Thesis--Göttingen. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 148-156).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Committee on Social Thought, August 2001. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of South Asian Languages and Civilizations, Dept. of History, August 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

The work undertakes an examination of Indian metaphysical theories and their relationship to ethical ideas and moral conduct, as these operate in Indian thought. Special account is taken of the samkhya, advaita and visistadvaita systems, the metaphysical conceptions presupposed in these systems, and the ethical theories proposed by them. The peculiarities characteristic of each system in terms of both metaphysics and ethics are set out and examined in terms of the vital concepts of dharma, karma and mok~a. It is demonstrated that, in the case of each system the original classical formulations, as supported by a relatively consistent dialectic through the centuries down to modern times, in fact accentuate and harden the distinctions among the systems . se fuat 1he three systems appear to be supporting distinctly differing patterns of ethical behaviours. The safukhya is seen to be supporting a somewhat simplistic model of life-denying ethics as flowing from its metaphysical premises, while the visistadvaita, with its clear accent on theism, gives the impression of a more positive attitude in ethical thought and practice. Its ethical concerns, however, are seen to be markedly individualistic in character and operation. The advaita system, with its singular peculiarity of a splitlevel theoretic orientation, is seen to vac~te between a negative withdrawal from life, and a mor-e positive concern towards life in the world. The complex character of advaita metaphysical constructs, in their relation to the more ~ractical aspects of life, are seen to be related to the operation of some stresses and tensions reflected at the individual and social levels. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1988.

This thesis is a study of the Saundarya Lahari, a Sanskrit poem associated with the Srividya Sakta Tantric tradition. It traces the movement of meaning between textual, ritual, and cultural spaces in order to understand the performed possibilities of the text. The Goddess as Sakti (power) both grants enjoyment and is the principle of that enjoyment: beauty, love, and worldly powers. These powers follow the movements of the text: its scanning of the Goddess from shining head to toe; the twinned movements of publicity (exoterism) and secrecy (esoterism); and the gestures and utterances of ritual performance. First the text is located among classical Sanskrit aesthetics, then as a devotional song (stotra), and finally as a manual for occult practice (prayoga). Situated in these contexts, the multivalence of the text comes to the foreground; mapping the tensions between these meanings is the starting point for the development of a Tantric hermeneutic.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.

This work provides a survey of Indian funeral rites, concentrating on ceremonies performed by rural mainland Hindus, who have been divided into the broad social categories of brahmins, caste Hindus and outcastes/tribes. The primary intention is to identify a core of ritual, which can be used as a baseline against which particular funeral performances can be checked. This work also examines the variation of brahminical ritual over time through a survey of ethnographic material taken from Gazetteers and Government Ethnographic Surveys; the Purāṇas, represented by a version of the Garuḍa Purāṇa and a work known as the Garuḍa Purāṇa Sāroddāra; and Caland's summary of Vedic ritual in Die altindischen Todten- und Bestattungsgebräuche. In each of these three sections the funeral rituals have been divided into six stages and these stages have been further divided into sub-sections containing specific rituals or groups of rituals. Sections on untimely death and the role of the widow in her husband's funeral are also included. Particular emphasis is placed throughout the historical survey on the recurrent theme of ambivalence towards death as reflected both in ritual and its interpretation: the relative is loved and honoured but the corpse is frightening and quickly becomes disgusting. The survey examines the relationship between the primary emotional response to death and secondary ideological constructs, and it reveals that while ritual reflects the emotional response to death it does not always reflect secondary ideology. In addition this work includes a summary, in table form, of the variation of funeral ritual according to geographical area for all three social groups; again taken from the ethnographic material of the Gazetteers and Government Surveys.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.