The Human Character Types in Ancient India.: A Study in the Transmission of Knowledge between Genres in Early Sanskrit Literature

Kenneth Gregory Zysk

doi:10.1163/15728536-06103005

The Human Character Types in Ancient India. A Study in the Transmission of Knowledge between Genres in Early Sanskrit Literature

Kenneth Gregory Zysk

Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

This paper is a study of the transmission and assimilation of ideas and motifs in different types of Sanskrit literature in ancient India. I examine the classification of both male and female character types in three different Sanskrit literary genres: Jyotiśāstra, Āyurveda and Nāyaśāstra. The results of the study indicate that the list of male character types offered in the early Jyotiśāstra treatise of Garga (Gārgīyajyotia) dating from the beginning of the Common Era contributed in part to the formulations in Āyurveda and formed the basis of the version in the Nāyaśāstra. Early āyurvedic treatises expanded the list and organised the male character types according to the Sākhyan gua-theory, and the Nāyaśāstra further increased the animal similes of Garga, changed the gender emphasis from male to female, and used Kāmaśāstra as the genre for introducting the catalogue of female character types into dramaturgy.

Original language	English
Journal	Indo-Iranian Journal
Volume	61
Issue number	3
Pages (from-to)	218-261
ISSN	0019-7246
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1163/15728536-06103005
Publication status	Published - 2018

Access to Document

10.1163/15728536-06103005

Zysk Human Character Types IIJ 2018

Cite this

@article{fbd4758f42854f8baf3fdb464ad66f97,

title = "The Human Character Types in Ancient India.: A Study in the Transmission of Knowledge between Genres in Early Sanskrit Literature",

abstract = "This paper is a study of the transmission and assimilation of ideas and motifs in different types of Sanskrit literature in ancient India. I examine the classification of both male and female character types in three different Sanskrit literary genres: Jyoti{\'s}āstra, Āyurveda and Nāya{\'s}āstra. The results of the study indicate that the list of male character types offered in the early Jyoti{\'s}āstra treatise of Garga (Gārgīyajyotia) dating from the beginning of the Common Era contributed in part to the formulations in Āyurveda and formed the basis of the version in the Nāya{\'s}āstra. Early āyurvedic treatises expanded the list and organised the male character types according to the Sākhyan gua-theory, and the Nāya{\'s}āstra further increased the animal similes of Garga, changed the gender emphasis from male to female, and used Kāma{\'s}āstra as the genre for introducting the catalogue of female character types into dramaturgy.",

author = "Zysk, {Kenneth Gregory}",

year = "2018",

doi = "10.1163/15728536-06103005",

language = "English",

volume = "61",

pages = "218--261",

journal = "Indo-Iranian Journal",

issn = "0019-7246",

publisher = "Brill",

number = "3",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - The Human Character Types in Ancient India.

T2 - A Study in the Transmission of Knowledge between Genres in Early Sanskrit Literature

AU - Zysk, Kenneth Gregory

PY - 2018

Y1 - 2018

N2 - This paper is a study of the transmission and assimilation of ideas and motifs in different types of Sanskrit literature in ancient India. I examine the classification of both male and female character types in three different Sanskrit literary genres: Jyotiśāstra, Āyurveda and Nāyaśāstra. The results of the study indicate that the list of male character types offered in the early Jyotiśāstra treatise of Garga (Gārgīyajyotia) dating from the beginning of the Common Era contributed in part to the formulations in Āyurveda and formed the basis of the version in the Nāyaśāstra. Early āyurvedic treatises expanded the list and organised the male character types according to the Sākhyan gua-theory, and the Nāyaśāstra further increased the animal similes of Garga, changed the gender emphasis from male to female, and used Kāmaśāstra as the genre for introducting the catalogue of female character types into dramaturgy.

AB - This paper is a study of the transmission and assimilation of ideas and motifs in different types of Sanskrit literature in ancient India. I examine the classification of both male and female character types in three different Sanskrit literary genres: Jyotiśāstra, Āyurveda and Nāyaśāstra. The results of the study indicate that the list of male character types offered in the early Jyotiśāstra treatise of Garga (Gārgīyajyotia) dating from the beginning of the Common Era contributed in part to the formulations in Āyurveda and formed the basis of the version in the Nāyaśāstra. Early āyurvedic treatises expanded the list and organised the male character types according to the Sākhyan gua-theory, and the Nāyaśāstra further increased the animal similes of Garga, changed the gender emphasis from male to female, and used Kāmaśāstra as the genre for introducting the catalogue of female character types into dramaturgy.

U2 - 10.1163/15728536-06103005

DO - 10.1163/15728536-06103005

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0019-7246

VL - 61

SP - 218

EP - 261

JO - Indo-Iranian Journal

JF - Indo-Iranian Journal

IS - 3

ER -

The Human Character Types in Ancient India. A Study in the Transmission of Knowledge between Genres in Early Sanskrit Literature

Abstract

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Cite this