The Brahman as the Head of a Household
This chapter, complementing the previous one, examines the articulation of Brahman identity that understood the Brahman to be a non-celibate householder, namely, that found in the Dharma Sūtras. It shows that the Dharma Sūtras were not simply intra-Brahmanical texts, but rather polemical texts articulating a particular, non-celibate vision of Brahmanical identity. They did so first by using for the first time a fully explicit statement of the varṇa system to divorce brahmacarya (celibacy) from Brahmanhood and restrict it to their own group. Then, they used the āśrama system to taxonomize all forms of religious practice in their day, so as to reject all those that did not produce children.
2020 ◽
pp. 185-192
2015 ◽
Vol 8
(2)
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pp. 210-234
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Keyword(s):
2018 ◽
Vol 1
(2)
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pp. 191
Keyword(s):
Keyword(s):
1984 ◽
Vol 42
◽
pp. 196-197
Keyword(s):
1991 ◽
Vol 49
◽
pp. 706-707
1991 ◽
Vol 49
◽
pp. 956-957
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1986 ◽
Vol 44
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pp. 514-515
1996 ◽
Vol 54
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pp. 680-681