Structure and Cognition, Third Edition: Aspects of Hindu Caste and Ritual (Oxford India Perennials Series)

Sociological analysis of Hindu caste and ritual has primarily been confined to the empirical study of local communities. In this classic work, the author adds a new dimension to such analysis by basing her data on an examination of selected myths in Puranic and Sutra literature, in particular the Dharmaranya Purana and the Grihya Sutra, going thereby to the sources of the ideology that have given local communities their particular shape and character. The book places the discussion in the wider setting of discussions on Hinduism. This original approach, bridging the gulf that divides Indology from Sociology, resolves many questions that had previously defied definitive explanation, and charts a fruitful alternative direction for future sociological inquiry. The Third Edition comes includes a new Preface by the author. Cover 1 Title Pages 2 Dedication 4 Introduction to the Third Edition 5 Reflections on the Life of a Text 5 Notes: 11 Preface to the Second Edition 12 Preface to the First Edition 14 Note on Transliteration 16 1. Introduction 17 Abstract and Keywords 17 The Caste Puranas 25 Veena Das 17 2. On the Categories: Brahman, King, and Sanyasi 32 Abstract and Keywords 32 I 33 Myth (1): The Creation of Dharmaranya 33 Myth (2): The Creation of Vanikas 33 Myth (3): The Austerities of Dharmaraja 35 Myth (4): The Story of Jayadeva 36 Myth (5): The Sorrows of Shrimata 36 Myth (6): The Story of King Aama 39 II 44 III 54 IV 62 Notes: 66 3. Of Jatis 68 Abstract and Keywords 68 I 68 II 69 III 72 IV 74 V 80 VI 89 VII 95 Notes: 96 4. Concepts of Space 98 Abstract and Keywords 98 I 98 II 99 Description of Domestic Ceremonies 100 The Right/Left Opposition 101 The Cardinal Points 109 Conclusion 113 Notes: 118 5. The Sacred and the Profane in Hinduism 119 Abstract and Keywords 119 I 119 II 120 III 125 IV 130 V 133 Epilogue 135 I 135 II 142 III 150 Notes: 152 Appendix 1 154 Appendix 2 160 References 165 Author Index 173 Subject Index 176 Du site de l'éditeur: Hindu caste and ritual are two features of the Hindu society that are discussed in Structure and Cognition. The book presents a thorough analysis of two Sanskrit texts, the Dharmaranya Purana and the Grihya Sutra of Gobhila; the former contains information on Hindu castes, while the latter contains information on Hindu rituals. The discussions try to show that Sanskrit texts - which are not normally used to study Indian social institutions - may also be used to study different features of Hindu social life. It introduces topics such as jatis and the categories of the Brahman, sanyasi, and king, and studies the issue of the sacred and the profane. It also considers the differences between the Chaturvedi Brahmans and Trivedi Brahmans, and narrates several myths found in the Dharmaranya Purana. The book also contains discussions on the right and left and the basic categorization of space that is used in Hindu rituals