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.... 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. Show less
In the late 1950s, a number of manuscripts were discovered in Odisha. They contained one of the oldest collections of Vedic texts, the Atharvaveda, dating to the late second millenium BC, in a... Show moreIn the late 1950s, a number of manuscripts were discovered in Odisha. They contained one of the oldest collections of Vedic texts, the Atharvaveda, dating to the late second millenium BC, in a recension, the Paippalāda, that was thought to have survived only in a very corrupt Kashmirian manuscript. Given the importance and antiquity of the text, this discovery sparked the enthusiasm of Indologists, historians, anthropologists and linguists eager to dive into the new material. This, however, hinged on the production of a philologically reliable edition of the text. Selva’s dissertation is a further step in this direction: it focuses on the 17th book of the collection, containing a variety of material in both poetry and prose: magical spells to exorcise demons who threaten women and children, curses against enemies, and remedies against nightmares. One section illustrates a ritual observance consisting in the imitation of the behaviour of a bull, a practice that can be traced back to prehistoric Indo-European cultural models and that was re-elaborated by the Pāśupatas, the earliest-known ascetic sect devoted to the god Śiva. The edition is equipped with a critical apparatus, a translation and a commentary that discusess philological problems and attempts at an interpretation. Show less
