[INDOLOGY] suicide as a result of love

[Philipp Maas]

Dear Dermot and all,

The story of the “Weaver as Viṣṇu” occurs indeed in Pūrnabhadra’s recension
of the Patañcatntra as well as in the exemplar of this recension, the
so-called *textus simplicior*. Pūrnabhadra censored the narrative strongly
from the perspective of conservative smārta-Hinduism and left out the
motive of suicide out of desire for the princess, which, accordingly only
occurs in the *textus simplicior*.



For a more comprehensive analysis of the two versions of the narrative see
my “On Discourses of Dharma and the Pañcatantra.” *Wiener Zeitschrift für
die Kunde Südasiens* 55 (2013-2014), p. 5-31, of which you find a pre-print
draft version here
<https://www.academia.edu/13986474/On_Discourses_of_Dharma_and_the_Pa%C3%B1catantra>
.



Best wishes,



Philipp


2016-06-06 10:09 GMT+02:00 <dermot at grevatt.force9.co.uk>:

> In Purnabhadra's version of the Pancatantra (ed. Hertel 1908 pp. 46-55;
> tr. A.W. Ryder 1956,
> pp. 89-104), a weaver falls in love with a princess, swoons, then resolves
> on suicide by fire.
> He is saved by his friend, a chariot-builder or carpenter (rathakAra), who
> promises to use his
> skill to effect a union, and is spectacularly successful. It's a wonderful
> story, involving sex,
> politics, and religion.
>
> This is a mock-heroic example: the motif of suicidal despair resulting
> from love at first sight,
> which is expected of exalted characters, is transferred to a man of low
> degree.
>
> Dermot
>
> On 6 Jun 2016 at 8:51, Andrew Ollett wrote:
>
> I have the feeling that this is a relatively common motif in story
> literature. The one example
> that comes to mind is the Prakrit verse romance Lilavati, in which one of
> the characters
> (Kuvalayavali) has a "gandharva" wedding with a Gandharva (Citragada), and
> when her
> father finds out and curses them, she is so overcome with shame that she
> tries to hang
> herself from a tree. She is stopped at the last moment by her mother
> Rambha. This is around
> v. 658 in A.N. Upadhye's edition.
>
> On Mon, Jun 6, 2016 at 8:25 AM, Alex Watson <alex.watson at ashoka.edu.in>
> wrote:
>     Dear List Members
>
>     A colleague, Madhavi Menon, who is writing a book entitled 'A History
> of Desire in
>     India', has asked me the following question. All help appreciated; I
> will forward your
>     responses to her.
>
>     "Are there any narratives in Sanskrit/Buddhist
> literature/philosophy/history that talk
>     about suicide, or atma-hatya, specifically in relation to love and
> desire?"
>
>     Yours Alex
>
>     --
>     Alex Watson
>     Professor of Indian Philosophy
>     Ashoka University
>     https://ashokauniversity.academia.edu/AlexWatson
>
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>
> --
> Dermot Killingley
> 9, Rectory Drive,
> Gosforth,
> Newcastle upon Tyne NE3 1XT
> Phone (0191) 285 8053
>
>
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-- 
Dr. Philipp A. Maas
Universitätsassistent
Institut für Südasien-, Tibet- und Buddhismuskunde
Universität Wien
Spitalgasse 2-4, Hof 2, Eingang 2.1
A-1090 Wien
Österreich
univie.academia.edu/PhilippMaas


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