ARHA 290: Mahabharata and Ramayana: The Sanskrit Epics and Indian Visual Culture Instructor: P. Wagoner. Spring 2014 office: 41 Wyllys Ave.

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1 ARHA 290: Mahabharata and Ramayana: The Sanskrit Epics and Indian Visual Culture Instructor: P. Wagoner Spring 2014 office: 41 Wyllys Ave., Room 311 Meets T.R.. 10:30AM-11:50AM phone: x Wyllys Ave, Room 110 office hours: Tuesdays 1:00-3:00 pm other days and times possible by prior appointment I. Introduction to the Two Epics 1/23 Th: What is epic? problems, themes, approaches 1/28 T: Situating the epics: chronology (epic and historical), geography, society, language 1/30 Th: The religious world of the epics: yajña, tapas, and the gods Vishnu and Siva 2/4 T: DISCUSSION: The Great Story of the Bharata War: plot, characters, themes, narrators READ: Mahābhārata, abridged translation by John D. Smith (entire book) W.J. Johnson, Introduction, to The Sauptikaparvan of the Mahābhārata, pp. ix xli. 2/6 Th: Creation or Evolution? The enigma of the Mahābhārata s production READ: excerpts from J.A.B. van Buitenen, tr. The Mahābhārata: The Book of the Beginning (Moodle) 2/11 T: Janamejaya s snake sacrifice: brahmans and kshatriyas; ahimsā and himsā; truth and curses READ: James W. Earl, Beginning the Mahābhārata: A Reader s Guide to the Frame Stories (entire book) 2/13 Th: DISCUSSION: The Story of Rama: plot, characters, themes, narrators READ: Arshia Sattar, tr. Valmiki, The Ramayana (entire book) *2/18 T: DISCUSSION: The MBh and Ram. as Indian epics similarities and differences READ: John D. Smith, Old Indian: The Two Sanskrit Epics (Moodle) * ESSAY # 1 Assigned: Mahābhārata and Rāmāyaṇa compared II. Fixing the Epic Texts: From Orality to Literacy 2/20 Th: Oral-formulaic composition and performance READ: Walter J. Ong, Orality and Literacy: The Technologizing of the Word, chapters 1,2,&3 Johnson, tr. The Sauptikaparvan of the Mahābhārata (especially ch. 8) 1

2 2/25 T: Orality and Literacy; Epic and meta-epic ; from oral to written READ: Ong, Orality and Literacy, chapters 4 & 6; Vyasa and Ganesa, from the Mahābhārata (Adiparvan, chapter 1) (Moodle) Valmiki, Kusa, and Lava, from Rāmāyaṇa, Bāla Kāṇḍa, sargas 1-4) (Moodle) *2/27 Th: The birth of poetry (kāvya): The Rāmāyaṇa as First Poem (ādi-kāvya) *ESSAY #1 DUE: Mahābhārata and Rāmāyaṇa compared (by 11:59 pm) III. The Place of the Epics in the Visual Poetry (dṛśya-kāvya) of Classical Sanskrit Theater 3/4 T: Introductory considerations: Rāmlīla as darśana and as visual commentary READ: Diana Eck, Darśan: Seeing the Divine Image in India Linda Hess, The Ram Legend as Theatre: Rāmlīla at Benaras, in The Legend of Rama: Artistic Visions, pp (Moodle) Philip Lutgendorf, Words Made Flesh: the Banaras Rāmlīla as Epic Commentary (Moodle) 3/6 Th: NO CLASS 3/7 3/24: Mid-semester recess 3/25 T: Classical Sanskrit Theater: Performance Dimensions; Kutiyattam the oldest continuous tradition of theatrical performance READ: Farley P. Richmond, Kutiyattam, in Indian Theatre: Traditions of Performance, pp (Moodle) 3/27 Th: The rasa aesthetics of classical Sanskrit theater DISCUSSION: From the MBh. s Śakuntalopākhyānam to Kalidasa s Abhijñāna-śākuntala READ: A.K.Ramanujan and Edwin Gerow, Indian Poetics, ch. 3 of The Literatures of India, an Introduction, ed. Edward C. Dimock et al., pp (Moodle) Mahābhārata, Śakuntalopākhyānam (Moodle) Somadeva Vasudeva, translator, The Recognition of Shakuntala by Kalidasa 4/1 T: DISCUSSION: Visuality and the development of rasa in Bhavabhūti s Uttara-rāma-carita RE-READ: Arshia Sattar, tr., Epilogue from The Ramayana, pp READ: Sheldon Pollock, translator, Rama s Last Act by Bhavabhuti *4/3 Th: Medieval transformations of the Classical Sanskrit Theater: Kathakali and Yakshagana dance dramas ** Take-home Midterm exam distributed FILM Screening: Mahābhārat (1965) 7:00-10:00 (Wyllys 114) 2

3 III. Illustrating the Epics: Rajput and Mughal Manuscripts of the Ramayana *4/8 T: Maharaja Jagat Singh of Mewar and his great Rāmāyaṇa manuscript ( ): iconography and narrative technique READ: Vidya Dehejia, The Treatment of Narrative in Jagat Singh s Ramayana : A Preliminary Study, Artibus Asiae 65/3-4 (1996): **Midterm exam due at start of class 4/10 Th: A brief history of manuscript illustration in India, 15 th --17 th Centuries: Format, Style,and Modes of Illustration **ESSAY #2 Assigned: The Vindication of Sita and Rajput-Mughal Politics FILM Screening: Nartanasala (1963) 7:00-10:00 (Wyllys 114) 4/15 T: Jagat Singh s Rāmāyaṇa ms. and its relationship to Mughal mss. of the Rāmāyaṇa READ: Asok Kumar Das, Akbar s Imperial Ramayana: A Mughal Persian Manuscript, The Legend of Rama: Artistic Visions, pp (Moodle) John Seyller, A Sub-Imperial Mughal Manuscript: the Ramayana of Abd al- Rahim Khankhanan, The Legend of Rama: Artistic Visions, pp (Moodle) 4/17 Th: Jagat Singh s Rāmāyaṇa: Valmiki and Rajput Political Ideology READ: J.P.Losty, The Ramayana: Love and Valour in India s Great Epic VI. The Epics at the Movies *4/22 T: From Parsi Theater to Indian Cinema; The Mythological Film, I: Babubhai Mistry s Mahābhārat (1965) SEE: Babubhai Mistry (Director), Mahābhārat (Hindi with English subtitles), minutes. DVD. New York, Baba Traders. (Art Reserve) *ESSAY #2 DUE: The Vindication of Sita and Rajput-Mughal Politics (by 11:59 pm) 4/24 Th: The Mythological Film, II: K.K.Rao s Nartanaśāla ( The Dance Pavilion, 1963) Telugu vernacular cinema and politics SEE: Kamalakara Kameshwara Rao (Director), Nartanaśāla (Telugu with English subtitles), approx. 180 minutes. DVD. San Jose, KAD Entertainment USA. (Art Reserve) FILM Screening: Kalyug (1980) 7:00-10:00 (Wyllys 114) 4/29 T: A Modern Mahābhārata: Shyam Benegal s Kalyug ( Age of Strife, 1980) SEE: Shyam Benegal (Director), Kalyug (Hindi with English subtitles), minutes. DVD. Secaucus NJ, Eros Entertainment Inc. (Art Reserve) FILM Screening: Raajneeti (2010) 7:00-10:00 (Wyllys 114) 5/1 Th: Mahābhārata meets The Godfather: Prakash Jha s Raajneeti ( Politics, 2010) SEE: Prakash Jha (Director), Raajneeti (Hindi with English subtitles), Marina Del Ray CA, UTV Communications. (Art Reserve) 3

4 5/6 T: An outside take on the Rāmāyana: Nina Paley s Sita Sings the Blues, 2008 SEE: Nina Paley (Director), Sita Sings the Blues, 2008 (view online at: ) *5/15 Th: Final exam (9:00 AM 12:00 noon) ABOUT THE COURSE: 1. Readings: Reading assignments are indicated under the lecture or discussion topic for which they are assigned, and should be read BEFORE the class meeting on that day. The following eight books are available for purchase at Broad Street Books: John D. Smith, tr. The Mahabharata London & New York: Penguin, Arshia Sattar, tr. Valmiki: The Ramayana. New Delhi: Penguin, James W. Earl. Beginning the Mahabharata: A Reader s Guide to the Frame Stories. Woodland Hills, CA: South Asian Studies Association, 2011 Walter J. Ong, Orality and Literacy: The Technologizing of the Word. Third edition. London and New York: Routledge, 2012 [1982] W.J. Johnson, tr. The Sauptikaparvan of the Mahabharata: The Massacre at Night. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, Somadeva Vasudeva, tr. The Recognition of Shakuntala, by Kalidasa. NYU & JJC Foundation, Sheldon Pollock, tr. Rama s Last Act, by Bhavabhuti. NYU & JJC Foundation, Diana L. Eck, Darśan: Seeing the Divine Image in India. Columbia University Press, Additional essays, articles, and excerpts from books are also part of the assigned reading. These are all available as PDFs on Moodle. One copy of each of the assigned textbooks is available on reserve in the ART LIBRARY (not at Olin). In addition to the required readings, the reserve desk also has a number of other useful reference sources and optional additional readings. Available volumes of the full unabridged translations of the two epics (the van Buitenen Mahābhārata and the Goldman et al. Rāmāyaṇa neither project has yet been fully completed) can also be found at the reserve desk. Full bibliographic details for all readings are provided in the List of Reserve Readings appended to this syllabus. Finally, four of the five films which we will be considering in the last unit of the course are available in the form of DVDs at the Reserve Desk in the Art Library: Babubhai Mistry (Director), Mahābhārat (Hindi with English subtitles), DVD. New York, Baba Traders. PN1997.M z Kamalakara Kameshwara Rao (Director), Nartanaśāla (Telugu with English subtitles), DVD. San Jose, KAD Entertainment USA. PN1997.N z Shyam Benegal (Director), Kalyug (Hindi with English subtitles), DVD. Secaucus NJ, Eros Entertainment Inc. PN1997.K Prakash Jha (Director), Raajneeti (Hindi with English subtitles), Marina Del Ray CA, UTV Communications. PN1997.R The fifth film is available on-line at: Nina Paley (Director/Animator), Sita Sings the Blues (English),

5 2. Graded assignments: There are four graded assignments for the course: two short essays, a take-home midterm, and a final. Both essays are on prescribed topics and are to be no more than five pages in length. Please note that all written work submitted is to be submitted in a 12 pt. font, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins, and with page numbers. Work that does not adhere to these guidelines will be returned graded but with no comments or suggestions. Papers may be submitted either in hard copy or electronically as an attachment. If you opt for hard copy, please place you paper in my mailbox in the Art History Program office (41 Wyllys Ave., third floor). Please do not put them in the boxes numbered by course that are next to Esther Moran s desk; these are where your graded work is returned and may be picked up. If you opt for submission, please use either DOCX or PDF format. Both papers are to be handed in by 11:59 pm on the date they are due. The topics and due dates for the essays are as follows (fuller details and instructions will be provided at the time of assignment; details may change slightly): Essay #1: The Mahabharata and Ramayana compared: What are the similarities and differences between the two Sanskrit epics, in terms of plot, character types, and themes? Which strikes you as more significant, the similarities or the differences, and why? DUE: Thursday, February 27th (by 11:59 pm). Essay #2: The Vindication of Sita and Rajput-Mughal Politics: Write an essay discussing this painting from Jagat Singh s Ramayana, both as an illustration of the epic text, and as a contemporary pictorial commentary on that text. Specifically, how does the scene from the epic relate to the contemporary political reality of Mewar s relationship with the Mughal empire? DUE: Tuesday, April 22nd (by 11:59 pm). The Take-Home Midterm questions will be made available on Moodle on Thursday, April 3rd, and will consist of a single essay question and several short answer questions (including definitions of key terms). It will focus primarily on the material covered in Units II & III (Fixing the Epic Texts: From Orality to Literacy and The Place of the Epics in the Visual Poetry of Classical Sanskrit Theater ). The completed exam must be turned in on Tuesday, April 8 th at the start of class. The Final exam will be given during the regularly scheduled final exam period for this course (Thursday, May 15 th, 9:00 am noon) and will be of similar to the midterm in format. It should not require the full 3-hour exam period to complete. It will focus primarily (but not exclusively) on the material covered in Units V & VI ( Illustrating the Epics: Rajput and Mughal Manuscripts of the Ramayana and The Epics at the Movies ). Your grade for the course will be calculated as follows: Essay 1: 20% Essay 2: 20% Midterm: 20% Final: 20% Contribution to class discussion: 20% TOTAL: 100% 3) Policy on extensions & rescheduling of exams: There will be no extensions given for any paper, except in the case of a medical or personal emergency supported by a written communication from your class dean. If papers are turned in after the due date, your grade will be reduced by one letter grade for each day or fraction of a day that the paper is late. There will be no rescheduling of quizzes and exams except in the case of a medical or personal emergency supported by a written communication from your class dean. Otherwise, if you are not present for the exam at the scheduled time, your grade for that exam will be 0 (zero). 5

6 4) Honor Code and Plagiarism: Please be sure you have read and understood the section in the current Student Handbook or Wesleyan Catalogue describing the Honor Code and Plagiarism. In particular, pay special attention to the section on plagiarism, which describes the acceptable ways of quoting, paraphrasing, and citing the works of others, and acknowledging the ideas of others. Any suspected violations of the honor code will be reported to the Honor Board. 5) Students with Disabilities: Wesleyan University is committed to ensuring that all qualified students with disabilities are afforded an equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from its programs and services. To receive accommodations, a student must have a documented disability as defined by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the ADA Amendments Acto of 2008, and provide documentation of the disability. Since accommodations may require early planning and generally are not provided retroactively, please contact Disability Resources as soon as possible. If you believe that you need accommodations for a disability, please contact Dean Patey in Disability Resources ( ), located in North College, room 021, or call for an appointment to discuss your needs and the process for requesting accommodations. If you require accommodations in this class, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible [before the end of add-drop period], so that appropriate arrangements can be made. 6) Classroom etiquette: please arrive on time please turn your cell phone off before you come into the classroom please do not get up and leave the room before class is over if you bring food or beverages, please throw your trash away when class is over 6

7 Assigned readings available on Moodle 1. Excerpts from The Lists of Contents, Puloman, and The Descent of the First Generations, from J.A.B. van Buitenen, tr. The Mahabharata, I. The Book of the Beginning, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, pp ; 54-56; John D. Smith, Old Indian: The two Sanskrit Epics, in Traditions of Heroic and Epic Poetry. Volume One: The Traditions. ed. A.T.Hatto. London: The Modern Humanities Research Association, pp Vyasa, Ganesa, and the Writing of the Mahabharata, from the Mahābhārata (Ādiparvan, chapter 1), trans. by K.M.Ganguli. 4. Valmiki, Kusa, and Lava and the Performance of the Rāmāyaṇa, from Rāmāyaṇa, Bāla Kāṇḍa, sargas 1-4, trans. by Robert P. Goldman. 5. Linda Hess, The Ram Legend as Theatre: Ramlila at Benaras, in Legend of Rama: Artistic Visions. Bombay: Marg Publications, 1994, pp Philip Lutgendorf, Words Made Flesh: the Banaras Ramlila as Epic Commentary, in Boundaries of the Text: Epic Performances in South and Southeast Asia. Edited by Joyce B. Flueckiger and Laurie J. Sears. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Center for South and Southeast Asian Studies, pp Farley P. Richmond, Kuṭiyāṭṭam, in Indian Theatre: Traditions of Performance, ed. Farley P. Richmond, Darius L. Swann, and Phillip B. Zarrilli. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1990, pp A. K. Ramanujan and Edwin Gerow, Indian Poetics, ch. 3 of The Literatures of India, an Introduction. ed. Edward C. Dimock et al. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, pp Śakuntalā, from J.A.B. van Buitenen, tr. The Mahabharata, I. The Book of the Beginning, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, pp Vidya Dehejia, The Treatment of Narrative in Jagat Singh s Ramayana : A Preliminary Study, Artibus Asiae 65/3-4 (1996): Asok Kumar Das, Akbar s Imperial Ramayana: A Mughal Persian Manuscript, The Legend of Rama: Artistic Visions, pp John Seyller, A Sub-Imperial Mughal Manuscript: the Ramayana of Abd al-rahim Khankhanan, The Legend of Rama: Artistic Visions, pp J.P.Losty, The Rāmāyaṇa: Love and Valour in India s Great Epic The Mewar Ramayana Manuscripts. London: British Library, 2008, pp

8 ARHA 290: Sanskrit Epics and Indian Visual Culture Reserve reading list, spring 2014 The following books and Film DVDs are available on reserve in the Art Library: Assigned readings: John D. Smith, tr. The Mahabharata London & New York: Penguin, BL E [from Trinity Collection] Arshia Sattar, tr. Valmiki: The Ramayana. New Delhi: Penguin, 2000 BL E James W. Earl. Beginning the Mahabharata: A Reader s Guide to the Frame Stories. Woodland Hills, CA: South Asian Studies Association, 2011 [BL ELECTRONIC BOOK ] Walter J. Ong, Orality and Literacy: The Technologizing of the Word. London and New York: Routledge, 2000[1982] P35.O5 W.J. Johnson, tr. The Sauptikaparvan of the Mahabharata: The Massacre at Night. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, BL S28 E Somadeva Vasudeva, tr. The Recognition of Shakuntala, by Kalidasa. NYU & JJC Foundation, PK3796.S4 V Sheldon Pollock, tr. Rama s Last Act, by Bhavabhuti. NYU & JJC Foundation, PK3791.B58 U Diana L. Eck, Darśan: Seeing the Divine Image in India. Columbia University Press, BL1205.E J.P.Losty, The Ramayana: Love and Valour in India s Great Epic The Mewar Ramayana Manuscripts. London: British Library, BL1225.R3 L Unabridged Translations of the Epics: Hari Prasad Shastri, tr. The Ramayana of Valmiki. 3 vols. London: Shanti Sadan, PK 3653 A2 S33 vols Vol. 1: Bala Kanda, Ayodhya Kanda Vol. 2: Aranya Kanda, Kiskindha Kanda, Sundara Kanda Vol. 3: Yuddha Kanda, Uttara Kanda J.A.B. van Buitenen, tr. The Mahābhārata. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1973 PK3633.A2 B8 Vol. 1: Book 1. The Book of the Beginning Vol. 2: Book 2. The Book of the Assembly Hall, and Book 3. The Book of the Forest Vol. 3: Book 4. The Book of Virata, and Book 5. The Book of the Effort (Books 6-10 still under preparation) Vol. 7: Book 11. The Book of the Women, and Book 12. The Book of Peace, Part One (tr. by James L. Fitzgerald) 8

9 Robert P. Goldman, general editor, The Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki, an Epic of Ancient India. Princeton: Princeton University Press BL E Vol. 1: Bālakāṇḍa Trans. Robert P. Goldman Vol. 2: Ayodhya Kanda. Trans. Robert P. Goldman and Sheldon Pollock Vol. 3: Araṇya Kāṇḍa. Trans. Robert P. Goldman and Sheldon Pollock Vol. 4: Kiṣkindhā Kāṇḍa, trans. Rosalind Lefebvre Vol. 5: Sundara Kāṇḍa, trans. R.P.Goldman and Sally J. Sutherland Goldman Vol. 6: Yuddha Kāṇḍa, trans. (Vol.7: Uttara Kāṇḍa still in preparation) Assigned Films Peter Brook (Director), Mahābhārata (English), DVD. Chatsworth, CA, Image Entertainment. PN1997 M [Nina Paley (Director), Sita Sings the Blues, NOT on Reserve; View online at: ] Babubhai Mistry (Director), Mahābhārat (Hindi with English subtitles), DVD. New York, Baba Traders. PN1997.M z Kamalakara Kameshwara Rao (Director), Nartanaśāla (Telugu with English subtitles), DVD. San Jose, KAD Entertainment USA. PN1997.N z Shyam Benegal (Director), Kalyug (Hindi with English subtitles), DVD. Secaucus NJ, Eros Entertainment Inc. PN1997.K Prakash Jha (Director), Raajneeti (Hindi with English subtitles), DVD. Marina Del Ray CA, UTV Communications. PN1997.R Other works for your reference Romila Thapar, Sakuntala: Texts, Readings, Histories PK3796 S5 T Vidya Dehejia, ed. The Legend of Rama: Artistic Visions. Bombay: Marg Publications, 1994 NX680.3.R35 L Chakravarthi V. Narasimhan, tr. The Mahabharata: An English Version Based on Selected Verses. Revised edition, with a new preface. New York: Columbia University Press, PK 3633 A2 N John Brockington and Mary Brockington, tr. Rama the Steadfast. Penguin BL E