Bringing the Gods to Mind Mantra and Ritual in Early Indian Sacrifice |
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| Author:
| Patton, Laurie L. |
| ISBN: | 978-0-520-24087-2 |
| Publication Date: | Jun 2005 |
| Publisher: | University of California Press
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| Book Format: | Hardback |
| List Price: | USD $85.00 |
Book Description:
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This elegantly written book introduces a new perspective on Indic religious history by rethinking the role of mantra in Vedic ritual. In
Bringing the Gods to Mind, Laurie Patton takes a new look at mantra as "performed poetry" and in five case studies draws a portrait of early Indian sacrifice that moves beyond the well-worn categories of "magic" and "magico-religious" thought in Vedic sacrifice. Treating Vedic mantra as a sophisticated form of artistic composition, she develops...
More DescriptionThis elegantly written book introduces a new perspective on Indic religious history by rethinking the role of mantra in Vedic ritual. In Bringing the Gods to Mind, Laurie Patton takes a new look at mantra as "performed poetry" and in five case studies draws a portrait of early Indian sacrifice that moves beyond the well-worn categories of "magic" and "magico-religious" thought in Vedic sacrifice. Treating Vedic mantra as a sophisticated form of artistic composition, she develops the idea of metonymy, or associational thought, as a major motivator for the use of mantra in sacrificial performance. Filling a long-standing gap in our understanding, her book provides a history of the Indian interpretive imagination and a study of the mental creativity and hermeneutic sophistication of Vedic religion.