SESSION IX:
SYMBOLIC AND MYTHIC CONSTRUCTION OF THE
BODY
The Bodily Form and Narrative Ethics in
the Sarasvati Purana Elizabeth Mary Rohlman, University of Wisconsin-Madison
This paper investigates the depiction of the body in the moral
narratives of the Sarasvatī Purāṇa,
a medieval sthala-purāṇa
from Gujarat. The frame narrative of the Sarasvatī Purāṇa
is an account of the Sarasvatī River’s descent to earth and her
course through Gujarat to the sea. The Sarasvatī narrative defines
the boundaries of medieval Gujarat as a region unified by the
Sarasvatī’s course, while episodic sub-narratives associated with
Sarasvatī’s many tīrthas define the cultural traditions of
this region. Thus, while the Sarasvatī Purāṇa
maps a sacred geography of Gujarat, it simultaneously defines the
content of the region’s literary, ethical, and religious traditions.
Taking the role of narrative in articulating moral vision as a
starting point, this discussion focuses on three roles that
depictions of the body play in the Sarasvatī Purāṇa’s
sub-narratives. Some tales employ the body as a symbol of moral
value, as in the tale of the treacherous wife who abandons her
devoted husband to run off with her crippled lover. Others portray
the body as a vehicle for resolving past karma, as in the well-known
tale of the sage Maṇḍāvya’s
great physical trials. Still other narratives depict the body as a
vessel for salvation, as in a tale of a she-wolf who attains mokṣa
because her body is in contact with the purifying waters of the
Sarasvatī at the time of her death. In exploring such narratives,
the paper discusses the role of the corporeal form in articulating
moral polemics.
Vigrahas and Mūrtis: Observations on the
Bodies of the Gods in the Māhābhārata Kendall Busse, University of California, Santa Barbara This paper examines the nature of divine
embodiment in the Mahābhārata through an analysis of the
terminology used to portray divine bodies and a comparison with
Vedic modes of divine embodiment. I focus on two terms—vigraha
and mūrti—that are used in post-epic material to mean
sculpted images in order to demonstrate that these terms refer to
particular modes of divine embodiment in the Mahābhārata and
are not yet invested with the post-epic meaning of sculpted images.
The term vigraha refers to human-like bodies that the gods
manifest in order to interact with humans on the earthly plane and
to influence human events. The term mūrti refers to the
multiple bodies that the gods manifest and is linked to yoga,
especially in the compound yoga-mūrti, a technical term that
denotes the bodies that the gods attain through yoga. In
order to illuminate the new significations of yoga when
paired with mūrtis, I provide a comparative analysis of the
terms yoga, māyā, and tapas and conclude that
these terms are not synonymous but have distinctive valences in the
epic. Yoga is used specifically to draw attention to the
multiplicity of bodies that deities manifest and to emphasize that
these mūrtis are not false forms or guises but the very
presence of the deity. My paper challenges the usefulness of
applying Patañjali’s classical system of Yoga to understand the epic
material and argues that popular conceptions of yoga may
provide a more useful framework for understanding yoga-mūrtis
in the epic.
From
Embodiment to Dismemberment: Bodies and Weapons in the Dasam Granth Robin Rinehart, Lafayette College The Dasam Granth
is an anthology attributed to the tenth guru of Sikhism, Guru Gobind
Singh. This presentation will consider how this 18th century text
constructs a mythic and symbolic discourse about divine, demonic,
and human bodies through an analysis of three key aspects of the
text as a whole: tales of Hindu deities? battles with demons, Guru
Gobind Singh?s tales of battles with neighboring kings, and sections
of the text which list and praise various types of weapons. These
three components of the text each share a specific focus on the
body, whether that of a deity or demon, an incarnation of a deity
(as Guru Gobind Singh is described), or a human, and the
dismembering, deadly effects and mystical powers of weapons. I will
argue that highlighting this theme of bodies and weapons in the
context of battle creates a new interpretive lens through which to
understand the text as a whole, and that the Dasam Granth’s
discourse about bodies and weapons helps shed light on later Sikh
practices such as praising the sword in daily prayer and wearing the
sword on the body as a sign of one's faith.
This Body—inside and outside—is a
Stūpa-Prāsāda Hudaya Kandahjaya, Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and
Research Despite early widespread acceptance, some
Buddhist scholars inconspicuously dispute the reading of Borobudur
as a stūpa-prāsāda. The interpretation itself originates from
a passage—being the title above—in the Sang Hyang Kamahāyānikan
(SHK), a Javanese compendium. Disagreement emerges as the passage’s
import is unclear and its date is uncertain. Questions arise whether
the identification is valid or possible at all and, if yes, how and
why?
This paper claims that the SHK’s passage is
the concept underlying the architecture of Borobudur. The builders
apply a stūpa-prāsāda model and infuse numinous properties
into the edifice to construct an “excellent Buddha image.” In so
doing, Borobudur becomes a body of Buddha, and brings alive the
presence of Śākyamuni. Then, since SHK itself is a manual for a
practitioner to cultivate one’s mind and body toward enlightenment,
the concept indicates a perspective, as understood during the time
Buddhism was initially transmitted to Java, on how the
practitioner’s body correspond to Buddha’s body, being represented
as a stūpa-prāsāda at Borobudur. Hence, the identification of
this (practitioner’s) body—inside and outside—is a stūpa-prāsāda
(Buddha’s body).
Previous studies missed this sophisticated
design and identification because they overlooked evidence for the
more important, or perhaps unfamiliar, schemes. This study employs
sources hitherto left untouched to expose new evidence establishing
the above correspondences. The results thus push further research
on, among others, diaspora of Indian religious teachings (Buddhism
and others), devotional praxis, and syncretism, or even theoretical
synthesis.
This paper examines the nature of divine
embodiment in the Mahābhārata through an analysis of the
terminology used to portray divine bodies and a comparison with
Vedic modes of divine embodiment. I focus on two terms—vigraha
and mūrti—that are used in post-epic material to mean
sculpted images in order to demonstrate that these terms refer to
particular modes of divine embodiment in the Mahābhārata and
are not yet invested with the post-epic meaning of sculpted images.
The term vigraha refers to human-like bodies that the gods
manifest in order to interact with humans on the earthly plane and
to influence human events. The term mūrti refers to the
multiple bodies that the gods manifest and is linked to yoga,
especially in the compound yoga-mūrti, a technical term that
denotes the bodies that the gods attain through yoga. In
order to illuminate the new significations of yoga when
paired with mūrtis, I provide a comparative analysis of the
terms yoga, māyā, and tapas and conclude that
these terms are not synonymous but have distinctive valences in the
epic. Yoga is used specifically to draw attention to the
multiplicity of bodies that deities manifest and to emphasize that
these mūrtis are not false forms or guises but the very
presence of the deity. My paper challenges the usefulness of
applying Patañjali’s classical system of Yoga to understand the epic
material and argues that popular conceptions of yoga may
provide a more useful framework for understanding yoga-mūrtis
in the epic. 
The Dasam Granth
is an anthology attributed to the tenth guru of Sikhism, Guru Gobind
Singh. This presentation will consider how this 18th century text
constructs a mythic and symbolic discourse about divine, demonic,
and human bodies through an analysis of three key aspects of the
text as a whole: tales of Hindu deities? battles with demons, Guru
Gobind Singh?s tales of battles with neighboring kings, and sections
of the text which list and praise various types of weapons. These
three components of the text each share a specific focus on the
body, whether that of a deity or demon, an incarnation of a deity
(as Guru Gobind Singh is described), or a human, and the
dismembering, deadly effects and mystical powers of weapons. I will
argue that highlighting this theme of bodies and weapons in the
context of battle creates a new interpretive lens through which to
understand the text as a whole, and that the Dasam Granth’s
discourse about bodies and weapons helps shed light on later Sikh
practices such as praising the sword in daily prayer and wearing the
sword on the body as a sign of one's faith. 
Despite early widespread acceptance, some
Buddhist scholars inconspicuously dispute the reading of Borobudur
as a stūpa-prāsāda. The interpretation itself originates from
a passage—being the title above—in the Sang Hyang Kamahāyānikan
(SHK), a Javanese compendium. Disagreement emerges as the passage’s
import is unclear and its date is uncertain. Questions arise whether
the identification is valid or possible at all and, if yes, how and
why?