
The Puranic World
Environment Gender Ritual and Myth
Vijay Nath(Author)
Manohar Publishers and Distributors
Published on 20. November 2024
Book
Hardback
310 pages
978-81-7304-801-2 (ISBN)
Description
A collection of essays written at different points of time, and published in various reputed journals and books. What blends them together is the use of the primary source material in the form of a vast compendium of Pur?n_ic literature (backed by epigraphic, archaeological and anthropological data), which has been utilized to arrive at conclusions pertaining to changes in Indian society and religion during the later half of first millennium ad, when the major Pur?]nas were being compiled.
The period represents a watershed in Indian history, for it marked a transition from a commercially viable economic order to a closed feudal economy. The social and religious dimensions of the Brahmanical system were particularly impacted by such a transition resulting in some innovative forms of restructuring.
It has been the purpose behind most of the present articles to re-assess and utilize the available Pur?n_ic evidence for getting fresh insights into the rationale and precise nature of these changes. The key areas of thrust in these articles are changes in material culture, awareness, and mode of dealing with environmental issues, gender based differentiation, recent ritual formations, such as M?h?d?na and T?rthas, as well as the utilization of myth as a mode of expressing historical reality.
The period represents a watershed in Indian history, for it marked a transition from a commercially viable economic order to a closed feudal economy. The social and religious dimensions of the Brahmanical system were particularly impacted by such a transition resulting in some innovative forms of restructuring.
It has been the purpose behind most of the present articles to re-assess and utilize the available Pur?n_ic evidence for getting fresh insights into the rationale and precise nature of these changes. The key areas of thrust in these articles are changes in material culture, awareness, and mode of dealing with environmental issues, gender based differentiation, recent ritual formations, such as M?h?d?na and T?rthas, as well as the utilization of myth as a mode of expressing historical reality.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New Delhi
India
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 230 mm
Width: 150 mm
Weight
700 gr
ISBN-13
978-81-7304-801-2 (9788173048012)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Vijay Nath retired as the Associate Professor, Department of History, Janki Devi Memorial College, University of Delhi. She is the author of books, Dana: Gift-system in Ancient India and Puranas and Acculturation: A Historico-Anthropological Perspective, and has contributed papers dealing with ancient Indian social and ritual formations in leading journals and anthologies. She was the sectional president of the Indian History Congress held in Kolkata, 2001.
Content
Preface 9
Abbreviations 17
Part I: Introduction
I. The Material Milieu of Puranic Hinduism 21
2. Environmental Issues and Ecological Concerns: The Puranic Approach 44
Part II: Gender Differentiation
3. Women as Property and their Right to Inherit Property 73
4. Gender Differentiation or Gender Parity: In the Light of the Matsya and the Mc7rkandeya Pw-anas 95
Part III: Rituals
5. Brahmanical Rituals: The Changing Paradigm 119
6. Mahadana: Dynamics of Gift Economy 137
7. Tirtha: Instrument of Acculturation? 166
8. Puranic Tirthas: Their Indigenous Origins and Transformation 202
Part IV: Myth
9. King Vena, Nisada and Prthu: A Recurrent Puranic Myth Re-examined 253
Bibliography 271
Index 293
Abbreviations 17
Part I: Introduction
I. The Material Milieu of Puranic Hinduism 21
2. Environmental Issues and Ecological Concerns: The Puranic Approach 44
Part II: Gender Differentiation
3. Women as Property and their Right to Inherit Property 73
4. Gender Differentiation or Gender Parity: In the Light of the Matsya and the Mc7rkandeya Pw-anas 95
Part III: Rituals
5. Brahmanical Rituals: The Changing Paradigm 119
6. Mahadana: Dynamics of Gift Economy 137
7. Tirtha: Instrument of Acculturation? 166
8. Puranic Tirthas: Their Indigenous Origins and Transformation 202
Part IV: Myth
9. King Vena, Nisada and Prthu: A Recurrent Puranic Myth Re-examined 253
Bibliography 271
Index 293