Event Details

We are pleased to invite you to a workshop on Narratives in the Upanishads, on 15th March 2021. 

Narrative literature is the heart of any cultural tradition. It is the creative expression of the community. In oral tradition these materials also serve as repositories of the collective memory of a people, contributing immensely to the definition of their identity.

The Upanisads have several popular narratives that communicate abstract, philosophical principles that form the basis of later Hinduism. By situating the philosophical discussion in very realistic scenarios, these narratives effectively utilise dialogue as a medium of discourse: as in the case of Nachiketa and Yama, or Shwetaketu and Aruni. Upanisadic narratives were preceded by the Brahmanas and the Aranyakas and a comprehensive understanding requires contextualisation within the larger contemporary literary tradition.

This workshop aims at exploring some narratives from different perspectives such as the philosophical underpinnings, literary appreciation or the analysis of social conditions they illustrate, to mention a few.  

Schedule: 

An interactive session will be conducted from 3.05 to 3.50 pm., led by Dr. Lalita Namjoshi. Participants will be able to contribute their own reflections upon the episodes that will be presented.

This workshop is open to anyone who loves stories, so do sign up here!