo ritualis when it comes to India or Hinduism? Drawing on extensive textual studies and fieldwork in Nepal and India, Axel Michaels demonstrates how the characteristic structure of Hindu rituals employs the Brahmanic-Sanskritic sacrifice as a model, and how this structure is one of the distinguishing features of Hinduism more generally. Many religions tend over time to develop less ritualized or more open forms of belief, but Brahmanical Hinduism has internalized ritual behavior to the extent that it has become its most important and distinctive feature, permeating social and personal life alike. The religion can thus be seen as a particular case in the history of religions in which ritual form dominates belief and develops a sweeping autonomy of ritual behavior. Homo Ritualis analyzes ritual through these cultural-specific and religious contexts, taking into account how indigenous terms and theories affect and contribute to current ritual theory. It describes and investigates various forms of Hindu rituals and festivals, such as life-cycle rituals, the Vedic sacrifice, vows processions, and the worship of deities (puja). It also examines various conceptual components of (Hindu) rituals such as framing, formality, modality, and theories of meaning. Cover 1 Contents 8 Tables and Figures 11 Preface 12 Acknowledgments 16 Abbreviations 18 Pronunciation of Indian and Nepalese Words 20 Introduction 24 Part I Framing 64 1. The Beginning of Rituals 66 1.1 The Solemn Intention (saṃkalpa) 66 1.2 Greeting and Ritualized Greeting (namaskāra) 81 Conclusion 92 Part II Formality 94 2. Repetitive Rules (vidhi) 96 2.1 The Grammar of Rituals 97 2.2 A Preliminary “Grammar” of Newar Life-Cycle Rituals 117 2.3 Rituals in Handbooks (paddhati) 135 3. Agency in Ritual 141 3.1 Ritual Competency (adhikāra) 141 3.2 Atonements for Ritual Mishaps (prāyaścitta) 150 3.3 The Comic Side of Ritual Formality 159 4. Playful Rituals (līlā) 169 4.1 Music and Ritual Music 170 4.2 Dance and Ritual Dance 174 4.3 Emotions and Ritual Emotions 182 Conclusion 193 Part III Modality 196 5. Individualized and Domestic Rituals (saṃskāra) 202 5.1 The Boy’s Initiation 208 5.2 The Girl’s Initiation 214 5.3 The Marriage 216 5.4 Death Rituals and Redemption 221 6. Collective and Public Rituals 234 6.1 Temple Festivals (utsava) 237 6.2 Vows (vrata) 242 6.3 Pilgrimages and Processions (yātrā) 244 7. Transcendence in Rituals 251 7.1 The Vedic Sacrifice (yajña) 254 7.2 The Fire Sacrifice (homa) 260 7.3 Worship and Prayer (pūjā) 270 7.4 E-darshan and Cyber-puja 281 Conclusion 284 Part IV Meaning 288 8. Meaning and Function 292 8.1 The Cultural Studies Approach 292 8.2 The Cognitive Sciences approach 302 9. The Pūrvamīmāṃsā Theory of Ritual Efficacy 316 Conclusion 331 Part V The Hindu Path of Ritual—Summary 334 Appendix: Automatic Detection of Ritual Structures 342 Glossary 348 References 352 Index 384 "Are the richness and diversity of rituals and celebrations in South Asia unique? Can we speak of a homo ritualis when it comes to India or Hinduism? Are Indians or Hindus more involved in rituals than other people? If so, what makes them special? Homo Ritualis is the first book to present a Hindu theory of rituals. Based on extensive textual studies and field-work in Nepal and India, Axel Michaels argues that ritual is a distinctive way of acting, which, as in the theater, can be distinguished from other forms of action. The book analyzes ritual in these cultural-specific and religious contexts, taking into account how indigenous terms and theories affect and contribute to current ritual theory. It describes and investigates various forms of Hindu rituals and festivals, such as life-cycle rituals, the Vedic sacrifice, vows processions, and the worship of deities (puja). It also examines conceptual components of (Hindu) rituals such as framing, formality, modality, and theories of meaning"-- Provided by publisher "This book describes and analyzes various forms of Hindu rituals and examines various conceptional components of (Hindu) rituals such as framing, formality modality and theories of meaning. It is asked how indigenous terms and notions of ritual modifies ritual theory. The book thus is the first attempt to present a Hindu theory of rituals"-- Provided by publisher Homo Ritualis describes and analyzes various forms of Hindu rituals and examines conceptual components such as framing, formality modality and theories of meaning. The first book to present a Hindu theory of rituals, it asks how indigenous terms and notions of ritual contribute to ritual theory.