The Vedic Origins of Karma: Cosmos as Man in Ancient Indian Myth and RitualIn this book, the author seeks access to Karma's origins by following several clues suggested by the doctrine's earliest formulation in the Upanistexts (circa 600-500 B.C.) These clues lead back to the mythical and ritual structure firmly established in the Brahmana texts, texts concerned with the rituals that chronologically and conceptually precede the UpanisThe rise of the karma doctrine is tied to the increasing dominance in late Vedic thought of the cosmic man (Purusa/Prajapati) mythology and its ritual analogue the "building of the fire altar" (agnicayana). |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
The Problem of Karma and the Textual Sources | 12 |
The Brāhmanas and Upanishadsin the View of Nineteenth Century Indology | 14 |
The Upanisads and the Vedic Origins of the Karma Doctrine | 21 |
of Karma and Rebirth in the Brhadaranyaka and Chandogya Upanisads | 28 |
The Karma Doctrine in the Context of Brahmanic Thought | 41 |
The Cosmos as Man The Image of the Cosmos in Vedic Thought | 44 |
Its Vicissitudes in Vedic Thought | 47 |
The Fire Altar Agnicayana as Man and Cosmos The Problem of Sacrifice | 72 |
The Problem of Sacrifice and the Agnicayana | 77 |
The Construction of the Fire Altar | 81 |
Man and Cosmos in the Fire Altar | 95 |
From Death to Rebirth | 103 |
The Agnicayana and the Smasanacayana | 108 |
The Karma Doctrine in the Context of Brahmanic Thought | 119 |
Abbreviations of Vedic Texts | 123 |
Other editions - View all
The Vedic Origins of Karma: Cosmos as Man in Ancient Indian Myth and Ritual Herman W. Tull No preview available - 1989 |
Common terms and phrases
action afterlife Agni Agnicayana Agnicayana ritual Agnicayana ritualists animal sacrifice appears aspect atmosphere attain body brahman Brahmaņas Brāhmaṇic thought Bṛhadāraṇyaka bricks correlation cosmic image cosmogony cosmos creation myth creative activity dakṣiņā death deceased Deussen devayāna earth Eggeling established event existence fire altar fire pan funeral rite gods Gonda heavens Heesterman Hindu identified Indologists Jaiminiya Karma and Rebirth karma doctrine Keith leads the sacrificer Loka Macdonell Max Müller moon Müller nature notion O'Flaherty original otherworld passage pitṛyāna Prajapati prāņa primordial Purușa Purusa's Puruṣasūkta realm refers reflects relationship Religion and Philosophy represents Ṛgveda Ṛgvedic rificer Rig Veda ritual activity ritual performance sacri sacrificer's Samhitās Sanskrit Satapatha Brāhmaṇa scholars seems Śmaśānacayana Soma sacrifice spheres śrauta Staal symbolism textual thinkers tion tradition Upanisads Vedic Literature Vedic Mythology Vedic religion Vedic ritual Vedic texts Vedic thought victim vital airs W. D. Whitney Yājñavalkya