Viṣṇu’s Cakra as narrative weapon in the Skandapurāṇa: studies in the Skandapurāṇa XIV

Dokter-Mersch, S.

doi:doi:10.1558/rosa.22984

The Skandapurāṇa is one of the earliest Purāṇas, with a strong Śaiva message throughout the entire text. It promotes devotion to Śiva and narrates stories about Śiva, his relatives and followers. It does not, however, deny other gods. At least six narratives concern Viṣṇu and his deeds. Three of these are manifestation myths, narrating Viṣṇu’s conquest of the Asuras. For its retellings, such as Viṣṇu’s manifestation myths, the Skandapurāṇa combines known narrative elements with new characterizations, features and scenes. This is not only observable in the stories as a whole, but also on the level of narrative details. In this article, I will show this by studying one of Viṣṇu’s primary weapons, the cakra, ‘discus’. The description of the cakra sometimes agrees with those in other texts, such as its fiery appearance and its quality of returning to its owner. At the same time, there are various new characterizations, for example the fact that it...Show moreThe Skandapurāṇa is one of the earliest Purāṇas, with a strong Śaiva message throughout the entire text. It promotes devotion to Śiva and narrates stories about Śiva, his relatives and followers. It does not, however, deny other gods. At least six narratives concern Viṣṇu and his deeds. Three of these are manifestation myths, narrating Viṣṇu’s conquest of the Asuras. For its retellings, such as Viṣṇu’s manifestation myths, the Skandapurāṇa combines known narrative elements with new characterizations, features and scenes. This is not only observable in the stories as a whole, but also on the level of narrative details. In this article, I will show this by studying one of Viṣṇu’s primary weapons, the cakra, ‘discus’. The description of the cakra sometimes agrees with those in other texts, such as its fiery appearance and its quality of returning to its owner. At the same time, there are various new characterizations, for example the fact that it originally belongs to or comes from Śiva. With the help of a theory referred to as narrative consistency, I will explore the reasons behind the inclusion of known elements and the introduction of new elements, as well as the reasons behind a combination of the two.
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Viṣṇu’s Cakra as narrative weapon in the Skandapurāṇa: studies in the Skandapurāṇa XIV

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