Myth as Argument: The Brhaddevata as Canonical Commentary

Frontmatter --; Contents --; Acknowledgements --; Preface --; List of Abbreviations --; Part One Myth, Commentary, and the History of the Bṛhaddevatā --; Chapter One The Basics of the Bṛhaddevatā: Text and Context --; Chapter Two Making Arguments: Canonical Commentary and Mythological Narrative --; Part Two Framing the Canon --; Chapter Three: Patterns of Thought: The Bṛhaddevatā Introduces Itself --; Chapter Four Language and Cosmology I: Taxonomies of Mantra --; Chapter Five Language and Cosmology II: Etymologies and Other Linguistic Speculations --; Part Three Situating the Canon --; Chapter Six Arguments about Myth: The History of the Itihāsal Ākhyāna Controversy --; Chapter Seven The Power of Persuasion: Ṛṣis in Parity with the Gods --; Chapter Eight Pedigree Narratives --; Chapter Nine Myth and Money: The Exchange of Words and Wealth --; Chapter Ten Mantra as Cure --; Chapter Eleven Erasing the Warrior --; Chapter Twelve Selective Ślokas: Cleaning up the Veda --; Chapter Thirteen Salvaging the Sacrifice --; Chapter Fourteen Ṛṣis' Power within the Wild --; Chapter Fifteen The Archaeology of the Bṛhaddevatā --; Chapter Sixteen New Perspectives on Canonical Exegesis --; Appendix A The Dating of the Bṛhaddevatā --; Appendix Β Vedic Verses Cited in Pratīka Form in the Bṛhaddevatā --; References --; Index