Myth as Argument: The Brhaddevata as Canonical Commentary (Religionsgeschichtliche Versuche und Vorarbeiten Book 41)

RGVV (History of Religion: Essays and Preliminary Studies) brings together the mutually constitutive aspects of the study of religion(s)—contextualized data, theory, and disciplinary positioning—and engages them from a critical historical perspective. The series publishes monographs and thematically focused edited volumes on specific topics and cases as well as comparative work across historical periods from the ancient world to the modern era. Acknowledgements 13 Preface 15 List of Abbreviations 27 Part I: Myth, Commentary, and the History of the Bṛhaddevatā 29 Chapter One: The Basics of the Bṛhaddevatā: Text and Context 31 Pestles and Mantras 31 The Nature of the Text 34 The Text and Its History 36 Macdonell and Tokunaga: Retentive or Expansive Scribes? 39 Building on Arguments about Recensions 40 The Bṛhaddevatā in Intellectual Context 42 The Tradition of Śaunaka 42 The Brāhmaṇas 44 The Nirukta 48 Mīmāṃsā 51 Conclusions 53 Chapter Two: Making Arguments: Canonical Commentary and Mythological Narrative 55 The Category of Canonical Commentary 55 The Anukramaṇī as Commentarial Strategy 58 The Bṛhaddevatā as Commentarial Totalization 61 Mythological Narratives: A Process of Reading 63 Myth as Argument 69 The Case of Vedic Myth 72 The Problem of Historical Origins 73 The Problem of Archetypal Myth 77 Vedic Narrative as Commentarial Argument 80 Conclusions 82 Part Two: Framing the Canon 85 Chapter Three: Patterns of Thought: The Bṛhaddevatā Introduces Itself 87 On the Question of Coherence 87 Mantra 89 Mantra in the Bṛhaddevatā 96 Devatā as Meta-Grouping 96 Claiming Privilege 98 Classifying Canonical Language 100 The Nature and Origin of Canonical Language 107 Conclusions 116 Chapter Four: Language and Cosmology I: Taxonomies of Mantra 119 Grammar and the Power of Language 119 Grammar and Cosmology in India 122 The Motivated List: Supporting Canonical Language 127 Exemplifying Canonical Language: Tracking the Taxonomies 131 The Role of Native Taxonomies 131 The Bṛhaddevatā’s Taxonomy: A Thick Description 133 The Difference Canon Makes in Taxonomizing: A Comparative Assessment 153 Conclusions 161 Chapter Five: Language and Cosmology II: Etymologies and Other Linguistic Speculations 165 The Problems of Etymology 165 A New Terminology 169 Niruktis in Vedic Interpretation 171 The Nirukta 172 Niruktis in the Bṛhaddevatā 174 Tidying up the Universe: Separating the Spheres through Nirukti 181 Exemplifying the Cosmos: Niruktis as Theology 189 Theology by Subordination 191 Addressing Ambiguities: The Case of Vāc 194 Further Linguistic Speculation on Canon 199 The Question of Meaning 203 The Cosmology of Loose Ends: Closing off the Canon 211 Cultivating the Fields 212 Accounting for Rubble 213 The Rhythm of Canon: The Meters and Tones 214 The Attainment of Brahman through Commentary Itself 215 Conclusions 219 Part Three: Situating the Canon 221 Chapter Six: Arguments about Myth: The History of the Itihāsa/ Ākhyāna Controversy 223 A New Mode of Organization 223 Itihāsa/ Ākhyāna 224 The European Appropriation 227 Origins and Sources 231 A New Approach to Itihāsa 234 A New Approach to the Bṛhaddevatā 237 Conclusions and Projections 239 Chapter Seven: The Power of Persuasion: Ṛṣisis in Parity with the Gods 243 Ṛṣis and Gods in Vedic Context: A Modified Model 243 Euhemerism Mythologized 247 Ṛṣis, Gods, Sons 251 Getting the Gods to Listen 251 A Nirukti Itihāsa: The Ṛṣi Worshipped by Indra 257 The Mutual Dependence of the Praised and the Praiser 260 Rescued from Infertility 261 Ṛṣis and Their Divine Fathers 264 Helping Indra Appear 265 Gaining Attention and Absolving Gods 267 Gods/ Ṛṣisis/ Gods/Ṛṣisis 269 Calming the God 271 Mantras for Twins 274 Beating Indra and Soma in the Race 275 The Ṛṣi Downtrodden: Mantras Misspoken 276 Misperceiving Indra 277 Saramā and the Cows 278 Conclusions 281 Chapter Eight: Pedigree Narratives 283 Lineage in a Late Vedic Framework 283 Stealing Indra’s Secret and Surviving 285 The Blind Ṛṣi 287 The Birth of Ṛṣis I 292 The Birth of Ṛṣiis II 294 Parents After the Fact 298 Rsis from a Taxonomical View 300 Conclusions 301 Chapter Nine: Myth and Money: The Exchange of Words and Wealth 303 Making Money, Making History 303 Mantra as Medium of Exchange: The Vedic Context 308 Fluidity of Identity: Mantra and Exchange in the Sacrificial Texts 310 Mantra and the Fluidity of Varṇa Identity 313 The Fixing of Identity: Words and Wealth in the Bṛhaddevatā 313 Wandering Currency 315 Selling God in the Marketplace 319 The Ṛṣi Who Won a Wife with Mantras 322 Mantras Begetting Wealth Begetting Mantras Begetting Wealth 328 Conclusions 331 Chapter Ten: Mantra as Cure 333 Healing in a Late Vedic Framework 333 Cakes and Praises 335 Curing Old Age 339 The Language of Revival 341 Deprivation of Mind 341 The Ṛṣi Who Got off Twice 343 Methodical Rejuvenation 347 Conclusions 353 Chapter Eleven: Erasing the Warrior 355 Warrior and Priests in Vedic Context 355 The Stripes of a Ṛṣi 358 Can Kings be Ṛṣis? 359 The Function of Ṛṣiis in War 361 Changing Sexes 363 Saving the Kingdom: The Kṣatriya Purohita 365 Conclusions 368 Chapter Twelve: Selective Ślokas: Cleaning up the Veda 371 The Benefits of the Blatant in Vedic Interpretation 371 A “Liberal Shepherd’s Love Song” 372 The Embarrassed Brahmacārin 375 An Introductory Itihāsa for Purification 386 Conclusions 396 Chapter Thirteen: Salvaging the Sacrifice 397 The Changing Nature of Sacrifice: The Late Vedic Context 397 Haggling over the Sacrifice 399 Cooking the Dog 403 Ṛṣis and Rats, or How to Save a Sacrifice 406 A Mantra to Come out of Hiding 407 Killing Vṛtratra 409 Saving the Sacrifice through Dispersal 410 Conclusions 414 Chapter Fourteen: Ṛṣis’ Power within the Wild 415 The Untamed in Vedic Perspective 415 Rivers, Rats, and Ṛṣis: Encounters with Āraṇya in the Bṛhaddevatā 418 The Battle for Authority over the Rivers 419 Butter and Milk for a Thousand Years 423 Rats as Objects of Praise 425 Ṛṣis as Frightened Fish 425 Mantras across the Human and Animal Worlds 427 Pushing Death with a Verse 431 Conclusions 432 Chapter Fifteen: The Archaeology of the Bṛhaddevatā 433 Interpolation as Historical Lens 433 The Dimensions of the Shorter Recension 434 The Narrative Emphasis 435 A Comparison with the Epics and Purāṇas 437 Triads in the Purāṇas and the Bṛhaddevatā 442 Gods and Ṛṣis in the Purāṇas and the Bṛhaddevatā 446 Mantra in the Purāṇas and the Bṛhaddevatā 448 The Dimensions of the Longer Recension 449 Expanding Śruti 453 The Ritual Emphasis 455 Citing Brāhmaṇas to Settle Controversy and Clarify Ritual Ideas 456 Clarifying a Ritual Situation Implied by the Ṛg Veda 457 Ritual Theory in the Longer Recension 459 The Implications of the Ritual Emphasis 463 Conclusions 467 Chapter Sixteen: New Perspectives on Canonical Exegesis 469 New Questions for the History of Religions 469 Pushing the Boundaries of Canonical Commentary 471 Commentary Is Not Always Elaboration 471 Sensual Forms of Commentary 473 Commentary as Interpolation 475 Commentary as Narrative Argument: The Creation of Commentarial Time 476 Commentary as Ritual Philosophy 479 Final Questions for Commentary: The Nature of Canonical Language 480 On Reading Totalizing Texts: The Encyclopedic Analogy 483 Conclusions 489 Appendix A: The Dating of the Bṛhaddevatā 493 Appendix B: Vedic Verses Cited in Pratīka Form in the Bṛhaddevatā 503 References 523 Index 545