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Summary
Explores the narratives and dialogues of the Upanisads and shows that these literary elements are central to an understanding of Upanishadic philosophy.
This groundbreaking book is an elegant exploration of the Upanisads, often considered the fountainhead of the rich, varied philosophical tradition in India. The Upanisads, in addition to their philosophical content, have a number of sections that contain narratives and dialogues—a literary dimension largely ignored by the Indian philosophical tradition, as well as by modern scholars. Brian Black draws attention to these literary elements and demonstrates that they are fundamental to understanding the philosophical claims of the text.
Focusing on the Upanisadic notion of the self (ātman), the book is organized into four main sections that feature a lesson taught by a brahmin teacher to a brahmin student, debates between brahmins, discussions between brahmins and kings, and conversations between brahmins and women. These dialogical situations feature dramatic elements that bring attention to both the participants and the social contexts of Upanisadic philosophy, characterizing philosophy as something achieved through discussion and debate. In addition to making a number of innovative arguments, the author also guides the reader through these profound and engaging texts, offering ways of reading the Upanisads that make them more understandable and accessible.
“Black’s book is well researched and intelligent … Most impressive is his ability to bring out the concrete and the social in these narratives, including issues of wealth, prestige, regional rivalry, and gender relations.” — Journal of the American Oriental Society
“…[an] innovative and stimulating account of early Indian thought.” — History of Religions
“…among the first to analyze the Upanisadic texts as literature as well as foundational philosophical texts … Black’s effortless writing style does not over-simplify, but draws together a vast amount of background information in order to enrich the characterisations of the leading teachers in the Upanisads.” — Culture and Religion
“This is an outstanding book.” — Patrick Olivelle, editor of Between the Empires: Society in India 300 BCE to 400 CE
“This is the finest, most insightful, and most theoretically sophisticated book on the Upanisads I have ever read. For years I have had students come up to me after class and ask me to recommend a book on the Upanisads and I never could. Now, at last, we have a long critical read of these texts from a multitheoretical perspective: sociological, historical, rhetorical, and gendered.” — Jeffrey J. Kripal, author of The Serpent’s Gift: Gnostic Reflections on the Study of Religion
Brian Black is Research Associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Introduction
Opening statement
What are the Upanisads?
The self, life, death, and immortality
The historical and social context
Characterizing the self
Literary characters
The social conditions of knowledge
Mystery or mystique: The character of knowledge
1. Teachers and students: The emergence of teaching as an object of discourse
Introduction
Sandilya and the teaching of atman and brahman
Sandilya: From ritualist to teacher
Uddalaka Aruni and the teaching of tat tvam asi
Uddalaka and Svetaketu: Acting out the upanayana
Indra as the persistent student
Narada and Sanatkumara: Knowledge of atman as more important than the Vedas
Naciketas and the initiation of an Upanishadic brahmin
The graduation of a brahmin student in the Taittiriya Upanisad
Satyakama and the beginnings of a brahmin hagiography
Conclusion
2. Debates between brahmins: The competitive dynamics of the brahmodya
Introduction
The brahmodya and the sacrifice
Uddalaka Aruni and the brahmodya in the Satapatha Brahmana
Yajnavalkya and the philosophical tournament
Yajnavalkya’s interlocutors: The social and political implications of debate
Yajnavalkya and the tactics of debate
Losing face or losing one’s head? The motif of head shattering
Upanishadic teachings and material wealth
Yajnavalkya and renunciation
The life story of Yajnavalkya
Conclusion
3. Kings and brahmins: The political dimensions of the Upanisads
Introduction
The myth of ksatriya authorship
Janaka and Yajnavalkya: Negotiating the brahmin’s position in the court
Janaka and Yajnavalkya in the Brhadaranyaka Upanisad
Kings as teachers: Asvapati teaches a group of brahmin householders
Uddalaka Aruni and Svetaketu: Instructions for how to seek patronage
Conflicting agendas for how kings should teach brahmins
Upanishadic knowledge as a political discourse
The battle of the pranas as a political metaphor
Pravahana and the teaching of the five fires
Conclusion
4. Brahmins and women: Subjectivity and gender construction in the Upanisads
Introduction
The gender of the self: Atman and the male body
The self, virility, and immortality
Yajnavalkya and Satyakama: Competing ideals of male subjectivity
The myth of recovering an authentic female voice
Gargi: The debating tactics of a female philosopher
Women and gandharvas: The lack of authority for female speakers
The ambiguities of Satyakama’s mother and wife
Maitreyi and Katyayani: Knowledge of atman versus striprajna
Conclusion
