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Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xi ABBREVIATIONS xiii INTRODUCTION 1 Opening statement 1 What are the Upani∑ads? 3 The self, life, death, and immortality 7 The historical and social context 12 Characterizing the self 16 Literary characters 19 The social conditions of knowledge 22 Mystery or mystique: The character of knowledge 24 CHAPTER ONE Teachers and students: The emergence of teaching as an object of discourse 29 Introduction 29 Íåˆ∂ilya and the teaching of åtman and brahman 30 Íåˆ∂ilya: From ritualist to teacher 33 Uddålaka ≈ruˆi and the teaching of tat tvam asi 36 Uddålaka and Ívetaketu: Acting out the upanayana 38 Indra as the persistent student 41 Nårada and Sanatkumåra: Knowledge of åtman as more important than the Vedas 44 Naciketas and the initiation of an Upanishadic brahmin 46 The graduation of a brahmin student in the Taittir¥ya Upaniƒad 50 Satyakåma and the beginnings of a brahmin hagiography 53 Conclusion 57 viii Contents CHAPTER TWO Debates between brahmins: The competitive dynamics of the brahmodya 59 Introduction 59 The brahmodya and the sacrifice 60 Uddålaka ≈ruˆi and the brahmodya in the Íatapatha Bråhma£a 63 Yåjñavalkya and the philosophical tournament 67 Yåjñavalkya’s interlocutors: The social and political implications of debate 70 Yåjñavalkya and the tactics of debate 74 Losing face or losing one’s head? The motif of head shattering 80 Upanishadic teachings and material wealth 88 Yåjñavalkya and renunciation 92 The life story of Yåjñavalkya 96 Conclusion 98 CHAPTER THREE Kings and brahmins: The political dimensions of the Upani∑ads 101 Introduction 101 The myth of kƒatriya authorship 103 Janaka and Yåjñavalkya: Negotiating the brahmin’s position in the court 105 Janaka and Yåjñavalkya in the B®hadåra£yaka Upaniƒad 110 Kings as teachers: Aßvapati teaches a group of brahmin householders 112 Uddålaka ≈ruˆi and Ívetaketu: Instructions for how to seek patronage 114 Conflicting agendas for how kings should teach brahmins 117 Upanishadic knowledge as a political discourse 119 The battle of the prå£ås as a political metaphor 121 Pravåhaˆa and the teaching of the five fires 124 Conclusion 129 CHAPTER FOUR Brahmins and women: Subjectivity and gender construction in the Upani∑ads 133 Introduction 133 The gender of the self: ‹tman and the male body 135 The self, virility, and immortality 141 [34.229.239.82] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 07:29 GMT) ix Contents ix Yåjñavalkya and Satyakåma: Competing ideals of male subjectivity 145 The myth of recovering an authentic female voice 148 Gårg¥: The debating tactics of a female philosopher 150 Women and gandharvas: The lack of authority for female speakers 156 The ambiguities of Satyakåma’s mother and wife 158 Maitrey¥ and Kåtyåyan¥: Knowledge of åtman versus str¥prajñå 162 Conclusion 167 CONCLUSION 169 NOTES 175 GLOSSARY 197 BIBLIOGRAPHY 201 INDEX 211 ...