FAQ

Vedic Ritualism and Advaita Vedānta Monastic Institutions in Kerala

Publication date: 30.11.2017

Studia Religiologica, 2017, Volume 50 Issue 2, pp. 163 - 171

https://doi.org/10.4467/20844077SR.17.010.7341

Authors

Olga Nowicka
Institute of Oriental Studies, Jagiellonian University (Kraków, Poland)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0634-2955 Orcid
All publications →

Titles

Vedic Ritualism and Advaita Vedānta Monastic Institutions in Kerala

Abstract

According to Kerala legends, around the 9th century, direct disciples of the philosopher Śaṅkara established four Advaita Vedānta Maṭhas in Trichur in Kerala, thereafter appointing Nambudiri Saṃnyāsins as heads of these religious institutions. What is peculiar about these monasteries is the prescription according to which Trichur Maṭhas were, and still are, intended only for Nambudiri Brahmins, and moreover only for Nambudiris from specific families who keep the Vedic sacrificial tradition. However, the Advaita Vedānta doctrine was not a current concept among Nambudiri Brahmins. Presumably, in the medieval period it was the mīmāṃsā schools of Bhāṭṭa and Prābhākara which were favoured among Nambudiris. Nevertheless, the appropriation of the Śaṅkaric model of monasticism somehow seemed to be an alluring modus operandi for the aristocracy of the Nambudiri community to gain considerable power.

References

Achyuthan A., Prabhu T.S. Balagopal, An Architectural Guide of Thrissur, Calicut 1996.

Aiya Nagam V., The Travancore State Manual, vol. 2, New Delhi 1989.

Aiyer Nataraja A., Sastri S.L., The Traditional Age of Sri Sankaracharya and the Maths, Madras 1962.

Antarkar W.R., Śaṅkara-VijayasA Comparative and a Critical Study, Mumbai 2003.

Bader J., Conquest of the Four Quarters: Traditional Accounts of the Life of Śaṅkara, New Delhi 2000.

Bayi G.L., Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple, Mumbai 2013.

Bayi G.L., Thulasi garland, Mumbai 1998.

Brahmaswam MadhamThe Traditional Vedic Institution, http://brahmaswammadham.blogspot.com/p/history.html [accessed: 18 January 2016].

Cenkner W., A Tradition of TeachersŚaṅkara and the Jagadgurus Today, Delhi 1995.

Champakalakshmy R., Veluthat K., Venugopalan T.R., State and Society in Pre-modern South India, Thrissur 2002.

Clark M., The Daśanāmī-SaṃnyāsīsThe Integration of Ascetic Lineages into an Order, Leiden 2006.

Dubois J., The Hidden Lives of BrahmanŚaṅkaras Vedānta through His Upaniṣad Commentariesin Light of Contemporary Practice, Albany 2014.

Farquhar J.N., The Organization of the Sannyāsis of the Vedānta, “Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland” 1925, no. 3, pp. 479–486.

Galewicz C., La mémoire et loubliLa mémorisation du Ŗgveda chez les Nambudiri du Kérala [in:] Lieux de Savoir II – Les mains de lintellect, C. Jacob (ed.), Paris 2011.

Galewicz C., Żyjące biblioteki IndiiRygweda braminów Nambudiri, Kraków 2015.

Giri S., Society and SannyāsinA History of the Daśanāmī Sannyāsins, Rishikesh 1976.

Gonda J., A History of Indian LiteratureVeda and UpanishadsThe Ritual Sūtras, vol. 1, Wiesbaden 1977.

Gundert H., Keralolpatti, transl. T.M. Menon, Thiruvananthapuram 2003.

Krishnamachariar M., History of Classical Sanskrit Literature, Madras 1937.

Mahadevan T.P., Staal F., The Turning Point in a Living TraditionSomayāgam 2003, “Electronic Journal of Vedic Studies” 2003, vol. 10, pp. 1–25.

Mencher J., Namboodiri BrahmansAn Analysis of a Traditional Elite in Kerala, “Journal of Asian and African Studies” 1966, no. 1, pp. 183–196.

Menon A.S., A Survey of Kerala History, Kottayam 1970.

Menon A.S., Cultural Heritage of KeralaAn Introduction, Cochin 1978.

Menon A.S., Kerala Districts GazetteersTrichur, Thiruvalla 1962.

Menon A.S., Social and Cultural History of Kerala, New Delhi 1979.

Milner M., Status and SacrednessA General Theory of Status Relations and an Analysis of Indian Culture, New York 1994.

Nair Ramachandran K.K.A., Kerala District GazetteersTrichurSupplement, Shoranur 1981.

Namboodiri G.V., Śrauta Sacrifices in Kerala, Calicut 2002.

Narayanan M.G.S., Aspects of Aryanisation in Kerala, Trivandrum 1973.

Narayanan M.G.S., Perumals of KeralaBrahmin Oligarchy and Ritual Monarchy, Thrissur 2013.

Narayanan M.G.S., Re-interpretations in South Indian History, Trivandrum 1977.

Paniker Ayyappa K., A Short History of Malayalam Literature, Thiruvananthapuram 1998.

Parpola M., Kerala Brahmins in TransitionA Study of a Nampūtiri Family, Helsinki 2000.

Pisharothi K.R., The Three Great Philosophers of Kerala [in:] The Indian Historical Quarterly, N. Nath Law (ed.), vol. 5, Calcutta 1929.

Sawai Y., The Faith of Ascetics and Lay SmārtasA Study of the Śaṅkaran Tradition of Śṛṅgeri, Vienna 1992.

Sax W.S., Conquering the QuartersReligion and Politics in Hinduism, “International Journal of Hindu Studies” 2000, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 39–60.

Sivanandan D.S., New Found Hitherto Unknown Malayalam Text on Agni – New Insights on the Śulbasūtra Tradition in Kerala, “Bulletin of Kerala Mathematics Association” 2010, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 59–67.

Sivanandan D.S., The Continuity of Śulbasutra Tradition as Evident in the Agnichayana Ritual of KeralaA Study, paper presented at the International Conference of Sanskrit and Intellectual Heritage, 22–24 February, University of Kerala, Trivandrum 2010.

Staal F., AgniThe Vedic Ritual of the Fire Altar, vol. 1–2, New Delhi 2010.

Sundaresan V., Conflicting Hagiographies and HistoryThe Place of Śaṅkaravijaya Texts in Advaita Tradition, “International Journal of Hindu Studies” 2000, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 109–184.

Swami Anantanandendra Sarasvati, Śri Śankara and Śankarite Institutions [in:] Preceptors of Advaita, T.M.P. Mahadevan (ed.), Secunderabad 1968, p. 378.

Vaidyanathan K.R., Temples and Legends of Kerala, Bombay 1982.

Veluthat K., Brahman Settlements in KeralaHistorical Studies, Thrissur 2013.

Veluthat K., The Early Medieval in South India, New Delhi 2013.

Veluthat K., The Political Structure of Early Medieval South India, New Delhi 2012.

Wood A., Knowledge Before Printing and AfterThe Indian Tradition in Changing Kerala, Delhi 1985.

Yogiyāruṭe Kārikā, manuscript copy obtained from Taikkāṭ Mana, Edappal, Kerala, India.

Information

Information: Studia Religiologica, 2017, Volume 50 Issue 2, pp. 163 - 171

Article type: Original article

Titles:

Polish:

Vedic Ritualism and Advaita Vedānta Monastic Institutions in Kerala

English:

Vedic Ritualism and Advaita Vedānta Monastic Institutions in Kerala

Authors

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0634-2955

Olga Nowicka
Institute of Oriental Studies, Jagiellonian University (Kraków, Poland)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0634-2955 Orcid
All publications →

Institute of Oriental Studies, Jagiellonian University (Kraków, Poland)

Published at: 30.11.2017

Article status: Open

Licence: CC BY-NC-ND  licence icon

Percentage share of authors:

Olga Nowicka (Author) - 100%

Article corrections:

-

Publication languages:

English