Śambūka and the Rāmāyaṇa Tradition: A History of Motifs and Motives in South Asia

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Aaron Sherraden

Śambūka and the Rāmāyaṇa Tradition

A History of Motifs and Motives in South Asia

Aaron Sherraden

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English

Anthem Press
01 August 2023

Literary studies: poetry & poets

Series: Anthem World Epic and Romance

This book details the developmental history of narratives that affirm, condemn, modify, or ignore the controversial execution of ambka, a minor Rmyaa character of low social standing. Changing socio-political sentiments throughout Indian history have forced numerous revisions to the ambka story, placing it in an underappreciated position of influence.

According to Vlmki's Sanskrit Rmyaa (early centuries CE), ambka was practising severe acts of austerity to enter heaven. In engaging in these acts as a dra, ambka was in violation of class- and caste-based societal norms prescribed exclusively by the ruling and religious elite. Rma, the hero of the Rmyaa epic, is dispatched to kill ambka, whose transgression is said to be the cause of a young Brahmin's death. The gods rejoice upon the dra's death and restore the life of the Brahmin. Subsequent Rmyaa poets almost instantly recognised this incident as a blemish on Rma's character and they began problematising this earliest version of the story. They adjusted and updated the story to suit the expectations of their audiences. The works surveyed in this study include numerous works originating in Hindu, Jain, Dalit and non-Brahmin communities while spanning the period from ambka's first appearance in the Vlmki Rmyaa through to the present day. The book follows the ambka episode chronologically across its entire history - approximately two millennia - to illuminate the social, religious, legal, and artistic connections that span the entire range of the Rmyaa's influence and its place throughout various phases of Indian history and social revolution.

By: Aaron Sherraden
Imprint: Anthem Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 153mm, Spine: 26mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9781839984693
ISBN 10: 1839984694
Series: Anthem World Epic and Romance
Pages: 274
Publication Date: 01 August 2023
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Aaron Sherraden is a researcher on the epics of South Asia. He received his PhD in Asian Cultures and Languages from the University of Texas at Austin.

Reviews for Śambūka and the Rāmāyaṇa Tradition: A History of Motifs and Motives in South Asia

“Drawing on classical and modern texts in six Indian languages as well as English and on contemporary ethnographic observation, this book presents an impressive diachronic study of a troubling, often elided, yet never wholly erased storyline within the pan-Indian Ramayana tradition. It persuasively shows not only the persistence and ubiquity of the tale of Śambūka—a low-caste man allegedly slain by King Rama in order to uphold dharma—but also its importance as a gauge of sentiments about a range of sensitive sociocultural issues, and thus offers a timely and important intervention in debates about India’s past and present.”—Philip Lutgendorf, Professor of Hindi and Modern Indian Studies, Emeritus, University of Iowa; Author: Hanuman’s Tale: The Messages of a Divine Monkey; Translator:Tulsidas: The Epic of Ram. “Caste has become the cornerstone of identity politics in India and Sherraden uses many versions of the story of Shambuka, told with its multiple intents and interpretations to map the larger Ramayana tradition anew. More importantly, he shows how the appropriation and dissemination of this story via Dalit and non-brahmin groups provides a counternarrative to the main (often elite and hegemonic) Ramayana tradition.”—Arshia Sattar, Author of Maryada: Searching for Dharma in the Ramayana.