Crossing the Lines of Caste : Visvamitra and the Construction of Brahmin Power in Hindu Mythology /
Sathaye, Adheesh A.
Crossing the Lines of Caste : Visvamitra and the Construction of Brahmin Power in Hindu Mythology / Adheesh A. Sathaye - 1st ed. - New York : Oxford University Press , 2015. - xix, 310 p. ; 25 cm.
Normative Brahminical ideology deems it impossible for an ordinary individual to change caste without undergoing death and rebirth. However, the sage Visvamitra transformed himself from a king into a Brahmin through ascetic power (tapas). This book examines the legends of Visvamitra across Sanskrit, vernacular, oral, and visual traditions, offering a historical analysis of how these stories reinforced or adapted Brahmin social power over three thousand years.
9780199341115
Brahmins
Hindu mythology
Religious aspects
Social stratification
294.508621 SAT
Crossing the Lines of Caste : Visvamitra and the Construction of Brahmin Power in Hindu Mythology / Adheesh A. Sathaye - 1st ed. - New York : Oxford University Press , 2015. - xix, 310 p. ; 25 cm.
Normative Brahminical ideology deems it impossible for an ordinary individual to change caste without undergoing death and rebirth. However, the sage Visvamitra transformed himself from a king into a Brahmin through ascetic power (tapas). This book examines the legends of Visvamitra across Sanskrit, vernacular, oral, and visual traditions, offering a historical analysis of how these stories reinforced or adapted Brahmin social power over three thousand years.
9780199341115
Brahmins
Hindu mythology
Religious aspects
Social stratification
294.508621 SAT
