[INDOLOGY] Lamentations

[Patrick Olivelle]

I think there is a lamentation tradition in Buddhism -- vilāpa. You find such a lament in nice in the Buddhacarita where there are two laments by the wife and mother. The Yaśodharā lament has come into Sinhala, and Ranjini Obeyesekere has published a book on it: Yasodaravata: The Story of Yasodara or Yasodara's Lament. Colombo: Godage International Publishers, 2005.

Patrick



On Nov 17, 2013, at 7:07 PM, Charlie Higgins <practicesyoga at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hello all,
> 
> I hope not to be too naive in asking: Can anyone recommend primary or secondary sources regarding Indian "lamentations"?  Does such a genre exist?  etc.?  I have been reading Song Dynasty Neo-Confucian writers like Zhu Xi, who ridicules contemporary behaviors and customs as degradations of ancient practices, and I began to wonder about similar lamentations from India.  My question doesn't refer so much to prophecies regarding the cycle of ages (satya--kaliyuga) and their degradation into the present.  I'm wondering about potential firsthand observations that compare present with past and lament contemporary practices.  I'm clueless, and any helpful suggestions would be appreciated.
> 
> Thank you!
> 
> Charlie
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