The Two Sources Of Indian Asceticism

The present volume is concerned with early Hindu traditions of asceticism in particular relation to the theory of the four asramas. With characteristic acuity, Bronkhorst analyses the early sources mainly Dharmasutra texts, the early Upanisads and the Mahabharata and presents his arguments with admirable conciseness and clarity. The basic problem - which is also the point of departure of his discussion- is the contradiction between previous theories concerning the origion of asceticism in Hinduism: some scholars have sought this origin in certain features of the Vedic sacrifice while others have stressed its manifestly non-Vedic aspects. Bronkhorst proposes a third solution viz. that "Indian ascetcism might have tow sources, the one Vedic, the other non-Vedic" Briefly stated Bronkhorst argues on the basis of careful textual analysis, that there are originally no less than four clearly distinguishable and distinguished forms of ascetic life. Two of these four are the path of mortificationand the path of insight. The other two forms of ascetic life are connected with the Vedic sacrificial tradition. There is on the one hand, the Vedic Vanaprastha, and on the other hand the renunciation (Sanyasa) The second part of the book elaborates and further argues the justification of this conclusion. Bronkhorst's study is a major contribution in this respect, and surely will not fail to stimulate further research.