Duty, Power, Pleasure, Release: Key Themes in Classical Indian Thought
ARHA 291
Fall 2020 not offered
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According to thinkers in classical India, the goals of life were fourfold: encompassing the pursuit of social-moral duty (dharma), economic and political power (artha), bodily pleasure (kama), and, finally, release from the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth (moksha). The four goals provide a useful key for understanding Indian intellectual history in its classical moment--roughly, the half millennium between the second and seventh centuries. This pivotal era witnessed the definition of new forms of social and political thought, the creation of new types of expressive literature in Sanskrit, and the crystallization of the Hindu religion. In this course, we explore classical Indian thought through a variety of theoretical and literary texts articulating the ideas and values of the age. Most of these works were originally written in Sanskrit, the ancient Indian language of culture and power that served as a lingua franca uniting vast portions of Southern Asia. The emphasis is on close reading and discussion of the translated texts themselves and critical engagement with the ideas and values they present. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA ART |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (HIST-MN)(RELI-MN)(RELI) |
Major Readings:
Wendy O'Flaherty & Brian K. Smith, tr. THE LAWS OF MANU
Barbara S. Miller, tr. THE BHAGAVAD-GITA: KRISHNA'S COUNSEL IN TIME OF WAR
W. J. Johnson, tr. THE SAUPTIKAPARVAN OF THE MAHABHARATA: THE MASSACRE AT NIGHT
Mark McClish and Patrick Olivelle, tr, THE ARTHASHASTRA: EXTRACTS FROM THE CLASSIC INDIAN WORK ON STATECRAFT
J.A.B. VanBuitenen, tr, THE MINISTER'S SEAL, BY VISAKHADATTA
Patrick Olivelle, tr., FIVE DISCOURSES ON WORLDLY WISDOM (PANCATANTRA), BY VISHNUSARMAN
Wendy Doniger and Sudhir Kakar, KAMASUTRA
Somadeva Vasudeva, tr., THE RECOGNITION OF SHAKUNTALA, BY KALIDASA
Martha Ann Selby, tr., GROW LONG BLESSED NIGHT: LOVE POEMS FROM CLASSICAL INDIA
Edwin F. Bryant, THE YOGA SUTRAS OF PATANJALI: A NEW EDITION
Eknath Easwaran, tr. UPANISADS
Patrick Olivelle, tr., LIFE OF THE BUDDHA, BY ASHVA-GHOSHA
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Examinations and Assignments:
regular participation in discussion, weekly one-page reading responses, two short papers (3-5 pages) and one longer paper (7-10 pages) |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
Although offered through the Art History program, this course does not count toward art history major credit.
This course counts toward the South Asian Studies Certificate as a gateway course and as a historical inquiry course. |
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