The fall of the indigo jackal : the discourse of division and Purnabhadra's Pancatantra / McComas Taylor.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Taylor, McComas, 1956-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Pūrṇabhadra. Pañcatantra.

Pūrṇabhadra.

Panchatantra.

Caste in literature.

Sanskrit literature--History and criticism.

Sanskrit literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiv, 236 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Albany : State University of New York Press, c2007.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Contemporary critical theory is brought to the consideration of caste in the Pañcatantra, one of the best-known cycles of Indian tales. Every child growing up in India knows the story of the jackal who fell into the vat of blue dye, and discovering the power of his majestic new appearance, declared himself king of the forest. In spite of his pretenses, the jackal, eventually betrayed by his own instincts, was set upon by the other animals. This and many similar narratives are found in the Pañcatantra , the collection of Sanskrit tales for children compiled by a Jaina monk named Pūrṇabhadra in 1199 CE. In this book, McComas Taylor looks at the discourses that give shape and structure to the fall of the indigo jackal and the other tales within the Pañcatantra . The work's fictional metasociety of animals, kings, and laundrymen are divided according to their jāti , or "kind." This discourse of caste holds that individuals' essential natures, statuses, and social circles are all determined by their birth. Taylor applies contemporary critical theory developed by Foucault, Bourdieu, Barthes, and others to show how these ideas are related to other Sanskritic master-texts, and describes the "regime of truth" that provides validation for the discourse of division. McComas Taylor is Head of the South Asia Centre, Faculty of Asian Studies at the Australian National University.

Contents:

Intro

The Fall of the Indigo Jackal

Contents

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Conventions

1. Introduction

THE TEXTUAL FAMILIES OF THE SANSKRIT PAÑCATANTRA

PURNABHADRA'S PAÑCATANTRA

ASSIGNING MEANING TO THE PAÑCATANTRA

QUESTIONS ADDRESSED IN THIS STUDY

2. The Discourse of Division in the Pañcatantra

THE CONCEPT OF JATI IN THE PAÑCATANTRA

SVABHAVA-"ESSENTIAL NATURE"

JATI AND SOCIAL STATUS

ENMITY/AMITY

3. The "Regime of Truth" and the Pañcatantra

THE AUTHORITATIVE VOICE

UNIVERSALIZING THE DISCOURSE: SPACE, TIME, AND AUDIENCE

THE SASTRIC PARADIGM

INTERTEXTUALITY

THE "NATURALIZATION" OF DISCOURSE

A "REGIME OF TRUTH" FOR THE PAÑCATANTRA

4. The Discourse of Division and the Brahmanical Archive

THE ORIGINS OF VARNA

SVADHARMA-"ESSENTIAL DUTY"

STATUS

THE CULTURAL CONTEXT OF THE DISCOURSE OF DIVISION

5. Conclusion

Appendix 1. Core Stories of the Pañcatantra Family

Appendix 2. Summary of Stories in Purnabhadra's Pañcatantra

Notes

Glossary of Sanskrit Terms

Bibliography

Index

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

R

S

T

U

V

W

Y.

Notes:

Originally presented as the author's thesis (Ph.D.--Australian National University, 2005).

Includes bibliographical references (p. 223-232) and index.

ISBN:

0-7914-7976-5

1-4356-0027-4

OCLC:

174144956