"God and Goddess in Hinduism"

Course Description

An exploration of Hindu mythology, rites and mysteries, and practices of personal self-realization through the ages.

Topics include: Indian conceptions of Self and Divinity, masculine and feminine aspects of the divine, the relationship between soul, mind, body, and the empirical world in Hindu thought, gender roles in devotion, the interplay of narrative and philosophy, sacred art and theater, states of possession by the divine spirit or power, and devotion to ‘godmen’ — human beings thought to embody the divine presence. Includes a visit to a Hindu temple.

Course Objectives

The aim of the course for students to understand Hindu ways of conceiving of divinity and its presence and activity in the world and in the life of the worshiper. Students will learn how to interpret mythological stories and other forms of religious expression, as well as artistic representations of deities, and their use in worship.

Requirements

(i) two 90-minute exams (each 25% of final grade);

(ii) two 1200-word papers (each 25% of final grade): the first, an analysis of the relationship between narrative, theology, and practice in a particular case from the readings; the second, a study of a particular manifestation or conception of divinity and its relation to broader traditions. In the case of the second paper, students will make 10-minute presentations on their topics in class. [Please click here for advice on paper writing.]

(iii) a visit to the Shantiniketan Hindu Temple in Roanoke (or another Hindu temple).

Poor attendance may lower the final grade; regular contributions to class discussion can raise it.

Books for Purchase

HA = T. Richard Blurton, Hindu Art
HM = Wendy Doniger, Hindu Myths
* = other course readings in course pack (see bottom of page)

Schedule of Topics and Readings

Week 1: Conceptual Tools for Understanding Indian Views of Divinity
Jan. 8 In class: *Rig-Veda 1.1, 1.32, 2.28, 10.90, 10.121.
Jan. 10 HA, Introduction and Ch. 1; *Michael Webster, “Ways of Interpreting Myth” [overview], http://faculty.gvsu.edu/websterm/ways.htm

Week 2: The Vedic Pantheon and Its Legacy
Jan. 15 *Lubin, “Basic Concepts in Vedic Religion”; HM, pp. 25–35 and chs. 2–3.
Jan. 17 * Jan Houben, “Veda and Vedic Ritual: Agni, Soma and Pravargya” http://www.jyotistoma.nl/EN/default.asp (including linked video, audio, and texts).

Week 3: Vedic Tales and their Ritual Contexts
Jan. 22 *The Legend of Śunaḥśepa, in: Martin Haug, tr., The Aitareya Brahmanam of the Rigveda [...], v. 2 (London: Trübner, 1863), pp. 460–487.
Jan. 24 *The Rape of Speech, in Śatapatha-Brāhmaṇa 3.2.1.1–40.

Week 4: Rudra / Śiva, the Divine Paradox
Jan. 29 HA, chs. 2–3; *the Nīlarudra-Upaniṣad.
Jan. 31 HM, ch. 4.

Week 5: Cosmos and Liberation According to the Śaiva-Siddhānta
Feb. 5 *Richard Davis, Ritual in an Oscillating Universe, pp. 4–12 and 22–64.
Feb. 7 *Richard Davis, Ritual in an Oscillating Universe, pp. 83–111.

Week 6: Viṣṇu and His Avatars
Feb. 12    HA, ch. 4.
Feb. 14    HM, ch. 5.
Feb. 15    FIRST ESSAY DUE at 7 pm in 23 Newcomb Hall

Feb. 16–24: Washington Holiday (No Classes)

Week 7: Rama, King at Ayodhya
Feb. 26    MIDTERM EXAM
Feb. 28    *Richard Schechner and Linda Hess, “The Ramlila of Ramnagar.”
                The Ramayana (summary).
                    The Ramayana (retold by L. Tominberg)
                           Please peruse the images at the following sites:
                    Bengali scrolls of the Ramayana (from the H. Daniel Smith Collection)
                    The Ramakien in Thai Art
                    Amar Chitra Katha's Comic-Book Ramayana

Week 8: At Play with Krishna, On the Road with Viṭhṭhal
Mar. 4 *J. S. Hawley, “Pilgrimage to Brindavan” and “The Birth of Krishna” in At Play with Krishna.
Mar. 6 * John M. Stanley, “The Capitulation of Mani”; *Iravati Karve, “On the Road.”

Week 10: Gods in the Flesh: Hindu ‘Saints’
Mar. 18    *Suchitra Samanta, “The Powers of the Guru: Sakti, ‘Mind’ and Miracles in Narratives of Bengali Religious Experience.”
                    Video: “The Living God”
Mar. 20    *Peter van der Veer, “The Power of Detachment: Disciplines of Body and Mind in the Ramanandi Order.”

Week 11: Filled with God’s Power
Mar. 25    *Ákos Östör, “The Festival of the Lord,” in The Play of the Gods.
                    Video: “Sons of Shiva: The Gajan Festival”
Mar. 27    *Elizabeth F. Collins, Pierced by Murugan’s Lance, pp. 3–11 and 62–105.
                    Slide show: Thaipusam performance
Mar. 28    SECOND ESSAY DUE at 7 pm in 23 Newcomb Hall

Martin Haug, tr., The Aitareya Brahmanam of the Rigveda [...], v. 2 (London: Trübner, 1863), pp. 460–487.
Julius Eggeling, tr., Śatapatha-Brāhmaṇa, vol. 2 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1885), pp. 25–35.
Richard H. Davis, Ritual in an Oscillating Universe (Princeton U. P., 1997), pp. 4–12, 22–64, 83–111.
Richard Schechner and Linda Hess, “The Ramlila of Ramnagar [India],” The Drama Review: TDR 21(3), (1977), pp. 51–82.
John S. Hawley, “Pilgrimage to Brindavan” and “The Birth of Krishna,” in At Play with Krishna (Princeton U.P., 1981), pp. 3–105.
John M. Stanley, “The Capitulation of Mani: A Conversion Myth in the Cult of Khandoba,” ch. 10 in Criminal Gods and Demon Devotees, edited by Alf Hiltebeitel (SUNY Press, 1989), pp. 271–298.
Irawati Karve, “On the Road: A Maharashtrian Pilgrimage,” in The Experience of Hinduism, edited by Eleanor Zelliot and Maxine Berntsen (SUNY Pr., 1988), pp. 142–173.
Suchitra Samanta, “The Powers of the Guru: Sakti, ‘Mind,’ and Miracles in Narratives of Bengali Religious Experience,” Anthropology and Humanism 23(1), 1998,:30–50.
Peter van der Veer, “The Power of Detachment: Disciplines of Body and Mind in the Ramanandi Order,” American Ethnologist 16(3), 1989, pp. 458–470.
Ákos Östör, “The Festival of the Lord,” ch. 3 in The Play of the Gods (University of Chicago Press, 1980), pp. 98–148.
Elizabeth Fuller Collins, Pierced by Murugan's Lance: Ritual, Power, and Moral Redemption among Malaysian Hindus (DeKalb: Northern Illinois University Press, 1997), pp. 3–11 and 62–105.