This book looks at the representation and practice of chastity in selective ancient Indian texts. It studies how and when the concept originated and in what ways it was intertwined with the social, cultural, and economic notions of Indian society. Drawing on seminal Indian texts such as the MahāPurāṇas, Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata, Sattasaī and the Jātakas, the volume delves into the social and reproductive rights of women through an examination of the norms of chastity, virginity, and Pātivratya, which were construed according to a patriarchal hierarchy of the society and implemented as a means of strengthening patriarchal authority. It also examines the interinfluence of various religious traditions that emerged on the very concept of chastity and the ideologies they later gave rise to.
A comprehensive study of sexuality and gender in early India, the book will be indispensable to students, teachers, and researchers of gender studies, literature, women’s studies, women’s rights, feminism, South Asian studies, and social history of Ancient India.
Author(s): Oly Roy
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 163
City: London
Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
Preface and Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1 Conceptualising Chastity
Chapter 2 Conformity in the Great Epics (the Mahābhārata and the Vālmīki’s Rāmāyaṇa)
Chapter 3 Deviance in the Great Epics
Chapter 4 Chastity as Reflected in the MahāPurāṇas
Chapter 5 Deviant Behaviour as Reflected in the MahāPurāṇas
Chapter 6 Comparative Evaluation of Conformity and Deviance in Hāla’s Sattasaī and the Jātakas
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
