Browsing Faculty of Arts and Sciences by FAS Department "South Asian Studies"
Now showing items 1-5 of 5
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Abhinavagupta's Portrait of a Guru: Revelation and Religious Authority in Kashmir
(2017-08-31)This dissertation aims to recover a model of religious authority that placed great importance upon individual gurus who were seen to be indispensable to the process of revelation. This person-centered style of religious ... -
Liberating Last Rites: Ritual Rescue of the Dead in Tibetan Buddhist Discourse
(2018-05-08)This dissertation examines Tibetan funerary manuals based on the Sarvadurgatipariśodhana Tantra (SDP), an Indian Buddhist work first translated into Tibetan in the eighth century. I trace the transmission and study of the ... -
Look at Me! the Mimetic Impersonation of Indra
(2017-05-12)This dissertation examines the impersonation of Indra in the R̥gveda (conventionally Rigveda), arguing that a ‘textualized self’ emerges during performance. What does it mean to disguise oneself verbally during ritual ... -
Ordering the Cosmos: An Analysis of Religion and Society as Portrayed in the Jaiminīya Brāhmaṇa
(2017-05-13)This dissertation focuses on one of ancient India's most fascinating and unique pre-Hindu religious commentaries. The Jaiminīya Brāhmaṇa was composed circa 800 BCE and remains one of the most intriguing texts of its type. ... -
This Whole World Is OM: Song, Soteriology, and the Emergence of the Sacred Syllable
(2015-05-20)This study explores the emergence of OM, the Sanskrit mantra and critically ubiquitous "sacred syllable" of South Asian religions. Although OM has remained in active practice in recitation, ritual, and meditation for the ...