The hidden life of Brahman: Uncovering traces of Śan˙kara's Vedānta in contemporary Karnātaka

• Main Author: Dubois, Joel Andre-Michel
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01-01-2001
• Subjects: Cultural anthropology; Religion; Theology
• ISBN: 9780493408781; 0493408789

Śan˙kara's concept of brahman is often understood by scholars as ultimate reality beyond word and concept. This dissertation instead emphasizes more particular meanings of brahman articulated in brāhmana ritual and pedagogy. These meanings became evident through my observation of teaching and ritual practice in several brāhmana schools of southern Karnātaka following in Śan˙kara's tradition—most notably at Śrn˙geri. Some of what I describe is shared by all brāhmana traditions of ritual and study; yet I also highlight several lesser-known features particular to Śan˙kara's writings. These often unnoticed features include both Śan˙kara focus on discovering brahman through meditation on particular texts (chapter 4) and his use of classical literary techniques, rather than logical analysis, to point out that which obstructs the human individual a inherent insight into the nature of brahman (chapter 7). In addition, while many modern interpreters hold that Śan˙kara's emphasis on an abstract definition of brahman devalues all particular forms of worship and reflection, I point out that, for Śan˙kara, perceiving the ineffable and ever-present reality of brahman clearly does not require retreat to a disembodied state; rather this perception occurs in the midst of particular engagements of the body, mind and senses, intent on particular forms of brahman (chapter 8). Likewise while much interpretation of Śan˙kara assumes a radical split between rituals of active study and worship (linked with particular forms of brahman) and the complete retreat from all activity (linked with brahman transcending all particular forms), I show that he is able to incorporate into a single outlook the necessity of both approaches, regarding ritual and renunciation as intrinsically linked. These distinctive features of Śan˙kara's concept of brahman become evident when his own statements are considered in the probable context of his own work as a teacher, a context discerned from his writings and from the nature of the teaching observed in Karnātaka today. While recognizing important differences between Śan˙kara's own time and the present, I suggest that considering past and present together is key both to better understanding Śan˙kara's writings, and to greater awareness of the less obvious ways in which present orthodox followers preserve his tradition.