Studies in Indian Religions: Classical Indian Thought

A graduate-level survey of classical "orthodox" intellectual traditions in Indian religions, with an emphasis on textual sources foundational for the literary and philosophical traditions of dharmasastra, poetics (rasa) and epistemology (pramana). We discuss Hindutva and Orientalism, Vedas and Upanisads, Laws of Manu and Yajnavalkyasmrti, Dandin and Bhoja, and Bhagavad Gita and Mahabharata, and trace key debates between orthodox (astika) philosophers and their Buddhist opponents. Topics are contextualized to explicate significance for adherents as well as for current scholarship.