01:840:211 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Patrick Olivelle, Upanishads, Miscegenation
Religion in Asian 01/31/17
Dharma, Society, and Legal Cosmology
<The Dharma tradition and early social expressions of Hinduism>
● Texts like the Upaniṣads express - understood as an Ascetic/ Renouncer ideal
- They recommend the relinquishment (give-up) of all desire and action (Karma) that
leads to rebirth/redeath in Samsara, and the cultivation of liberating wisdom (Jnana)
- Obviously - such ideologies did not easily align with social practice - how could an
individual live according to the upanisadic model - and still function as member of society
(e.g. as a father, son, daughter, servant, merchant or king?)
- In fact, the Upanisads largely constitute a Rejection of social hierarchies and identities:
their hero is the renunciant who abandons desire and all ties to the world
<Dharma>
● Key concept - emerge as central in Hinduism during the mid to late 1st millennium BCE -
Dharma
- This word - notoriously difficult to translate into English - the basic meaning of this word
is “Law” “what is right” and “Truth”
- Derived from - the Sanskrit verbal root Dhr - meaning to hold, bear, maintain. The term
comes to have multiple meanings in Hinduism - duty, law, justice, order, righteousness,
etc
- Originally - in pre-Buddhist early Vedic literature → Dharma was a rarely-used term that
signified the rules connected with the order a king was meant to enforce
- Ifs was also associated - with the god Varuna who maintained the cosmic order
- PAtrick Olivelle has argued that Dharma became central to Hinduism perhaps as a
result of its initial use by the Buddhists as a core concept - i.e. Buddhists first made the
term popular and Hindus reappropriated it
<The Elaboration of Dharma as a key concept>
● An important form of legal literature concerning dharma - known as Dharmasutra and
Dharmasastra, develops between 300 BCE - 800 Ce.
- The term Dharma - refers to Both Ritual laws and, importantly, Laws and Duties for all
forms of social interaction
● Most well known Text - probably The Law Code of Manu (Manava-dharmasastra)
composed c. 200 CE (though based on earlier sources). Selections from this text are
assigned on the syllabus for 1/26
● LOM - introduction of it -- the God Brahma (not Brahman) - creates dharma and assigns
all beings their duty
● These legal texts - principally interested in describing what is called Varna-Asrama-
Dharma, or the duties concerning “Social class (Varna) and life Stage (Asrama).
<Varna “Social Class” or “Caste”>
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Texts like the upani ads express - understood as an ascetic/ renouncer ideal. They recommend the relinquishment (give-up) of all desire and action (karma) that leads to rebirth/redeath in samsara, and the cultivation of liberating wisdom (jnana) In fact, the upanisads largely constitute a rejection of social hierarchies and identities: their hero is the renunciant who abandons desire and all ties to the world. Key concept - emerge as central in hinduism during the mid to late 1st millennium bce - This word - notoriously difficult to translate into english - the basic meaning of this word is law what is right and truth . Derived from - the sanskrit verbal root dhr - meaning to hold, bear, maintain. The term comes to have multiple meanings in hinduism - duty, law, justice, order, righteousness, etc.
