Texts in Context: Traditional Hermeneutics in South Asia
Jeffrey R. Timm
The major religious traditions of South Asia are religions of the book . All accept basic arrays of texts of scriptures, often seen as sacred reservoirs of meaning and power. The West has viewed these texts as bibles of their respective traditions, projecting onto them Western values and concerns. This book challenges such misconceptions by revealing the complex character of scripture and its interpretation in South Asian religions.
Texts in Context explores the hermeneutical traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, and Sikhism. The question of how we should understand the diversity of text-traditions is approached by asking How have traditional thinkers the exegetes within these traditions understood and utilized scripture? The answers, though remarkably diverse, do reveal important similarities and take the discussion of scripture in India to a deeper level. This book makes accessible to the non-specialist sensibilities and approaches that have previously received little attention in the West, but have formed the basis for traditional efforts to understand and utilize scripture. It is a collaboration between contemporary thinkers and their traditional counterparts, whose voices emerge as they consider the sacred words of the religious traditions of South Asia. |
Contents
Introduction Texts in Context
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1 |
Traditional Hermeneutics in Hinduism
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15 |
Bhartṛhari and the Veda
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17 |
Where Words Can Set Free The Liberating Potency of Vedic Words in the Hermeneutics of Śahkara
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33 |
Binding the Text Vedantaas Philosophy and Commentary
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47 |
Haunted by Śaṅkaras Ghost The Śrīvaiṣṇava Interpretation of Bhagavad Gītā 1866
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69 |
Oral and Written Commentary ON THE TIRUVAYMOLI
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85 |
Vyāsa as Madhvas Guru Biographical Context for a Vedāntic Commentator
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109 |
Traditional Hermeneutics in Other South Asian Religions
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169 |
Śvetāmbar Mūrtipūjak Jain Scripture In A Performative Context
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171 |
Evam Me Sutaṁ Oral Tradition in Nikāya Buddhism
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195 |
Vasubandhus Vyākhyāyukti on the Authenticity of the Mahāyāna Sūtras
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221 |
Poetics as a Hermeneutic Technique in Sikhism
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245 |
The Textual Formation of Oral Teachings in Early Chishtī Sufism
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271 |
Conclusion Traditional Hermeneutics in South Asia
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299 |
Contributors
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307 |
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Common terms and phrases
ācāryas action Advaita Vedānta Āgamas authenticity authority Beloved Bhagavad Gītā Bhai Vir Singh bhaktiyoga bhāṇakas Bhartṛhari Bhāṣya Brahma Sūtras brahman Buddha's word Buddhist Burhan al-Dīn canon chapter Chiragh-i Chishti claim commentary contemporary context Delhi Deśika dharma disciple doctrine Dogri edited enjoined exegesis exegetical Fawa'id Folkert forty-five Āgamas goddess Gurū Guru Granth hermeneutics Hindu Indian interpretation Jain Kalpa Sūtra Kashmir Khir Bhavānī knowledge Kṛṣṇa liberation literature Lord Madhva Maharaja mahātmyā Mahāyāna sūtras malfūzāt means Mīmāṁsā Nānak Nārāyaṇa Paṇḍitācārya Nikāyas Nizām oral pāda Pali philosophical poem poetic Prakāśa on TVD prapatti pūjā Pūrva Qalandar Rāma Rāmānuja reality recitation reference religion religious reveal ritual Rukn sacred text Śankara Sanskrit Śāstra says scholars scripture shaykh Sikh smṛti South Asia Śrāvaka Śrī Śrīvaiṣṇava Sufi Sumadhvavijaya Sutras Śvetāmbar Tamil teachings Tenkalai textual Thousand Pați tion Tiruvāymoli traditional hermeneutics translation understanding Upanisads Vaiṣṇava Vallabha Vasubandhu Veda Vedic verse Vīr Vyākhyāyukti Vyāsa worship writing written