[INDOLOGY] suicide as a result of love

Mon Jun 6 17:12:07 UTC 2016

Dear Philipp,

Thank you for the correction: the suicide motif is not in the Purnabhadra version.

Dermot

On 6 Jun 2016 at 12:46, Klaus Karttunen wrote:

Dear all,
in Hara's Ratnavali Sagarika - sure that her love to the king is unsuccesful - will hang 
herself, but luckily the king arrives in time and saves her. There are certainly many other 
examples.

Best,
Klaus

Klaus Karttunen
South Asian and Indoeuropean Studies
Asian and African Studies, Department of World Cultures
PL 59 (Unioninkatu 38 B)
00014 University of Helsinki, FINLAND
Tel +358-(0)2941 4482418
Fax +358-(0)2941 22094
Klaus.Karttunen at helsinki.fi

    On 06 Jun 2016, at 11:50, Philipp Maas <philipp.a.maas at gmail.com> wrote:

    Dear Dermot and all,
    The story of the "Weaver as Viu" occurs indeed in 
    Purnabhadra's recension of the Patañcatntra as well as in the 
    exemplar of this recension, the so-called textus simplicior. 
    Purnabhadra censored the narrative strongly from the 
    perspective of conservative smarta-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.

    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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    Institut für Südasien-, Tibet- und Buddhismuskunde
    Universität Wien
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Gosforth,
Newcastle upon Tyne NE3 1XT
Phone (0191) 285 8053