G?hastha The Householder in Ancient Indian Religious Culture
G?hastha The Householder in Ancient Indian Religious Culture
- ISBN 13:
9780190696153
- ISBN 10:
019069615X
- Format: Hardcover
- Copyright: 08/08/2019
- Publisher: Oxford University Press
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Summary
This volume problematizes the figure of the householder within ancient Indian culture and religion. It shows that the term g?hastha is a neologism and is understandable only in its opposition to the ascetic who goes away from home (pravrajita). Through a thorough and comprehensive analysis of a wide range of inscriptions and texts, ranging from the Vedas, Dharmasastras, Epics, and belle lettres to Buddhist and Jain texts and texts on governance and erotics, this volume analyses the meanings, functions, and roles of the householder from the earliest times unti about the fifth century CE. The central finding of these studies is that the householder bearing the name g?hastha is not simply a married man with a family but someone dedicated to the same or similar goals as an ascetic while remaining at home and performing the economic and ritual duties incumbent on him. The g?hastha is thus not a generic householder, for whom there are many other Sanskrit terms, but a religiously charged concept that is intended as a full-fledged and even superior alternative to the concept of a religious renouncer.