Bringing the Gods to Mind: Mantra and Ritual in Early Indian Sacrifice
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 the idea...
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"In her Bringing The Gods to Mind Laurie Patton employs a rich mixture of theoretical insights to tease out the functions and meanings of the Vedic mantras within their ritual settings. With a deep understanding of not only the Vedic texts but also the later Brahmanical ritual tradition, Patton throws new and fresh light on the socio-religious history of ancient India. This is a pathbreaking study that will interest not only specialists in Indian religions but also scholars exploring the intersection between word and ritual, between speech and performance. A truly masterly tour-de-force."—Patrick Olivelle, author of The Asrama System and translator of the Upanisads, the Dharmasutras, and the Law Code of Manu"We have long needed a poetic scholar to read Vedic mantra. Laurie Patton has given us a erudite yet highly accessible volume combining her impeccable scholarship with refined aesthetic sensibilities, recreating the meaning of Vedic hymns in the changing contexts of their actual use. Her sensitive readings of texts makes the social contexts of Vedic ritual come to life. "—V.Narayana Rao, University of Wisconsin-Madison
1Poetry, ritual, and associational thought in early India : the sources152Poetry, ritual, and associational thought in early India : the theories383Viniyoga : the recovery of a hermeneutic principle594Fire, light, and ingesting over time915The Vedic "other" : spoilers of success1176A history of the quest for mental power1427The poetics of paths : mantras of journeys1528A short history of heaven : from making to gaining the highest abode168Conclusions : laughter and the creeper mantra182
