Indian Poetics (Kāvya Śāstra) and Narratology Towards the Appreciation of Biblical Narrative

Description

Though the biblical and the Indian literary traditions had independent origin and growth in terms of spatial and cultural milieux, there are literary landscapes of confluence where the literary fabrics of their collective wisdom are interwoven. Both narrative traditions have rich oral and folk prehistoric traditions in their records and this attribute provides a substratum where their narrative patterns and paradigms can find a common ground. A Hebraic reading of the Bible does not exhaust the meaning of the biblical texts; on the other hand, an Indian reading of the Bible could bring more flesh and blood to the living text. Ancient Indian Kāvya Śāstra (Poetics) and its modern rendering narratology being multifarious and mutually integrative will be able to supply a variety of poetical tools and devices with which the great and vast miscellany of biblical narrative can be approached and appreciated. Indian religious tradition is more narrative/story rather than doctrinal or dogmatic. This demands an Indian reading of the Bible endowed with a narratological and synchronic approach to disentangle the biblical narrative from the burden of dogmas and doctrines and to re-launch its primordial narrative/story culture. The application of the canons of Indian Kāvya Śāstra with its narratological elucidations to the biblical narrative has categorically proved that it can open up a new horizon to an Indian reading of the Bible. Various such narrative approaches, heuristic devices and models thus evolved have been applied to selected narratives in the Davidic Episode of the Books of Samuel. Cover Table of Contents Figures Series Editor’s Preface Foreword On the Threshold of a Thesis Inspiration for an Indian Approach to the Bible Setting of the Subject “Appreciation” over “Criticism” Story of the Study Not a “Distorted Glimpse” The Strangeness of Ancient Texts Agreeable to the Reader Models of Interpretation An Example: I Sam 1 A “Noble Reading” Some Critical Observations Acknowledgments Abbreviations and Acronyms Introduction General Purport and Prospects of This Study Guiding Mode and Motif Some Notional Explication Narrative Kāvya Śāstra Appreciation Thematic Texture Part One: Biblical Narrative and Indian Kāvya Śāstra Chapter One: The Point of Departure for an Indian Approach to Biblical Narrative Biblical Narrative in the Realm of Literary Appreciation Bible as Literature Narrative Integrity of the Biblical Literature Narrative Integrity as a Result of Divine-Human Creativity Literary Appreciation of Biblical Narrative—A Method of Approach Biblical Exegesis and the Indian Dilemma Thereof Panoramic View of the Exegetical Methods and Approaches The Indian Dilemma in Biblical Exegesis Main Trends in an Indian Reading of the Bible Classical Criticism—Literary Reading of the Bible Philosophic Semiotic and Semantic Aesthetic Contextual Approach—Social Reading of the Bible Indian Context Contextualised Exegesis Comparative Approach—Religious Reading of the Bible Indian Weltanschauung Towards an Indian Approach to Biblical Narrative Narrative (Story) Weltanschauung Mythical (Non-Rational) Weltanschauung Cosmocentric (Non-Anthropocentric) Weltanschauung Holistic (All-Inclusive) Weltanschauung Dhárma (Cosmic Rythmus) Weltanschauung Darśan (Seeing) Weltanschauung Chapter Two: Locating Ancient Indian Kāvya Śāstra and Modern Western Narratology Locating Ancient Indian Kāvya Śāstra The Classical Age of Indian Kāvya Śāstra The Masterminds of Ancient Indian Kāvya Śāstra The Compilers or the Commentators of Kāvya Śāstra Locating Modern Western Narratology The Historical Evolution of Narratology as an Academic Discipline A Retrospection to Plato and Aristotle—Offset of Narrative Reflection Semiology by Ferdinand de Saussure—Offspring of All Narrative Theoretical Investigations of the 20th Century Russian Formalism—Latent Potential of Narratology French Structuralism of the 1960s and 1970s—Forerunner of Narratology Structuralist (Classical) Narratology Poststructuralist (Postclassical) Narratology The Proprium of Narrative The Possible Objectives of Narratology Study of Narrative in View of the Appreciation of the Literary Genre Study of Narrative in the Investigation of Meaning Study of Narrative in the Realm of Religious Experience The Study of Narrative as an Initiation and an Impulse in Learning the Art of Language The Study of Narrative for Theologising in Indian Context Narratology on the Threshold of New Horizons Locating Biblical Narrative in the Realm of Poetics Storytelling: The Science of Salvation (Mokṣa) Poetics Towards the Appreciation of Biblical Narrative Ancient Hindu and Hebrew Literary Traditions—The Oriental Offshoots Chapter Three: The Proposed Models Proper to an Indian Literary Appreciation The Four-S Model in the Making of a Poetics of Cohesiveness Śruti (The Heard or The Revealed) Sūtra (Aphoristic) Smṛti (The Remembered) Śāstra (Scientific Treatise) The Basic Models of the Indian Narrative Paradigm The Vedic Model—Cryptic The Purāṇic Model—Mythic The Itihāsic Model—Epic The Main Distinctive Features of Indian Narratology Interiorisation Serialisation Stylisation and Improvisation Elasticisation of Time Fantasisation Cyclicalisation Allegorisation Anonymisation Spatialisation Three Classical Theories of Kāvya Śāstra Rasa (Aesthetic Relish): Reader-Response Rasa-Initiation in Unfolding Various Bhāvas Bhāva (Mental State) Sthāyibhāvas (Permanent States) Vyabhicāribhāvas or Sancāribhāvas (Transitory States) Sāttvikabhāvas (Physical Effects Resulting from an Emotion) Vibhāva (Stimuli) Anubhāva (Response) Rasa-Evocation in Merging Various Bhāvas Rasa-Realisation in the Appreciator (Sahṛdaya) of a Kāvya The Categorisation of Rasa Dhvani (Suggestion): Text-Oriented The Basic Sources of the Theory of Dhvani Three Types of Dhvani in Relation to Kāvya The Five Dimensions of Dhvani The Three-Fold Division of Meaning in Dhvani The Poetical Purport of Dhvani Alaṅkāra (Embellishment): Rhetoric and Structural The Classification of Alaṅkāra The Nature and Purpose of Alaṅkāra Alaṅkāra and Alaṅkārya The Trinity of Alaṅkāras: Svabhāvokti (Natural-Speech)—Vakrokti (Roundabout-Speech)—Atiśayokti (Exaggerated-Speech) Part Two: An Appreciation of the Davidic Episode in the Books of Samuel from the Vantage Point of Kāvya Śāstra Introduction to Part Two Chapter Four: The Compositional Coherence of the Books of Samuel on the Framework of the Four-S Model Śruti (The Heard or The Revealed) The Indian Point of Reference: Krauñcha Episode in the Rāmāyaṇa The Biblical Point of Reference: Hannah’s Temple-Experience (1 Sam 1) Sūtra (Aphoristic) The Indian Point of Reference: Brahma Sūtras The Biblical Point of Reference: Temple Narrative (1 Sam 1–3) and Ark Narrative (1 Sam 4–7) Smṛti (The Remembered) The Indian Point of Reference: The Bhagavad Gītā in Relation to the Mahābhārata The Biblical Point of Reference: The Canticle of Hannah Śāstra (Scientific Treatise) The Indian Point of Reference: Dhármaśāstra (धर्मशास्त्र) The Biblical Point of Reference: Rāja-dhárma and Saul’s Transgression (1 Sam 15) Chapter Five: The Basic Models of the Indian Narrative Paradigm towards the Appreciation of the Davidic Episode Vedic (Cryptic) The Indian Point of Reference: Indra-Hymns in the Ṛgvéda The Biblical Point of Reference: The Song of Thanksgiving by David in 2 Samuel 22 Interiorise Certain Kinds of Narratives which Can Be Elaborated into Stories or Episodes Establish Resonances between the Natural and the Supernatural or the Divine and the Human Affinity with Ancient Imageries and Allegories Versified Narration Imbued with the Power of Vāk Invitation to Discover Thematic Associations Purāṇic (Mythic) The Indian Point of Reference: Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa The Biblical Point of Reference: The Ark Narrative: 1 Sam 4–7:1 The Overarching of the Ark Narrative The Role-Shift of the Ark Brought into the Mythical Framework The Pitting of Evil against Evil in the Supra-National Level The Chain Narrative and Recursiveness Itihāsic (Epic) The Indian Point of Reference: Mahābhārata—The Making of an Itihāsic The Biblical Point of Reference: The Davidic Story as Davidic Itihāsic Whether Succession Narrative or Davidic Itihāsic? Multiple Embedding in the Davidic Itihāsic Multiple Embedding at the Level of Main Plot Multiple Embedding at the Level of Individual Episode Family Saga to Nationhood Gītāic Genre in the Davidic Episode Chapter Six: The Main Features of Indian Narratology towards the Appreciation of the Davidic Episode Interiorisation and the Narrative Miscellany of 2 Sam 21–24 The Basic Narrative Structure of 2 Sam 21–24 The Conventional Perception of 2 Samuel 21–24 An Outlook of 2 Sam 21–24 Based on Interiorisation The Interiorisation of the Messianic Role of David towards Sin and Salvation Serialisation and the Narrative Miscellany of 2 Sam 21–24 Stylisation and Improvisation and the Narrative Miscellany of 2 Sam 21–24 Elasticisation of Time and the Narrative Miscellany of 2 Samuel 21–24 Fantasisation in David’s Song of Thanksgiving (2 Sam 22:7–19) Fantasy and Reality Transcendental Motif of Fantasisation The Ambiance of Natural and Supernatural The Legitimisation of David’s Exploits A Narrative Break Cyclicalisation and Re-Cycling of Literary Artifacts in the Davidic Episode Re-Cycling of Story: The Death of Saul (1 Sam 31 § 2 Sam 1); Saul’s First Encounter with David (1 Sam 16 § 17) Re-Cycling of Literary Patterns: Saul Pursuing David (1 Sam 24 § 1 Sam 26) Re-Cycling of Myths, Proverbs, Etc.: “Is Saul Also among the Prophets?” (1 Sam 10 § 1 Sam 19) Allegorisation in Various Narrative Contexts of the Davidic Episode Allegorisation in Order to Impart Moral Precepts and Practices: The Story about a Rich Man and a Lamb by Nathan (2 Sam 12:1–14) Allegorisation in Order to Change the Course of Affairs: The Story of the Woman of Tekoa (2 Sam 14:1–24) Allegorisation in Order to Describe the Virtual Realities: Allegorical Expressions in David’s Song of Thanksgiving (2 Sam 22) Allegorisation in Order to Evoke Narrative Retrospection: Saul Spares the Amalekite King Agag against the Will of the Lord (1 Sam 15) and the Story of Saul’s Death by an Amalekite (2 Sam 1) Suggestive Allegorisation in Order to Lay Out the Confluence of Paradoxes Anonymisation and the Apauruṣeya Nature of the Davidic Episode To Facilitate the Narrative Interventions and Interactions of the Omniscient Narrator—Interprets the Past, Describes the Present and Foresees the Future To Consolidate the Disparate Sources, Collective or Individual— Anonymous Narrative Sources and Anonymous Author To Merge the Subjective Self of the Narrator in the Collective Readership—No Author Is Just an Individual and Language Is an Instrument of Collective Expression To Attribute Impersonal, Universal and Collective Nature to Narrative—A Work of Art Transcends the Temporal and Spatial Limitations To Leave Room for Internalised Characters to Be Authors—The Transposition of Characters and Authors/Narrators To Facilitate the Organic Growth of the Urtext—The Text Grows in Its Full Dimension through Various Spatio-Temporal Contexts in the Hands of Commentators (Vyakhyata Vetti or Jañti) Spatialisation and the Spatial Precedence in the Davidic Episode Mutuality of Space and Time Polycentric Perception of Space Cosmocentric and Anthropocentric Spatial Perceptions Chapter Seven: Three Classical Theories of Kāvya Śāstra towards the Appreciation of the Davidic Episode Rasa (Aesthetic Relish) Appreciation of the Davidic Episode Based on the Purusṣārthas The Rasa Dialectic of Kāma: Hannah (1 Sam 1) and David (2 Sam 11) The Rasa Dialectic of Artha: Eli’s Sons (1 Sam 2:11–36) and Samuel (2 Sam 2:11–36; 12:1–5) The Rasa Dialectic of Dhárma: Saul and David (1 Sam 24) The Rasa Dialectic of Mokṣa: Various Bhāvas and Related Characters Hannah towards the Lord (1 Sam 2:1–10)—Bhakti Bhāva (Devotion) Samuel towards His Life and Mission (1 Sam 12)—Vairāgya (Disgust) Jonathan towards David (1 Sam 18:1–4; 20; 2 Sam 1:18–27)—Mitra (Philia) Rizpa towards Her Impaled Sons (2 Sam 21:8–14)—Vatsa (Pathos) Dhvani (Suggestion) Appreciation of the Plot of ‘David and Goliath’ An Appraisal of the Prevailing Reading of the Story of ‘David and Goliath’ (1 Sam 17) Vastu-Dhvani Implied in the Story of ‘David and Goliath’ Alaṅkāra-Dhvani Implied in the Story of ‘David and Goliath’ Rasa-Dhvani Implied in the Story of ‘David and Goliath’ Alaṅkāra (Embellishment) Appreciation of the Davidic Episode on the Trinity of Alaṅkāras: Svabhāvokti (Natural-Speech), Vakrokti (Roundabout-Speech) and Atiśayokti (Exaggerated-Speech) Conclusion Glossary of Sanskrit Words Notes Bibliography Index Biblical Index Author Index