Of Deities and Demons: Madhva’s Doctrine of Hierarchy in the Mahābhāratatātparyanirṇaya

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dc.contributor.advisorRohlman, Elizabeth Mary
dc.contributor.advisorFramarin, Christopher G.
dc.contributor.authorSudindra Rao, Anusha
dc.contributor.committeememberAdamek, Wendi Leigh
dc.contributor.committeememberDalal, Neil
dc.date2019-06
dc.date.accessioned2019-05-02T20:18:00Z
dc.date.available2019-05-02T20:18:00Z
dc.date.issued2019-04-26
dc.description.abstractMy thesis investigates the thirteenth century South Indian philosopher Madhva’s Doctrine of Hierarchy through an analysis of sections from his Mahābhāratatātparyanirṇaya. Madhva’s Doctrine of Hierarchy ranks all animate beings according to their innate capacity, placing the deity Viṣṇu as the highest God, and Vāyu, the Wind God as his highest devotee and agent. Madhva’s Doctrine of Hierarchy is one of the distinctive features of dualist (Dvaita) Vedānta, a theological system that argues for the fundamental disunity of the individual soul and God. I show in my thesis that Madhva’s Doctrine of Hierarchy reaches its full expression in the Mahābhāratatātparyanirṇaya, a narrative composition that re-interprets three epic texts: the Rāmāyaṇa, the Mahābhārata, and portions of the Bhāgavatapurāṇa. My thesis looks carefully at the three important functions that this doctrine plays within the Mahābhāratatātparyanirṇaya. Firstly, the Doctrine of Hierarchy bridges the distinct genres of scripture (śruti) and epics and myth (itihāsapurāṇa). Secondly, it demonizes proponents of rival theologies. Thirdly, it resolves problematic episodes where moral norms are transgressed by female characters in the epics by deifying the characters in question. My thesis contributes to growing scholarship on the intellectual history of Vedānta by explicating the relationship between literary texts and theology in medieval South India.en_US
dc.identifier.citationSudindra Rao, A. (2019). Of Deities and Demons: Madhva’s Doctrine of Hierarchy in the Mahābhāratatātparyanirṇaya (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.en_US
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/36436
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/110253
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisher.facultyArtsen_US
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.en_US
dc.subjectDvaitaen_US
dc.subjecthierarchyen_US
dc.subjectMadhvaen_US
dc.subjectMahābhārataen_US
dc.subjecttāratamyaen_US
dc.subject.classificationEducation--Language and Literatureen_US
dc.subject.classificationReligionen_US
dc.titleOf Deities and Demons: Madhva’s Doctrine of Hierarchy in the Mahābhāratatātparyanirṇayaen_US
dc.typemaster thesisen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineReligious Studiesen_US
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgaryen_US
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Arts (MA)en_US
ucalgary.item.requestcopytrue
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