Books by Steven Lindquist
The Literary Life of Yājñavalkya, 2023
Cover, front matter, acknowledgments and introduction.
Religion and Identity in South Asia and Beyond: Essays in Honor of Patrick Olivelle
This volume brings together sixteen articles on the religions, literatures and histories of South... more This volume brings together sixteen articles on the religions, literatures and histories of South and Central Asia in tribute to Patrick Olivelle, one of North America’s leading Sanskritists and historians of early India. Over the last four decades, the focus of his scholarship has been on the ascetic and legal traditions of India, but his work as both a researcher and a teacher extends beyond early Indian religion and literature. ‘Religion and Identity and South Asia and Beyond’ is a testament to that influence. The contributions in this volume, many by former students of Olivelle, are committed to linguistic and historical rigor, combined with sensitivity to how the study of Asia has been changing over the last several decades.
Papers by Steven Lindquist
Religion and Identity in South Asia and Beyond: Essays in Honor of Patrick Olivelle. Edited by Steven E.Lindquist. Cultural, Historical and Textual Studies of Religions. New York: Anthem Press, 2011. Pp. 392. $99.00
Religious Studies Review, 2012
Skip to Main Content. Wiley Online Library will be disrupted on 15 September from 10:00-12:00 BST... more Skip to Main Content. Wiley Online Library will be disrupted on 15 September from 10:00-12:00 BST (05:00-07:00 EDT) for essential maintenance. ...
Asian Ethnology, 2016
Amazon and iTunes). Vikram GanDhi's film is simultaneously (1) a documentary into the nature of t... more Amazon and iTunes). Vikram GanDhi's film is simultaneously (1) a documentary into the nature of transnational religious movements in the U.S., (2) a "gotcha comedy" (somewhat akin to Borat, though without the emphasis on "embarrassment as comedy"), and (3) a social experiment on the effect of Gandhi's self-created "religion" on his followers and, ultimately, upon himself. The film is based upon a deception-that Gandhi is a guru named Kūmāré who came to the West to share his teachings. These teachings, like the invented "biography" of Kūmāré, are a hodge-podge of Hindu teachings, Western appropriations and new-age interpretations, and self-conscious inventions (including, for example, odd yoga positions, slogan-based mantras, a symbol akin to Om albeit with a sexual referent, and even the nonstandard diacritics used in his name itself). This deception, though, is a deception that the film ultimately tries to overturn at the conclusion, arguing that a larger truth underlies it and that Gandhi is as transformed by this deception as are his followers ("This is the story of the biggest lie I've ever told and the greatest truth I've ever experienced"; 7:20). The film begins (1:09) with an all-too-brief biography of Gandhi and his voiceover discusses his motivations behind the project. Through spliced vintage footage of his childhood, Gandhi discusses his own general disaffection with religion while growing up in the U.S. within a relatively devout Hindu family ("...they immersed me in Hindu mythology, Indian philosophy, and endless ritual"; 1:38). This preamble sets up a conflict between his Hindu heritage and his Western upbringing as an explanation of his disaffection not only with Hinduism, but with religion in general ("Maybe this was all just a bunch of nonsense somebody made up a long time ago"; 2:08). The documentary, then, is supposedly an attempt to understand the nature of religion while subverting it; to show his followers that their true power is within themselves when he reveals himself to not be who he said he is ("I wanted to prove to others who are looking for answers that no one is more spiritual than anyone else"; 5:22). Particular responses to the film will likely depend on whom a particular audience member empathizes with-whether with the deceiver or the deceived. The latter will see profound ethical problems in Gandhi's deception-his followers are portrayed as fragile or struggling individuals (for example, a recovering drug addict, a death
ESSAYS IN HONOR OF PATRICK OLIVELLE, 2009
Religious Studies Review, 2019
Brief annotated list of digital resources, divided by topic areas covered by Religious Studies R... more Brief annotated list of digital resources, divided by topic areas covered by Religious Studies Review (Wiley). Not intended to be comprehensive. South Asia is found on pp. 438-440.
A Companion to World Literature, 2019
In the context of Indian classical literature, the Upanishads (Upanisads) hold a particularly imp... more In the context of Indian classical literature, the Upanishads (Upanisads) hold a particularly important place for both those within the Hindu tradition and for scholars of early Indian religious history and literature. For many Hindus, the Upanishads are viewed as the intellectual culmination of the Vedic sacrificial tradition that preceded them and become known as veda ̄nta (lit. “end of the Veda”), texts that serve as root texts for some of the classi-cal Indian philosophical schools (darshana [dars ́ana]) that developed several centuries later. From a historical perspective, the Upanishads mark a shift away from the ritual tradition of the Vedas when newly developed notions of karma, asceticism, mental training or yoga,and moksha (moksa, “liberation”) begin to coexist and then – along with devotional (bhakti)
trends – supplant the previously dominant sacrificial worldview. While many Hindus see a fundamental continuity in Vedic and Upanishadic thinking, religious and literary historians tend to see the Upanishads as having greater affinity with later Hinduism than with the earlier elite and technical ritual milieu. But even if we assume the position of the latter, it should always be remembered that the composers of the earliest Upanishads were of the same priestly families enacting and producing the Vedas; they assume its framework and validity. Along with an ideological shift, the emergence of the Upanishads also marks a significant material shift, reflecting the settling of formerly nomadic peoples in towns and cities along the Gangetic plain, where changes in material conditions can be seen in the texts themselves.
In the context of “world literature,” however, the Upanishads might – at least initially – seem to be something of an uncomfortable fit. Setting aside the fact that such designations often carry preconceived notions of ethnic origin and/or modern understandings of the nation-state, the Upanishads as literature – both individually and collectively as a genre – are an amalgam rather than a unity. This is not to say that there are not certain stylistic, linguistic, and especially thematic continuities across the Upanishads which give the broader contours of a genre. There are, as I will discuss below. But it is to say that there is no single style, character, author, theme, or narrative that any single text, let alone the genre, adheres to. Rather it is a series of overlapping concerns about the nature of the cosmos, the role of the human being both within and beyond that cosmos (i.e. transcendence or liberation), and especially various conceptual strategies through which to explore these concerns that can be seen as loosely constituting a genre. If we take “world literature” as primarily designating a type of literary production that is both novel in form and content and enduring in impact and importance (whether literary, social, or religious), then the Upanishads most certainly qualify as one of the most significant contributions from the ancient subcontinent.
Religious Studies News: Spotlight on Teaching, 2018
The Upaniṣads: A Complete Guide, 2017
(apologies; previous version was missing 2 pages)
The Upaniṣads: A Complete Guide, 2017
Religion: Narrating Religion, 2016
Introductory chapter on the Upaniṣads aimed at an undergraduate audience.
Note: 2 versions available—submitted version and print version. Print version unfortunately has ... more Note: 2 versions available—submitted version and print version. Print version unfortunately has certain diacritical errors introduced by publisher (no proofs were given prior to publication).
Religions of South Asia, 5.1/5.2, 2012
This paper analyses the three genealogical lists found in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, not only as... more This paper analyses the three genealogical lists found in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, not only as ascriptions of authority for the White Yajurvedic tradition, but as integral to the literary production of this text. I analyse the theme of ‘inheritance’ in Upaniṣadic narratives and in genealogical lists and show how a comparison of the two allows for a deeper understanding of the inclusion of genealogical lists in this text. In particular, I posit a new interpretation of the metronymic list found at the conclusion of Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 6, arguing that its ‘problematic’ form is not so problematic after all given its context.
Journal of American Academy of Religion, Mar 2011
One of the most popular stories found in the Upaniṣads centers around a debate between the ritual... more One of the most popular stories found in the Upaniṣads centers around a debate between the ritualist and philosopher, Yājñavalkya, and a series of interlocutors about the nature of sacrifice, the self, and the cosmos. This story, from a textual–historical perspective, is unique in that the last interlocutor, Śākalya, is said to die by having his head shatter because he is unable to answer a question about the fundamental nature of immortality. In this paper, I analyze the interrelationship of these two main characters and argue that this relationship is one key to not only understanding the portrayal of these characters, but also the larger import of this debate about immortality. I provide an intratextual rationale for the head-shattering conclusion and discuss how character and doctrine are fundamentally intertwined in this text.
Religion and Identity in South Asia and Beyond, ed., Lindquist, 2011
Religion and Identity in South Asia and Beyond: Essays in Honor of Patrick Olivelle, 2011
Journal of Indian Philosophy, 2008
The female characters in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad have generally been interpreted by scholars i... more The female characters in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad have generally been interpreted by scholars in two opposing fashions: as fictional characters whose historicity can be dismissed or as representative of actual women in ancient India. Both of these interpretations, however, overlook the literary elements of this text and the role that these female characters play within the larger philosophical debate. This paper is an analysis of the various women who appear in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka and their role in this text. Close attention is paid to their characterizations, their relationship to the doctrine discussed, and their functions in the larger narrative structure. The paper concludes with a discussion about the relationship of narrative to history and fundamental problems with the “woman question” based on this text.
South Asian Studies, 2003
Ihe ancient tndian horse sacdficc, ihc aiorft.lrd, is an elaborate yearlong royal ritual cenhed a... more Ihe ancient tndian horse sacdficc, ihc aiorft.lrd, is an elaborate yearlong royal ritual cenhed around the release and subsequcnt suffocation of a ho6e.r The 1. Kumicsupa I €v€re€ kat copy ol BMC 203, orisinal on
Reviews By Others by Steven Lindquist
Religions of South Asia 19.1, 2025
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Papers by Steven Lindquist
trends – supplant the previously dominant sacrificial worldview. While many Hindus see a fundamental continuity in Vedic and Upanishadic thinking, religious and literary historians tend to see the Upanishads as having greater affinity with later Hinduism than with the earlier elite and technical ritual milieu. But even if we assume the position of the latter, it should always be remembered that the composers of the earliest Upanishads were of the same priestly families enacting and producing the Vedas; they assume its framework and validity. Along with an ideological shift, the emergence of the Upanishads also marks a significant material shift, reflecting the settling of formerly nomadic peoples in towns and cities along the Gangetic plain, where changes in material conditions can be seen in the texts themselves.
In the context of “world literature,” however, the Upanishads might – at least initially – seem to be something of an uncomfortable fit. Setting aside the fact that such designations often carry preconceived notions of ethnic origin and/or modern understandings of the nation-state, the Upanishads as literature – both individually and collectively as a genre – are an amalgam rather than a unity. This is not to say that there are not certain stylistic, linguistic, and especially thematic continuities across the Upanishads which give the broader contours of a genre. There are, as I will discuss below. But it is to say that there is no single style, character, author, theme, or narrative that any single text, let alone the genre, adheres to. Rather it is a series of overlapping concerns about the nature of the cosmos, the role of the human being both within and beyond that cosmos (i.e. transcendence or liberation), and especially various conceptual strategies through which to explore these concerns that can be seen as loosely constituting a genre. If we take “world literature” as primarily designating a type of literary production that is both novel in form and content and enduring in impact and importance (whether literary, social, or religious), then the Upanishads most certainly qualify as one of the most significant contributions from the ancient subcontinent.
Full issue of Religious Studies News available online at: http://rsn.aarweb.org/spotlight-on/teaching/teaching-tales/harnessing-power-storytelling-hindu-studies-and-beyond
Reviews By Others by Steven Lindquist