From Classical to Postclassical: Changing Ideologies and Changing Epics in India

The idea of this paper is to examine the variegated reality of texts classified under the notion “epic ” in the Indian tradition. My aim is to study the relation between epics and various religious trends in Indian history, so I shall especially concentrate on the function of epic material as a bearer of religious ideologies. This subject includes diverse ideologies, on the one hand, and different texts, some of which might sometimes turn out not to be epics in the strict sense, on the other. In fact, the main question I want to present for discussion is the problematic idea of epic in the Indian context. The material with which this paper deals consists without exception of written texts. The main reason for this choice is my own indological perspective. Consequently, I am treating the subject using material that mainly belongs to the great tradition, concentrating on two massive epics, the Mahbhrata and the Rmyaa, and in particular their various literary retellings. Besides textual history, I shall follow the history of ideas and emphasize the role of epics and related texts in the continuing theological or philosophical debate. As the title indicates, the central concepts are change, ideology, and classical/postclassical