Great Books of India (South Asian Reading and Composition)

What is Sanskrit literature?

It has something to do with religion—the Vedas and all that, right? And then there is the Ramayan, the Mahabharat and that Kalidasa guy…

Even the 8^th century Sanskrit poet, Dharmakīrti, had trouble getting out from under the shadow of the Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata:

Vālmīki dammed the sea with rocks
put into place by monkeys,
and Vyāsa filled it with the arrows shot by Pārtha;
yet neither is suspected of hyperbole.
On the other hand, I weigh both word and sense
And yet the public sneers and scorns my work
O Reputation, I salute thee![1]

This course will expose you to a wide range of styles and genres from classical Sanskrit literature at the height of its prominence as a literary medium (1^st to 12^th century CE). We will read stories of love, works for the stage, political thrillers, historical chronicles, and vulgar satire. You will find some of the works thrilling and others tedious. The primary goals for this course are 1) to move beyond our personal tastes and probe the texts with an open mind 2) To learn how to ground analysis and interpretation in cultural and historical context so that we can start asking questions like: Why does this literature matter? For whom did it matter? Why would someone write this text; where does it fit within the larger tradition of Sanskrit literature?

Required Readings

1. ISBN 978-0-8147-0729-6
Śūdraka. The Little Clay Cart. Translated by Diwakar Acharya. 1st ed. The Clay Sanskrit Library 44. New York, NY: New York University Press : JJC Foundation, 2009.

2. ISBN 978-0143-42407-9
Kalidasa. Kumarasambhavam: The Origin of the Young God. Translated by Hank Heifetz. Penguin, 2015.

3. ISBN 978-0-8147-4110-8
Dikshita, Appayya, Nilakantha Dikshita, and Vedanta Dikshita. “Self-Surrender”, “Peace”, “Compassion” and “The Mission of the Goose”: Poems and Prayers from South India. Translated by David Shulman and Yigal Bronner. 1st edition. New York: NYU Press, 2009.

4. ISBN 978-0143-42147-4
Kṣemendra. The Courtesan’s Keeper: Samaya Matrika. Translated by A. N. D. Haksar. New Delhi: Penguin, 2014.

5. ISBN 0-81471661-X
Viśākhadatta. Rākshasa’s Ring. Translated by Michael Coulson. 1st ed. The Clay Sanskrit Library. New York: New York University Press : JJC Foundation, 2005.

6. COURSE READER from University Copy (2425 Channing Way)