Bliss beyond All Limit: On the Apabhraṃśa <i>Dohā</i> in Tantric Buddhist Texts
The Apabhraṃśa <i>dohā</i> is a literary medium from Indian antiquity, with early examples appearing in Kālidāsa’s plays around the 5th century and continuing in later Hindi-language Jain and Bhakti works in the early modern period. However, it was within Tantric Buddhist texts and tradi...
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| Formato: | article |
| Lenguaje: | EN |
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MDPI AG
2021
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://doaj.org/article/b338cf22cbca4855b18046aeaa81b749 |
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| Sumario: | The Apabhraṃśa <i>dohā</i> is a literary medium from Indian antiquity, with early examples appearing in Kālidāsa’s plays around the 5th century and continuing in later Hindi-language Jain and Bhakti works in the early modern period. However, it was within Tantric Buddhist texts and traditions that the <i>dohā</i> truly came into its own as a literary genre. Particularly within the “Yoginī Tantra” strata of the Tantric Buddhist canon, Apabhraṃśa <i>dohā</i>s appear in notable and formulaic ways, used within ritual contexts and other significant junctures, signaling the underexamined use of this literary form and its language of composition. This paper examines the use of <i>dohā</i>s attributed to the <i>mahāsiddha</i> Saraha as they are used in the <i>Hevajra Tantra</i>, the <i>Buddhakapāla Tantra</i>, and some associated texts. In doing so, this paper demonstrates that as a literary genre, Apabhraṃśa <i>dohā</i>s perform a similar function to mantras and <i>dhāra</i><i>ṇī</i>s, but are unique in their attention to phonology and discursive meaning. By examining the uses of these <i>dohā</i>s during particular moments of Tantric Buddhist ritual syntax, this paper will then reflect on the later trajectory of these verses after the death of institutional Buddhism in India, and the reasons for their survival. |
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