Julia Leslie
Ashgate
Paperback
262
2003
For Hindus and non-Hindus in India and beyond Valmiki is the poet-saint who composed the epic Ramayana. Yet for a vocal community of Dalits (ex-untouchables) Valmiki is God. How does one explain the popular story that Valmiki started out as an ignorant and violent bandit attacking and killing travellers for material gain? And what happens when these two accounts Valmiki as God and Valmiki as villain are held simultaneously by two different religious groups both contemporary and both vocal?Exploring the relationship between sacred text and religious meaning Leslie presents a critical study of the figure of Valmiki drawing on the sacred texts in Sanskrit traditionally attributed to Valmiki and exploring various popular stories. This ground-breaking analysis illustrated with paintings of Valmiki makes a unique contribution both to our understanding of the interlocking beliefs of many religious communities and to a greater awareness of the problematic relationship between sacred text and contemporary religious meaning. Invaluable to a wide range of students of religious studies South Asian studies and text and practice this book will also be of interest to Indian communities in the diaspora seeking to understand their roots including (but not exclusively) the Valmikis.
Ashgate
Paperback
262
2003
For Hindus and non-Hindus in India and beyond Valmiki is the poet-saint who composed the epic Ramayana. Yet for a vocal community of Dalits (ex-untouchables) Valmiki is God. How does one explain the popular story that Valmiki started out as an ignorant and violent bandit attacking and killing travellers for material gain? And what happens when these two accounts Valmiki as God and Valmiki as villain are held simultaneously by two different religious groups both contemporary and both vocal?Exploring the relationship between sacred text and religious meaning Leslie presents a critical study of the figure of Valmiki drawing on the sacred texts in Sanskrit traditionally attributed to Valmiki and exploring various popular stories. This ground-breaking analysis illustrated with paintings of Valmiki makes a unique contribution both to our understanding of the interlocking beliefs of many religious communities and to a greater awareness of the problematic relationship between sacred text and contemporary religious meaning. Invaluable to a wide range of students of religious studies South Asian studies and text and practice this book will also be of interest to Indian communities in the diaspora seeking to understand their roots including (but not exclusively) the Valmikis.