Vedic Sanskrit literature contains a wealth of material
concerning the mythology and religious practices of India between
1500 and 500 B.C.E. a crucial period in the formation of
traditional Indian culture. Stephanie W. Jamison here addresses the
conditions that have limited our understanding of Vedic myth and
ritual, such as the profusion and obscurity of the texts and the
tendency on the part of scholars to approach mythology and ritual
independently. Tracing two key myths through a variety of texts,
Jamison provides insight into the relationship between early Indic
myth and ritual as well as offering a new methodology for their
study.
After a brief survey of Vedic literature and religion, Jamison
examines the recurrences of the myths "Indra fed the Yatis to the
hyenas" and "Svarbhanu pierced the sun with darkness." Focusing on
their verbal form and ritual setting, she essays a general
interpretation of the myths and their ritual purpose. Her book
sheds new light on some central figures in Vedic mythology and on
the evolution of Vedic mythological narrative, and it points to
parallels in other cultures as well. Indologists and other scholars
and students of South Asian culture, Indo-Eurepeanists,
folklorists, historians of religion, classicists, and comparatists
will welcome this rich and suggestive introduction to the Vedic
tradition."
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