This elegantly written book introduces a new perspective on Indic religious history by rethinking the role of mantra in Vedic ritual. In Bringing the Gods to Mind, Laurie Patton takes a new look at mantra as "e,performed poetry"e, and in five case studies draws a portrait of early Indian sacrifice that moves beyond the well-worn categories of "e,magic"e, and "e,magico-religious"e, thought in Vedic sacrifice. Treating Vedic mantra as a sophisticated form of artistic composition, she develops the idea of metonymy, or associational thought, as a major motivator for the use of mantra in sacrificial performance. Filling a long-standing gap in our understanding, her book provides a history of the Indian interpretive imagination and a study of the mental creativity and hermeneutic sophistication of Vedic religion.
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Verlagsort
ISBN-13
978-0-520-93088-9 (9780520930889)
Schweitzer Klassifikation
