Cooking the World: Ritual and Thought in Ancient India (French Studies in South Asian Culture and Society) [Hardcover]

Charles Malamoud (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0195635582 | ISBN-13: 978-0195635584 | Publication Date: January 16, 1997 | Edition: English ed

The fifteen essays collected in this book deal with various aspects of Vedic and Brahmanic ritual. The author attempts to explore the implications of the classical Hindu definition of man: Of all the animals fitted to be sacrifical victims, only man can perform sacrifices.

Editorial Reviews

Review

`Here is a book that brings to life, through a series of fifteen substantial contributions, the world of 'Brahmanism', the source from which much of later 'Hinduism' developed ... Malamoud's contributions are serious, substantial and analytic studies ... they always provide reliable guidance and contribute a deeper understanding than is available in the large majority of publications on the subject that flood the market ... They are eminently readable and often fascinating.' The Book Review Vol.XXI No.8 1997

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 364 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; English ed edition (January 16, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195635582
• ISBN-13: 978-0195635584
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,957,588 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rituals as sacrafice, November 23, 2000

By 

vibha arora (University of Oxford, United Kindom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cooking the World: Ritual and Thought in Ancient India (French Studies in South Asian Culture & Society) (Paperback)

Malmoud has done a brilliant analysis of Hindu rituals based on an an indepth indological reading of sanskrit texts that discuss vedic rituals, and are still performed by Brahmin in India. As Malamoud discusses and illustrates, sacrifice is the ultimate ritual and that gives meaning to all activities in Hindu India. It is what establishes a relation between the divine, social and the natural world. It is the mechanism that founds and situates the socio-cosmic order. Based on several examples such s the marriage and death rites Malmoud argues that rituals are an epistemological statement in action. The idea of debt or rin s it is called in India is the central notion. This idea of paying back to the world: natural and social and divine forms the conceptual model of all exchange relations and social life in village India. In Malmouds, analysis it is not the spoken word, the mantra which is critical ut the performance of rituals which ensures the continuoty oof the social order.

Hence, Malmoud convincingly argues sacrifice is the model for all actions. Everyday life is a constant movement towards attaining this ritualideal.