Bhakti and the Narrative Traditions

I. Bhakti: Hindu Devotionalism

  1. The Medieval Period (600 C.E. – 1800 C.E.): Three Major Developments
  2. (1) Systematization of Hindu philosophy into six schools (darsanas)
  3. (2) Rise of Tantrism (dissent against convention)
  4. Techniques that lead directly to liberation, bypassing tradition
  5. Mantras, mandalas, yogic techniques, guru
  6. Right-handed and left-handed
  7. RH: For all adepts, use of mantras, mandalas, rituals
  8. LH: Partaking of forbidden things, transcend artificial distinctions (caste, purity-impurity, dharma-adharma). Polluting things, meat, illicit sexual intercourse.
  9. Everything pervaded by Brahman, sanctity of all things, underlying unity -- no high/low, no pure/impure
  10. (3) Rise of devotional movements
  11. Nayanars (Saiva) and Alvars (Vaisnava) – new forms of piety
  12. Rise of temples as religious centers
  13. Puranas (“stories of old”): 18 major
  14. Rise of great theistic traditions associated particularly with Visnu but also with Siva and Devi the Goddess.
  15. Beginnings of Hindu theism: Late Upanishads reflect the idea of a supreme, God or Goddess who generates cosmos, maintains it, destroys it.
  16. Two deities become focus: Siva (first appears in Rg as Rudra) and Visnu. Devotees to Siva = Saivas. Dev to Visnu = Vaisnavas.

II. Three Narrative Traditions

  1. The growth of Hindu theism and devotionalism reflected in narrative traditions of:
  1. Itihasa: Mainly the Epics. Sanskrit
  2. Puranas: Mythological and ritual treatises. Sanskrit. 18 major.
  3. Devotional poetry. Vernacular languages (particularly Tamil).
  1. Itihasa
  1. No historiography in South Asia: as in Greek, Arabic and European traditions. Reinforces tendency to construct India as ahistorical mythical, irrational in contrast to the West: historical, scientific, rational = the West’s irrational other. This hides the ‘rationalist’ elements of Hindu culture: science of ritual, grammar, architecture, mathematics, logic and philosophy
  2. Even so, no clear distinction between history, hagiography, and mythology. Itihasa embraces the categories of myth and history. Most important seems to be the truth, values, identity they convey.
  3. Epics are primarily Vaisnava: Mahabharata and Ramayana
  1. Puranas “stories of the ancient past”:
  1. Vast body of complex narratives containing genealogies of deities and kings, cosmologies, law coded, descriptions of ritual and pilgrimage.
  2. Oral traditions written down – absorbed influences from epics, Upanishads, dharmasastras, samhitas.
  3. 18 major Puranas – bulk of the material established c. 320-500 CE. Some are more sectarian than others (focused on a particular deity)
  1. Visnu
  1. Vaisnava worldview: supremacy of Visnu as creator and pervader of the universe. Takes the designations Brahma, Visnu and Siva
  2. “Visnu”: possibly from the Snskr verbal root vis (to enter) – Visnu is ‘he who enters’ or pervades the universe.
  3. Rg Veda: benevolent, solar deity, often coupled with warrior god Indra. In one hymn: Visnu takes three strides and separates earth from sky. Basis of later Puranic myth: Visnu incarnated as Vamana the dwarf, covers universe with three strides and so destroys power of demon Bali
  1. Siva
  2. Devi
  3. Shakti
  4. Benevolent and Terrifying

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