Structure and Cognition, Third Edition: Aspects of Hindu Caste and Ritual

Description

Sociological analysis of Hindu caste and ritual has primarily been confined to the empirical study of local communities. In this classic work, the author adds a new dimension to such analysis by basing her data on an examination of selected myths in Puranic and Sutra literature, in particular the Dharmaranya Purana and the Grihya Sutra, going thereby to the sources of the ideology that have given local communities their particular shape and character. The book places the discussion in the wider setting of discussions on Hinduism. This original approach, bridging the gulf that divides Indology from Sociology, resolves many questions that had previously defied definitive explanation, and charts a fruitful alternative direction for future sociological inquiry. The Third Edition comes includes a new Preface by the author. Cover Title Pages Dedication Introduction to the Third Edition Reflections on the Life of a Text Notes: Preface to the Second Edition Preface to the First Edition Note on Transliteration 1. Introduction Abstract and Keywords The Caste Puranas Veena Das 2. On the Categories: Brahman, King, and Sanyasi Abstract and Keywords I Myth (1): The Creation of Dharmaranya Myth (2): The Creation of Vanikas Myth (3): The Austerities of Dharmaraja Myth (4): The Story of Jayadeva Myth (5): The Sorrows of Shrimata Myth (6): The Story of King Aama II III IV Notes: 3. Of Jatis Abstract and Keywords I II III IV V VI VII Notes: 4. Concepts of Space Abstract and Keywords I II Description of Domestic Ceremonies The Right/Left Opposition The Cardinal Points Conclusion Notes: 5. The Sacred and the Profane in Hinduism Abstract and Keywords I II III IV V Epilogue I II III Notes: Appendix 1 Appendix 2 References Author Index Subject Index