Nagappa Gowda
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198072065
- eISBN:
- 9780199080748
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198072065.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, History of Ideas
The Bhagavadgita has lent itself to several readings to defend or contest various views on life, morality, and metaphysics. It has played an important role in the formation of nationalist discourse ...
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The Bhagavadgita has lent itself to several readings to defend or contest various views on life, morality, and metaphysics. It has played an important role in the formation of nationalist discourse in India. The book examines the ways in which the Gita became the central terrain of nationalist contestation, and the diverse ethico-moral mappings of the Indian nation. It also discusses issues such as the relation between the nation and the masses, renunciation and engagement with the world, the ideas of equality, freedom, and common good, in the context of a nationalist discourse. It argues that the commentaries on this timeless text opened up several possible understandings without necessarily eliminating one another. The different applications of the Bhagavadgita in the nationalist discourse can be seen in the works of B.R. Ambedkar, Swami Vivekananda, and Mahatma Gandhi.Less
The Bhagavadgita has lent itself to several readings to defend or contest various views on life, morality, and metaphysics. It has played an important role in the formation of nationalist discourse in India. The book examines the ways in which the Gita became the central terrain of nationalist contestation, and the diverse ethico-moral mappings of the Indian nation. It also discusses issues such as the relation between the nation and the masses, renunciation and engagement with the world, the ideas of equality, freedom, and common good, in the context of a nationalist discourse. It argues that the commentaries on this timeless text opened up several possible understandings without necessarily eliminating one another. The different applications of the Bhagavadgita in the nationalist discourse can be seen in the works of B.R. Ambedkar, Swami Vivekananda, and Mahatma Gandhi.
Arvind Sharma
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- October 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195676389
- eISBN:
- 9780199081974
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195676389.003.0018
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
Karma yoga can be explained by referring to the Bhagavadgītā. To attain moksa, one should give up egocentric action, simply because egocentricism results in karma. However, this involves a paradox: ...
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Karma yoga can be explained by referring to the Bhagavadgītā. To attain moksa, one should give up egocentric action, simply because egocentricism results in karma. However, this involves a paradox: If an individual consciously acts to give up ego-actions, then that act in itself strengthens it. Hence, one can get rid of the ego by performing action for its own sake, not for the sake of discarding the ego. It is possible to determine what one's duty is based on his station in life. As a result, both personal and social ends are reconciled and secured. Karma could be combined with jhana, and action performed for ‘cleansing the heart’ (sattva-śuddki). By dedicating all action to God (īśvarārtha), karma may also be combined with bhakti. The modern saint, Ānandamayī Mā (1896–1982), opined that karma by itself may result in moksa.Less
Karma yoga can be explained by referring to the Bhagavadgītā. To attain moksa, one should give up egocentric action, simply because egocentricism results in karma. However, this involves a paradox: If an individual consciously acts to give up ego-actions, then that act in itself strengthens it. Hence, one can get rid of the ego by performing action for its own sake, not for the sake of discarding the ego. It is possible to determine what one's duty is based on his station in life. As a result, both personal and social ends are reconciled and secured. Karma could be combined with jhana, and action performed for ‘cleansing the heart’ (sattva-śuddki). By dedicating all action to God (īśvarārtha), karma may also be combined with bhakti. The modern saint, Ānandamayī Mā (1896–1982), opined that karma by itself may result in moksa.
Nagappa K. Gowda
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198072065
- eISBN:
- 9780199080748
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198072065.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, History of Ideas
This chapter examines Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay's understanding of the text of the Bhagavadgita as reflected in his Krishnacharitra, the Dharmatattwa, and the commentary on the Gita. It suggests ...
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This chapter examines Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay's understanding of the text of the Bhagavadgita as reflected in his Krishnacharitra, the Dharmatattwa, and the commentary on the Gita. It suggests that Bankim's continued insistence on the historicity of the Bhagavadgita was aimed at refuting the Orientalists and Evangelicals' claims of the Western and Christian superiority in the realm of moral theories and practice. It also discusses Bankim's concept of patriotism.Less
This chapter examines Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay's understanding of the text of the Bhagavadgita as reflected in his Krishnacharitra, the Dharmatattwa, and the commentary on the Gita. It suggests that Bankim's continued insistence on the historicity of the Bhagavadgita was aimed at refuting the Orientalists and Evangelicals' claims of the Western and Christian superiority in the realm of moral theories and practice. It also discusses Bankim's concept of patriotism.
Nagappa K. Gowda
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198072065
- eISBN:
- 9780199080748
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198072065.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, History of Ideas
The nationalist leader and social reformer Bal Gangadhar Tilak's thoughts on the Bhagavadgita based on his book Gita Rahasya are discussed in this chapter. It suggests that Tilak saw the Bhagavadgita ...
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The nationalist leader and social reformer Bal Gangadhar Tilak's thoughts on the Bhagavadgita based on his book Gita Rahasya are discussed in this chapter. It suggests that Tilak saw the Bhagavadgita as a work on ethics that upheld a morality of disinterested action and he believed that the moral foundation for the Indian nation could be built on the basis of the Gita. It explains that Tilak also suggested that the masses are entitled to their entry into politics even as bhakti allows them admission to the high realms of religion. It argues that Tilak also believed in the importance of Sthitaprajna (Steady-in-Mind) as the foundation of nationalism.Less
The nationalist leader and social reformer Bal Gangadhar Tilak's thoughts on the Bhagavadgita based on his book Gita Rahasya are discussed in this chapter. It suggests that Tilak saw the Bhagavadgita as a work on ethics that upheld a morality of disinterested action and he believed that the moral foundation for the Indian nation could be built on the basis of the Gita. It explains that Tilak also suggested that the masses are entitled to their entry into politics even as bhakti allows them admission to the high realms of religion. It argues that Tilak also believed in the importance of Sthitaprajna (Steady-in-Mind) as the foundation of nationalism.
Nagappa K. Gowda
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198072065
- eISBN:
- 9780199080748
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198072065.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, History of Ideas
This chapter examines Swami Vivekananda's reading and interpretation of the Bhagavadgita. It suggests that Vivekananda considered karma yoga as the central teaching of the Bhagavadgita. It highlights ...
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This chapter examines Swami Vivekananda's reading and interpretation of the Bhagavadgita. It suggests that Vivekananda considered karma yoga as the central teaching of the Bhagavadgita. It highlights that Vivekananda accused priests of misreading the text, defending privileged interests, and denying the people access to the Bhagavadgita which had led to the cultural degeneration of India. Vivekananda believed that nishkama karma or non-attachment is the core teaching of the Gita. It was inclusive in nature and could take the masses into its fold. From this philosophy he evolved two concepts, naranarayana and daridranarayana, which occupy a central place in his mission to revive the youth of India.Less
This chapter examines Swami Vivekananda's reading and interpretation of the Bhagavadgita. It suggests that Vivekananda considered karma yoga as the central teaching of the Bhagavadgita. It highlights that Vivekananda accused priests of misreading the text, defending privileged interests, and denying the people access to the Bhagavadgita which had led to the cultural degeneration of India. Vivekananda believed that nishkama karma or non-attachment is the core teaching of the Gita. It was inclusive in nature and could take the masses into its fold. From this philosophy he evolved two concepts, naranarayana and daridranarayana, which occupy a central place in his mission to revive the youth of India.
Nagappa K. Gowda
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198072065
- eISBN:
- 9780199080748
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198072065.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, History of Ideas
This chapter explores Sri Aurobindo's spiritual reading and understanding of the Bhagavadgita. Aurobindo felt that the Bhagavadgita could easily lend itself for the justification of violence in the ...
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This chapter explores Sri Aurobindo's spiritual reading and understanding of the Bhagavadgita. Aurobindo felt that the Bhagavadgita could easily lend itself for the justification of violence in the national struggle for freedom. Unlike other interpreters of the Gita, Aurobindo felt that nationalism was not a mere political programme but a religion, an avatar that had come from God. Aurobindo argued that its text expounded a single universal truth while borrowing from certain philosophical systems. He considered all the contemporary interpretations of the Gita that immediately preceded him as Karmayogic interpretations and appeared to want to reproduce the Orientalist image of India as primarily a spiritual realm.Less
This chapter explores Sri Aurobindo's spiritual reading and understanding of the Bhagavadgita. Aurobindo felt that the Bhagavadgita could easily lend itself for the justification of violence in the national struggle for freedom. Unlike other interpreters of the Gita, Aurobindo felt that nationalism was not a mere political programme but a religion, an avatar that had come from God. Aurobindo argued that its text expounded a single universal truth while borrowing from certain philosophical systems. He considered all the contemporary interpretations of the Gita that immediately preceded him as Karmayogic interpretations and appeared to want to reproduce the Orientalist image of India as primarily a spiritual realm.
Nagappa K. Gowda
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198072065
- eISBN:
- 9780199080748
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198072065.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, History of Ideas
Mahatma Ghandhi influenced the nationalist movement unlike any other leader. He drew much from the Gita for his nationalist project. Much of his thoughts can be found in the book Hind Swaraj and his ...
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Mahatma Ghandhi influenced the nationalist movement unlike any other leader. He drew much from the Gita for his nationalist project. Much of his thoughts can be found in the book Hind Swaraj and his philosophy of anasakti (non-attachment) is discussed in this chapter. It shows how Gandhi used the Bhagavadgita to defend the notions of ahimsa, truth, svadharma, swadeshi, and satyagraha. It also argues that Gandhi's version of the Bhagavadgita cautiously defends the institution of varna as an ordained form of division of labour. It explains how Gandhi's concept of anasaktiyoga translates into active engagement with one's fellowmen through service of the world.Less
Mahatma Ghandhi influenced the nationalist movement unlike any other leader. He drew much from the Gita for his nationalist project. Much of his thoughts can be found in the book Hind Swaraj and his philosophy of anasakti (non-attachment) is discussed in this chapter. It shows how Gandhi used the Bhagavadgita to defend the notions of ahimsa, truth, svadharma, swadeshi, and satyagraha. It also argues that Gandhi's version of the Bhagavadgita cautiously defends the institution of varna as an ordained form of division of labour. It explains how Gandhi's concept of anasaktiyoga translates into active engagement with one's fellowmen through service of the world.
Nagappa K. Gowda
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198072065
- eISBN:
- 9780199080748
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198072065.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, History of Ideas
This chapter discusses Vinoba Bhave's explanation of the message of the Bhagavadgita. It argues that Bhave considered the central teaching of the Bhagavadgita as involving the pursuit of svadharma — ...
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This chapter discusses Vinoba Bhave's explanation of the message of the Bhagavadgita. It argues that Bhave considered the central teaching of the Bhagavadgita as involving the pursuit of svadharma — one's own dharma in the social sense, and united action. It also contends that Bhave's concept of svadharma is applicable in the justification of traditional social practices. Bhave considered the Gita as an ordinary text with a message for the ordinary man. He equated svadharma with varnadharma and provided distinctive meanings to the attributes of karma, bhakti, and jnana. Bhave also attempted to retrieve and invigorate traditional practices and customs in India using the authority of the Gita.Less
This chapter discusses Vinoba Bhave's explanation of the message of the Bhagavadgita. It argues that Bhave considered the central teaching of the Bhagavadgita as involving the pursuit of svadharma — one's own dharma in the social sense, and united action. It also contends that Bhave's concept of svadharma is applicable in the justification of traditional social practices. Bhave considered the Gita as an ordinary text with a message for the ordinary man. He equated svadharma with varnadharma and provided distinctive meanings to the attributes of karma, bhakti, and jnana. Bhave also attempted to retrieve and invigorate traditional practices and customs in India using the authority of the Gita.
Nagappa K. Gowda
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198072065
- eISBN:
- 9780199080748
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198072065.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, History of Ideas
Unlike other interpreters of the Bhagavadgita, Ambedkar saw the Gita as a historical text written after the Purvamimamsa to uphold Brahminism. This chapter contends that Ambedkar always felt that the ...
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Unlike other interpreters of the Bhagavadgita, Ambedkar saw the Gita as a historical text written after the Purvamimamsa to uphold Brahminism. This chapter contends that Ambedkar always felt that the Gita could never form the moral foundation of the nation. To him, the Gita espoused violence and the varna system. Instead he proposed Buddhism as the alternative to the Gita.Less
Unlike other interpreters of the Bhagavadgita, Ambedkar saw the Gita as a historical text written after the Purvamimamsa to uphold Brahminism. This chapter contends that Ambedkar always felt that the Gita could never form the moral foundation of the nation. To him, the Gita espoused violence and the varna system. Instead he proposed Buddhism as the alternative to the Gita.
Nagappa K. Gowda
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198072065
- eISBN:
- 9780199080748
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198072065.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, History of Ideas
This concluding chapter sums up the key arguments and various interpretations of the Bhagavadgita as well as its role in the formation of the nationalist discourse in India. The results indicate that ...
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This concluding chapter sums up the key arguments and various interpretations of the Bhagavadgita as well as its role in the formation of the nationalist discourse in India. The results indicate that the interpretations of the text were clearly meant to provide a moral and ethical basis for nationalist thought and practice, drawing upon the legitimacy which the premier text of Hinduism was capable of offering. The findings also suggest that the different understandings of the Bhagavadgita represented various moods of nation-making and they were expressed as responses to the challenges that India was facing.Less
This concluding chapter sums up the key arguments and various interpretations of the Bhagavadgita as well as its role in the formation of the nationalist discourse in India. The results indicate that the interpretations of the text were clearly meant to provide a moral and ethical basis for nationalist thought and practice, drawing upon the legitimacy which the premier text of Hinduism was capable of offering. The findings also suggest that the different understandings of the Bhagavadgita represented various moods of nation-making and they were expressed as responses to the challenges that India was facing.
Nagappa K. Gowda
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198072065
- eISBN:
- 9780199080748
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198072065.003.0009
- Subject:
- History, History of Ideas
The introduction discusses the importance of the Bhagavadgita in the nationalist discourse in India. No religious text has been as frequently invoked or as passionately deployed by Indian ...
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The introduction discusses the importance of the Bhagavadgita in the nationalist discourse in India. No religious text has been as frequently invoked or as passionately deployed by Indian nationalists as the Bhagavadgita. In fact, nationalists of different stripes, including exponents of modern Hinduism, critical modernists, ethical and spiritual nationalists, seem to agree that they could all draw sustenance and seek vindication from the Song Celestial. This chapter also provides an outline of the coverage of this book.Less
The introduction discusses the importance of the Bhagavadgita in the nationalist discourse in India. No religious text has been as frequently invoked or as passionately deployed by Indian nationalists as the Bhagavadgita. In fact, nationalists of different stripes, including exponents of modern Hinduism, critical modernists, ethical and spiritual nationalists, seem to agree that they could all draw sustenance and seek vindication from the Song Celestial. This chapter also provides an outline of the coverage of this book.
Richard Sorabji
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199644339
- eISBN:
- 9780191745812
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199644339.003.0002
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
The Stoics invented cognitive therapy of the emotions, through treating most natural objectives as in a qualified sense ‘indifferent’. How did they square this with advocating the extension of family ...
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The Stoics invented cognitive therapy of the emotions, through treating most natural objectives as in a qualified sense ‘indifferent’. How did they square this with advocating the extension of family love to all humans? Because the love became unemotional, and, they claimed, a truer love, when detached from concern with indifferents. Gandhi's love for all humans was learnt from Tolstoy's views on Christ, his belief in detachment from the Bhagavadgita. Both were needed for non-violent resistance, and had to be squared with each other by making the love detached, but in a way closer to Christian asceticism than to the Stoics. Gandhi's exemplary love towards his opponents was felt as cold by his family and as warm by his co-workers. Detachment in family love, though unacceptable as a norm, might be seen as an inevitable price in reformers campaigning in the manner of Gandhi or Christ.Less
The Stoics invented cognitive therapy of the emotions, through treating most natural objectives as in a qualified sense ‘indifferent’. How did they square this with advocating the extension of family love to all humans? Because the love became unemotional, and, they claimed, a truer love, when detached from concern with indifferents. Gandhi's love for all humans was learnt from Tolstoy's views on Christ, his belief in detachment from the Bhagavadgita. Both were needed for non-violent resistance, and had to be squared with each other by making the love detached, but in a way closer to Christian asceticism than to the Stoics. Gandhi's exemplary love towards his opponents was felt as cold by his family and as warm by his co-workers. Detachment in family love, though unacceptable as a norm, might be seen as an inevitable price in reformers campaigning in the manner of Gandhi or Christ.
Richard Sorabji
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199644339
- eISBN:
- 9780191745812
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199644339.003.0003
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy
How is detachment compatible with seeking political objectives? The Stoic answer is that objectives sought are merely targets. The real goal is the correct seeking of the correct target, as in ...
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How is detachment compatible with seeking political objectives? The Stoic answer is that objectives sought are merely targets. The real goal is the correct seeking of the correct target, as in cricket winning used to be merely a target; what mattered was how you played the game. The Bhagavadgita taught that what mattered was right action, not its fruit. This did not require Gandhi to give up political objectives, so long as his spiritual goals were compatible with them, or even mutually supportive. But in case of a choice, it was his spiritual goals, above all moksha, or spiritual liberation, that came first, and this preserved a certain detachment from the political. His spiritual objective has no analogue in Stoicism. Yet he would have approved the Stoic Emperor Marcus Aurelius, when he said that Philosophy was his mother, the politics of the palace his step-mother, who had to be served.Less
How is detachment compatible with seeking political objectives? The Stoic answer is that objectives sought are merely targets. The real goal is the correct seeking of the correct target, as in cricket winning used to be merely a target; what mattered was how you played the game. The Bhagavadgita taught that what mattered was right action, not its fruit. This did not require Gandhi to give up political objectives, so long as his spiritual goals were compatible with them, or even mutually supportive. But in case of a choice, it was his spiritual goals, above all moksha, or spiritual liberation, that came first, and this preserved a certain detachment from the political. His spiritual objective has no analogue in Stoicism. Yet he would have approved the Stoic Emperor Marcus Aurelius, when he said that Philosophy was his mother, the politics of the palace his step-mother, who had to be served.
M.V. Nadkarni
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780198073864
- eISBN:
- 9780199082162
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198073864.003.0008
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
This chapter examines the relevance and contribution of the Bhagavadgita to ethics and social science research in India. It explains that most of the training in social science research methodology ...
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This chapter examines the relevance and contribution of the Bhagavadgita to ethics and social science research in India. It explains that most of the training in social science research methodology in India is focused on quantitative techniques of the inductive method and are deprived of valuable insights which can come from a holistic approach. This chapter highlights the Gita's call for a holistic approach to knowledge called saatvik and provides examples of the application of the holistic approach in social sciences, particularly in economics and applied ethics.Less
This chapter examines the relevance and contribution of the Bhagavadgita to ethics and social science research in India. It explains that most of the training in social science research methodology in India is focused on quantitative techniques of the inductive method and are deprived of valuable insights which can come from a holistic approach. This chapter highlights the Gita's call for a holistic approach to knowledge called saatvik and provides examples of the application of the holistic approach in social sciences, particularly in economics and applied ethics.
M.V. Nadkarni
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780198073864
- eISBN:
- 9780199082162
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198073864.003.0010
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
This chapter examines the place of ethics in Hinduism. It shows that though Hinduism has shown a strong inclination to metaphysics and spiritualism, it has certainly not ignored ethics. It explains ...
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This chapter examines the place of ethics in Hinduism. It shows that though Hinduism has shown a strong inclination to metaphysics and spiritualism, it has certainly not ignored ethics. It explains that ethics as dharma comes first among the goals of human beings in Hinduism and the scriptures insisted that other goals are to be pursued according to dharma. This chapter also discusses the misunderstandings about ethics in Hinduism, the ethics in the Vedas and Upanishads, the contribution of the Bhagavadgita to Hindu ethics, and the ethics of sants and social reformers.Less
This chapter examines the place of ethics in Hinduism. It shows that though Hinduism has shown a strong inclination to metaphysics and spiritualism, it has certainly not ignored ethics. It explains that ethics as dharma comes first among the goals of human beings in Hinduism and the scriptures insisted that other goals are to be pursued according to dharma. This chapter also discusses the misunderstandings about ethics in Hinduism, the ethics in the Vedas and Upanishads, the contribution of the Bhagavadgita to Hindu ethics, and the ethics of sants and social reformers.
Vishwa Adluri and Joydeep Bagchee
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- January 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199931347
- eISBN:
- 9780199345724
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199931347.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
This book offers a new perspective on the problem of scientific method in the human sciences. Taking German Indological scholarship on the Mahabharata and the Bhagavadgita as its example, the book ...
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This book offers a new perspective on the problem of scientific method in the human sciences. Taking German Indological scholarship on the Mahabharata and the Bhagavadgita as its example, the book develops a critique of the modern valorization of method over truth in the humanities. The book shows how, from its origins in eighteenth-century Neo-Protestantism onwards, the critical method was used as a way of making theological claims against rival philosophical and/or religious traditions. Via discussions of German Romanticism, the pantheism controversy, scientific positivism, and empiricism, it shows how theological concerns dominated German scholarship on the Indian texts. Indology functions as a test case for wider concerns: the rise of historicism, the displacement of philosophical concerns from thinking, and the belief in the ability of a technical method to produce truth. Based on the historical evidence of the first part of the book, a case is then made in the second part for going beyond both the critical pretensions of modern academic scholarship and the objections of its post-structuralist or post-Orientalist critics. By contrasting German Indology with Plato’s concern for virtue and Gandhi’s focus on praxis, the book argues for a conception of the humanities as a dialogue between the ancients and moderns and between eastern and western cultures.Less
This book offers a new perspective on the problem of scientific method in the human sciences. Taking German Indological scholarship on the Mahabharata and the Bhagavadgita as its example, the book develops a critique of the modern valorization of method over truth in the humanities. The book shows how, from its origins in eighteenth-century Neo-Protestantism onwards, the critical method was used as a way of making theological claims against rival philosophical and/or religious traditions. Via discussions of German Romanticism, the pantheism controversy, scientific positivism, and empiricism, it shows how theological concerns dominated German scholarship on the Indian texts. Indology functions as a test case for wider concerns: the rise of historicism, the displacement of philosophical concerns from thinking, and the belief in the ability of a technical method to produce truth. Based on the historical evidence of the first part of the book, a case is then made in the second part for going beyond both the critical pretensions of modern academic scholarship and the objections of its post-structuralist or post-Orientalist critics. By contrasting German Indology with Plato’s concern for virtue and Gandhi’s focus on praxis, the book argues for a conception of the humanities as a dialogue between the ancients and moderns and between eastern and western cultures.
Johannes Bronkhorst
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824835705
- eISBN:
- 9780824870256
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824835705.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
This chapter examines karma according to Brahmanism. One of the most central claims of Brahmanism is that there is a hierarchical order of human beings. There is a fundamental division into four ...
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This chapter examines karma according to Brahmanism. One of the most central claims of Brahmanism is that there is a hierarchical order of human beings. There is a fundamental division into four classes, the highest of which is the class of the Brahmins, a largely hereditary class of priests. The Brahmins derived their livelihood and special position in society from their close association with the local rulers. They memorized and preserved the Veda, a large corpus of literature concerned primarily with their sacrificial activities. This chapter first considers the absence of the notion of rebirth and karmic retribution in Vedic literature and provides an overview of the Veda. It then explores the influence on Brahmanism of the belief in liberation through knowledge of the inactive self. It also discusses the notions of class, species, and universal in Indian philosophy, along with the challenges posed by the adoption of rebirth and karmic retribution to the Brahmanical tradition. Finally, it looks at the concept of liberation as expressed in the Bhagavadgita.Less
This chapter examines karma according to Brahmanism. One of the most central claims of Brahmanism is that there is a hierarchical order of human beings. There is a fundamental division into four classes, the highest of which is the class of the Brahmins, a largely hereditary class of priests. The Brahmins derived their livelihood and special position in society from their close association with the local rulers. They memorized and preserved the Veda, a large corpus of literature concerned primarily with their sacrificial activities. This chapter first considers the absence of the notion of rebirth and karmic retribution in Vedic literature and provides an overview of the Veda. It then explores the influence on Brahmanism of the belief in liberation through knowledge of the inactive self. It also discusses the notions of class, species, and universal in Indian philosophy, along with the challenges posed by the adoption of rebirth and karmic retribution to the Brahmanical tradition. Finally, it looks at the concept of liberation as expressed in the Bhagavadgita.
Vishwa Adluri and Joydeep Bagchee
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- January 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199931347
- eISBN:
- 9780199345724
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199931347.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
The examination of the critical method as applied in German Mahābhārata and Bhagavadgītā scholarship has shown that although German scholars claimed to take a scientific approach to the epic, their ...
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The examination of the critical method as applied in German Mahābhārata and Bhagavadgītā scholarship has shown that although German scholars claimed to take a scientific approach to the epic, their interpretations were at best tangential and at worst irrelevant to the text at hand. No German interpreter in a period extending one hundred years had succeeded in presenting a coherent, philosophically illuminating interpretation of the Mahābhārata. The histories they presented of the epic existed nowhere else outside their own minds. The problem in German interpretations of Indian texts is not simply one of the inevitable misinterpretations that beset every hermeneutic endeavor. Rather, the critical method itself entailed a number of problematic prejudices. This chapter seeks to understand the reasons why the Indologists themselves could not see these problems. It looks at the scientization of Protestant theology in the critical method; the secularization of Protestant theology in the study of the history of religions; and the institutionalization of Protestant theology in Indology. It examines how the historical-critical method participates in a tradition of projecting a universal history, most characteristic of Christianity; how the method makes use of a teleological narrative of history, where history moves from a state of immaturity (the Kantian Unmündigkeit) to an enlightened, free, and critical use of reason; and how this narrative was used to justify implantation of an alternative tradition of textual scholarship in place of the Indian commentarial tradition.Less
The examination of the critical method as applied in German Mahābhārata and Bhagavadgītā scholarship has shown that although German scholars claimed to take a scientific approach to the epic, their interpretations were at best tangential and at worst irrelevant to the text at hand. No German interpreter in a period extending one hundred years had succeeded in presenting a coherent, philosophically illuminating interpretation of the Mahābhārata. The histories they presented of the epic existed nowhere else outside their own minds. The problem in German interpretations of Indian texts is not simply one of the inevitable misinterpretations that beset every hermeneutic endeavor. Rather, the critical method itself entailed a number of problematic prejudices. This chapter seeks to understand the reasons why the Indologists themselves could not see these problems. It looks at the scientization of Protestant theology in the critical method; the secularization of Protestant theology in the study of the history of religions; and the institutionalization of Protestant theology in Indology. It examines how the historical-critical method participates in a tradition of projecting a universal history, most characteristic of Christianity; how the method makes use of a teleological narrative of history, where history moves from a state of immaturity (the Kantian Unmündigkeit) to an enlightened, free, and critical use of reason; and how this narrative was used to justify implantation of an alternative tradition of textual scholarship in place of the Indian commentarial tradition.
Vishwa Adluri and Joydeep Bagchee
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- January 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199931347
- eISBN:
- 9780199345724
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199931347.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
This chapter summarizes the preceding discussions and discusses some lessons that can be drawn from the diremption of German Indology for the humanities. It argues that German Indologists placed ...
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This chapter summarizes the preceding discussions and discusses some lessons that can be drawn from the diremption of German Indology for the humanities. It argues that German Indologists placed their faith in a narrow concept of scientific method, which they thought would automatically endow them with the ability to make sense of the text. But the task of interpretation is much more complex, requiring qualities such as patience, sympathy, maturity, and intellectual and personal humility. A generation of Indologists from Holtzmann to Malinar undertook their dissections of the text, knowing neither what the text said nor what it actually took to interpret it. Gandhi’s reading of the Bhagavadgītā is used to show how it is possible to negotiate the various demands of reading a text meaningfully, of taking into consideration its reception, and of making it hermeneutically productive for one’s present.Less
This chapter summarizes the preceding discussions and discusses some lessons that can be drawn from the diremption of German Indology for the humanities. It argues that German Indologists placed their faith in a narrow concept of scientific method, which they thought would automatically endow them with the ability to make sense of the text. But the task of interpretation is much more complex, requiring qualities such as patience, sympathy, maturity, and intellectual and personal humility. A generation of Indologists from Holtzmann to Malinar undertook their dissections of the text, knowing neither what the text said nor what it actually took to interpret it. Gandhi’s reading of the Bhagavadgītā is used to show how it is possible to negotiate the various demands of reading a text meaningfully, of taking into consideration its reception, and of making it hermeneutically productive for one’s present.
M.V. Nadkarni
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199450534
- eISBN:
- 9780199083022
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199450534.003.0007
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
This chapter examines the relevance and contribution of the Bhagavadgita to ethics and social science research in India. It explains that most of the training in social science research methodology ...
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This chapter examines the relevance and contribution of the Bhagavadgita to ethics and social science research in India. It explains that most of the training in social science research methodology in India is focused on quantitative techniques of the inductive method and are deprived of valuable insights which can come from a holistic approach. This chapter highlights the Gita’s call for a holistic approach to knowledge called saatvik and provides examples of the application of the holistic approach in social sciences, particularly in economics and applied ethics.Less
This chapter examines the relevance and contribution of the Bhagavadgita to ethics and social science research in India. It explains that most of the training in social science research methodology in India is focused on quantitative techniques of the inductive method and are deprived of valuable insights which can come from a holistic approach. This chapter highlights the Gita’s call for a holistic approach to knowledge called saatvik and provides examples of the application of the holistic approach in social sciences, particularly in economics and applied ethics.
