ENGLISH

Bringing the Gods to Mind: Mantra and Ritual in Early Indian Sacrifice

By Laurie L. Patton

Book information

Publisher
University of California Press
Year
2005
ISBN
0520240871, 9780520240872, 9781417593354
LCC
BL1226.2 .P44 2005
Open Library ID
OL3289452M
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
1 MB (1236523 bytes)
Edition
1
Pages
306\306
Scanned
yes
Time added
2011-08-31 04:54:40

Description

This elegantly written book introduces a new perspective on Indic religious history by rethinking the role of mantra in Vedic ritual. In Bringing the Gods to Mind, Laurie Patton takes a new look at mantra as "performed poetry" and in five case studies draws a portrait of early Indian sacrifice that moves beyond the well-worn categories of "magic" and "magico-religious" thought in Vedic sacrifice. Treating Vedic mantra as a sophisticated form of artistic composition, she develops the idea of metonymy, or associational thought, as a major motivator for the use of mantra in sacrificial performance. Filling a long-standing gap in our understanding, her book provides a history of the Indian interpretive imagination and a study of the mental creativity and hermeneutic sophistication of Vedic religion.

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