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Central Philosophy o...
Central Philosophy of the Rigveda
The Concept of the Divine by: A. RamamurtyThe book deals chiefly with the Rigvedic concept of divine, and the mode of divine revelation to the Vedic seers. It is a work of its kind in the field of Vedic Interpretation and offers a new perspective and direction to understanding the meaning of Vedic thought and symbolism.
₹626.00
ISBN: 9788124606100
Year Of Publication: 2012
Edition: 2nd
Pages : ix, 278 p.
Bibliographic Details : Bibliography; Index
Language : English
Binding : Hardcover
Publisher: D.K. Printworld Pvt. Ltd.
Size: 23 cm.
Weight: 500 gm.
Rigveda, a collection of hymns which are primarily prayers and praises addressed to various deities, is a religious/spiritual classic which influenced the formation and development of Indian way of life and culture. The concept of divine is central to it. The meaning of divine though has undergone significant changes in the long history of Hinduism depending upon its interaction with other world religions, the basic Vedic idea of divine still remains central to the Hindu concept of divine or God.
In this work we discuss mainly the meaning of divine and the mode of its revelation to the seers of the Rigveda in the state of divinely inspired devotion. This is what the Veda reveals or says about itself. To understand this claim of the Veda requires a deep understanding of the Vedic symbolism employed in communicating the meaning of divine inspiration. The seer-poets resort to symbolic use of language to communicate their vision of the divine, the birth of divine consciousness in them and its expression in the form of hymns. By closely following the text of the Rigveda, one can understand the symbolic use of certain words, and appreciate the meaning of the Veda which would otherwise be highly obscure and utterly unintelligible. Unless we understand the meaning of divine and the mode of its revelation to the Vedic seers it is difficult to understand and appreciate the meaning of the Veda or to interpret it. The Veda in its literary form comes into existence when the divinely inspired devotion is expressed in the form of prayer or hymns. When divine inspiration is offered back to the divine in the form of prayer and praise, human life finds its supreme fulfilment, and its attitude to world or nature gets transformed into one of reverence and worship.
Preface
1. Introduction
2. The Nature and Meaning of the Divine
3. Agni
4. Indra
5. Divine Inspiration
6. Soma
7. Vritra
Bibliography
Index
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The Indian tradition of criticism is over two millennia old. And its rasa theory has, from the beginning, essentially influenced authors, connoisseurs and art critics alike. First expounded sometime between the 1st century bc and the fourth century AD in the eminent aesthetician, Bharata’s Natya Shastra, rasa theory deals with the ‘emotive content’ of a work of art — how it is depicted, inferred and transmitted. Dr. Patnaik’s book is a unique effort that demonstrates, with diverse examples, the universality of this ancient theory and its applicability to modern Western classics. Elucidating afresh the concept of rasa and all its nine primary kinds largely on the basis of Natya Shastra of Bharata and the commentaries of the tenth-century aesthetician, Abhinavagupta, the book investigates the validity of rasa theory as an aesthetic, more specifically, a literary theory, and how its canons are applicable to modern Western literature as well as Chinese love lyrics and Japanese haiku poems. Dr. Patnaik’s transcultural exploration, thus, covers all major genres of literature — poetry, drama and fiction; and also major writers — Lawrence, Mayakovsky, Kafka, Camus, Conrad, Hemingway, Faulkner, Marquez, Eliot, Hesse, O’Neill, Ionesco, Beckett, Lorca, Neruda and several others. In emphasizing the universal validity of the rasa theory, the author considers certain modern problems relevant to text, meaning and readers’/audiences’ response as well. Very few are the examples of applied rasa theory even in Sanskrit and other Indian literatures, leave alone its application to Western creative writing. This book, with its bold framework and lucid style, should, therefore, fascinate the scholars of Indology, Indian aesthetics and, above all, comparative literary criticism.
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