In Dialogue with Classical Indian Traditions Encounter, Transformation and Interpretation

Dialogue is a recurring and significant component of Indian religious and philosophical literature. Whether it be as a narrative account of a conversation between characters within a text, as an implied response or provocation towards an interlocutor outside the text, or as a hermeneutical lens through which commentators and modern audiences can engage with an ancient text, dialogue features prominently in many of the most foundational sources from classical India. Despite its ubiquity, there are very few studies that explore this important facet of Indian texts. This book redresses this imbalance by undertaking a close textual analysis of a range of religious and philosophical literature to highlight the many uses and functions of dialogue in the sources themselves and in subsequent interpretations. Using the themes of encounter, transformation and interpretation – all of which emerged from face-to-face discussions between the contributors of this volume – each chapter explores dialogue in its own context, thereby demonstrating the variety and pervasiveness of dialogue in different genres of the textual tradition.This is a rich and detailed study that offers a fresh and timely perspective on many of the most well-known and influential sources from classical India. As such, it will be of great use to scholars of religious studies, Asian studies, comparative literature and literary theory.

Introduction, Brian Black and Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad Part 1: Encounter 1 Sources of Indian secularism? Dialogues on Politics and Religion in Hindu and Buddhist Traditions, Brian Black 2 Dialogues with Solitary Buddhas, Naomi Appleton 3 Refutation or Dialogue? Sa?kara’s Treatment of the Bhagavatas, J.G. Suthren Hirst 4 ‘We Resort to Reason’: The Argumentative Structure in Ven?katòana¯tha’s Sesìvarami¯ma¯mòsa¯, Elisa Freschi 5 ‘Speakers of Highest Truth’: Philosophical Plurilogues About Brahman in the Early Upani?ads, Jessica Frazier Part 2: Transformation 6 Outer and Inner Dialogues as Transformative Disciplines in the Yogavasi??ha, James Madaio 7 Being Human, Dialogically, Lynn Thomas 8 Dialoguing the Varkari Tradition, Monika Kirloskar-Steinbach 9 Convincing the King: Jain Ministers and Religious Persuasion through Dialogue, Jonathan Geen Part 3: Interpretation 10 Careful Attention and the Voice of Another, Maria Heim 11 Mahabharata Dialogues on Dharma and Devotion with K???a and Hanuman, Bruce M. Sullivan 12 Models of Royal Piety in the Mahabharata: The Case of Vidura, Sanatsujata and Vidura, James M. Hegarty 13 Dialogue in Extremis: Valin in the Valmiki Ramayana, Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad; Afterword, Laurie L. Patton

Brian Black is Lecturer in Religious Studies in the Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion at Lancaster University, UK. His research interests include Indian religions, comparative philosophy, the use of dialogue in Indian religious and philosophical texts, and Hindu and Buddhist ethics. He is author of the book The Character of the Self in Ancient India: Priests, Kings, and Women in the Early Upani?ads.Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad is Fellow of the British Academy, and Distinguished Professor of Comparative Religion and Philosophy at Lancaster University, UK. He has published several books, including Advaita Metaphysics and Epistemology, Knowledge and Liberation in Classical Indian Thought, and Divine Self, Human Self: The Philosophy of Being in Two Gita Commentaries. His most recent book is Human Being, Bodily Being: Phenomenology from Classical India.