FIRE AND COGNITION IN THE RGVEDA

ISBN: 978-83-7151-893-5

485 stron
format: B5
oprawa: miękka
Rok wydania: 2010

This book is an attempt to reconstruct the efforts of the ancient Indian thinkers in understanding the world and themselves. They expressed their concepts in a text called the Cgveda, which is analysed in this book. The Cgveda is the earliest Indian composition and fundamental to its later culture. It is also an important testimony for the beginnings of Indian philosophy and for human philosophical thinking in general.

SPIS TREŚCI

AcknowledgementsIntroductionPrefaceChapter oneReconstruction of the ?gvedic thought by means of cognitive linguistics1.1. Basic assumptions of cognitive linguistics1.1.1. Experiential basis of thought and its linguistic dimension1.1.2. Conceptual domains1.1.3. Cultural models1.1.4. Metonymy, metaphor and simile1.1.5. Conceptual blending1.1.6. Word meaning1.2. Cognitive linguistics and the oral character of the RV1.3. Analysis of the philosophical thought with aid of cognitive linguistics1.4. Tendency to generalisation and abstraction. Defining events, generaldomains and the general model of reality transformations1.4.1. Defining events1.4.2. General domains1.4.3. The general model of reality transformation1.5. Holistic concepts. The philosophical models and the role of metonymy1.5.1. The philosophical models1.5.2. Metonymy as the source for contradictory concepts1.6. Other advantages of applying cognitive linguistics in the investigationof the RVChapter twoCreation of the world in the Nasadiya (RV 10.129)2.1. RV 10.129.12.2. RV 10.129.22.3. RV 10.129.32.4. RV 10.129.42.5. RV 10.129.52.6. RV 10.129.6-72.7. The stages of creation described at the NasadiyaPart one. The defining eventsChapter threeExpansion3.1. Fight with enemies3.1.1. Darkness and sleep3.1.2. Lack of cognition3.1.3. Lack of speech or speech not communicative3.1.4. Lack of sacrifice and its rules3.1.5. Inhumanity3.1.6. Enemies and the Nasadiya3.1.7. Ambivalence of enemies3.1.8. Conclusion3.2. The symbols of light3.2.1. Expansion as the struggle for light3.2.2. The light as the cause of expansion3.3. Rivers3.3.1. The conquest of rivers3.3.2. The flow of rivers from mountains3.3.3. Poisoned rivers3.3.4. Rain3.4. Space3.4.1. Space as the area of free movement3.4.2. Enemies as the symbol of darkness3.4.3. Mountain as the symbol of darkness3.4.4. Night as the symbol of darkness and RV 3.31.63.4.5. The meanings of aksara and aksara3.4.6. Creation Of World Is Creation Of Space To Move3.4.7. Space as the place for the Aryan cosmos3.4.8. Conclusion3.5. Wealth3.5.1. The conquest of wealth as the defining event3.5.2. Finding A Treasury/A Treasure (nidhĄ)3.5.3. The Golden Embryo and the Golden Egg3.6. Cows3.6.1. Winning of enemies‘- cows3.6.2. The symbols of darkness3.6.3. Cows as the symbol of light: dawns and streams of water3.6.4. Simultaneous descriptions of the appearance of light of the dawnand of freeing of streams of water3.6.5. The general domain of Freeing Cows3.6.6. Conclusion3.7. Expansion - concluding remarksChapter fourAppearance of the morning light4.1. The daybreak4.1.1. The daybreak is the appearance of light4.1.2. Daybreak as the origin of the ability to cognise4.1.3. Daybreak as the origin of sound and speech4.1.4. Daybreak as the origin of movement, life and safety4.1.5. The origination of space in the morning4.1.6. Descriptions of the daybreak and of the expansion4.1.7. Metaphoric conceptualisation of the daybreak4.1.8. The philosophical concept of the dawn and its ambivalentcharacter4.1.9. Influence of the ?gvedic concept of the dawn on the laterconcept of the Absolute and time4.1.10. Conclusion4.2. Producing fire4.2.1. Flint and fire drill4.2.2. Night4.2.3. Mental creation of Agni4.2.4. Agni and expansion4.2.5. Expansion of Agni as the source domain for the conceptof society and cosmos4.2.6. Expansion of Agni as the source domain for cognition4.2.7. Agni and the appearance of the morning light4.2.8. The morning activity of Agni as the source domain for theconcept of society and cosmos4.2.9. ConclusionChapter fivePressing of Soma5.1. Pressing of Soma as a process of origination of light from darkness5.1.1. The juice as the symbol of light5.1.2. The symbols of darkness. The plant and the pressing stones5.2. Pressing of Soma and expansion5.3. Pressing of Soma and producing fire5.3.1. Tendency to identify pressing of Soma and producing fire5.3.2. Tendency to identify the pressed Soma and theenkindled fire5.4. Pressing of Soma and the appearance of the morning light5.4.1. Soma as the sun5.4.2. Soma as the creator of the morning light and space5.5. Pressing of Soma and rain5.6. The metaphorical conceptualisation of the sun filled with Soma5.7. The sun-rain ambivalence of Soma and its metaphoricconceptualisation5.8. Somic exultation5.8.1. Conceptualisation of Somic exultation5.8.2. Somic exultation as the defining event5.8.3. Superhuman results of Somic exultation5.9. ConclusionChapter sixAgni and other defining events6.1. Water aspect of Agni6.1.1. Mappings expressing Agni‘-s internal contradictoriness6.2. Ritual as transformations of Agni6.3. Agni and the defining events connected with Soma6.3.1. Agni and pressing of Soma6.3.2. Agni and cosmic pressing of Soma6.3.3. Agni and exultation6.4. The general model of reality transformations6.5. ConclusionPart two. Philosophical modelsChapter sevenThe philosophical model of Child Of The Waters7.1. The input spaces of the philosophical model of The Child Of Waters(apam napat)7.2. The defining events as the input spaces of the model of The ChildOf Waters7.3. The general domain of Procreation7.4. The internal contradictoriness of the transformations of Agni7.5. The similarity between Agni and waters7.6. Soma in waters7.7. The abstract form of the philosophical model of The Child Of Waters7.8. ConclusionChapter eightThe philosophical model of The Boiled In The Raw8.1. The opposition between cow and milk8.2. The model of The Boiled In The Raw and the defining events8.3. Creation of the world as the next input space of the modelof The Boiled In The Raw8.4. Elaborations of the philosophical model of The Boiled In The Raw8.4.1. Agni in the raw fortresses8.4.2. Honey in the reddish cow8.4.3. Milking what is dry and rich in honey out of what is wet8.5. ConclusionChapter nineThe philosophical models of The Wave Of Honey and of StreamsOf Clarified Butter9.1. The philosophical model of The Wave Of Honey9.1.1. RV 4.58.1ab9.1.2. RV 4.58.1cd9.2. The later elaboration of the philosophical model of Wave Of Honey9.3. The model of Streams Of Clarified Butter9.3.1. RV 4.58.49.3.2. RV 4.58.59.3.3. RV 4.58.69.3.4. RV 4.58.79.3.5. RV 4.58.8-99.3.6. RV 4.58.119.4. Conclusion9.5. Metaphoric conceptualisation of Agni‘-s cognitive activity in the world9.6. The vision of Agni at RV 6.9.9.7. ConclusionChapter tenThe philosophical model of The Angirases Freeing Cows10.1 Cognition and cosmogony10.1.1. RV 4.1.1010.1.2. RV 4.1.1110.1.3. RV 4.1.1210.1.4. RV 4.1.13-1610.1.5. RV 4.1.17 and 4.1.1810.2. The identity of the Angirases and Agni in RV 4.1.13-16. The generaldomain of Cleansing By Heat10.2.1. marmrjata - the general domain of Grooming10.2.2. aśusanah - the general domain of Sharpening10.2.3. The general domains of Toiling and Sweating10.2.4. abhi pra sedur - the domains of sitting and seating10.3. The Angirases are Agni10.4. Conclusion10.5. RV 4.1.12-16 and the NasadiyaChapter elevenThe philosophical model of The Angirases Freeing Cows. The attainmentof immortality in the sacrifice11.1. The domains used to conceptualise sacrifice11.1.1. Creation Of Space To Move11.1.2. Following Footprints11.1.3. Opening Of What Is Closed11.1.4. Finding A Treasury/A Treasure11.2. Setting of the cosmic pillar during the sacrifice11.3. How the domains are integrated in a poetic description11.4. The mystery of the sacrifice. Agni as its final subject11.5. The sacrifice and the NasadiyaChapter twelveThe philosophical model of The Angirases Freeing Cows. Dying12.1. Metaphoric mappings of dying12.2. The afterlife sacrifice12.2.1. The dead drink Soma on the sun12.2.1.1. The journey of the dead upwards (RV 10.16.5.b:yas ta ahutaś carati svadhabhih)12.2.1.2. The dead are on the sun12.2.1.3. The highest heaven (parama vyoman) as the solarabode of the dead12.2.1.4. The dead drink Soma on the sun (svadha, Indraand the cosmic tree)12.2.1.5. Final meaning of the RV 10.16.5b12.2.2. The meanings of ava srj-. The journey of the dead upwards12.2.3. The meanings of ava srj-. The journey of the dead downwards12.2.4. Final meaning of RV 10.16.5ab12.2.5. The dead come back to his home12.2.6. Final meaning of the RV 10.16.512.3. Rain as the form under which the dead comes back to the earth12.3.1. Raining As Sowing [Barley] Metaphor12.3.2. vap- ‘-to sow‘- and vap- ‘-to shear, to shave‘-12.3.3. Final interpretation of RV 10.16.13b12.4. The rebirth cycle in RV 10.14.812.5. Transformation of the dead are transformation of fire12.6. ConclusionChapter thirteenAgni as the centre of the ?gvedic metaphysics13.1. The first three creative stages as the alternating transformationof Agni and Soma13.1.1. The precreative stage - Agni13.1.2. The first stage of creation - Soma13.1.3. The second stage of creation - Agni13.1.4. The third stage of creation - Soma. Creation of the Nasadiyain terms of the general model of reality transformations13.2. Agni is That One of the Nasadiya13.3. ConclusionPart three. Gods‘- activity and metaphysicsChapter fourteenThe fight of Indra with Vrtra (the vrtrahatya myth)14.1. The fight of Indra with Vrtra. Introductory remarks14.2. The vrtrahatya myth and the creation of the Nasadiya14.2.1. The first stage of creation14.2.2. The second stage. The precreative stage of the worldis Vrtra14.2.3. The third and the fourth stages. The symbols of lightas the final cause14.2.4. The third and the fourth stages. The symbols of lightas the efficient cause Indra and vajra14.2.5. The fifth stage14.2.6. The seers14.3. Reinterpretation of the vrtrahatya myth. Indra‘-s fight with Vrtraas the philosophical model14.4. Indra and Agni14.5. ConclusionChapter fifteenBrhaspati15.1. Darkness and symbols of darkness15.1.1. Darkness15.1.2. Symbols of darkness15.2. Light and symbols of light15.2.1. Cows15.2.2. Honey15.3. Light and speech as the efficient causes of Brhaspati‘-s activity15.4. Conceptual integration of concepts of Brhaspati, Agni and Indra15.5. ConclusionChapter sixteenVisnu16.1. Visnu as the independent god16.1.1. Appearance of space and morning light16.1.2. Strides or footprints? The model of Footprints Of Visnu16.1.3. Solar-rain cycle of the world and the sacrifice16.1.4. Cognitive dimension of Visnu‘-s activity16.2. Visnu, Indra and Agni16.5.1. Visnu and Indra16.5.2. Visnu and Agni16.3. ConclusionChapter seventeenVaruna17.1. The philosophical model of The Copper Pillar17.2. The philosophical models of The Copper Pillar, of The WaveOf Honey, of Footprints Of Visnu, and of Indra‘-s Fight With Vrtra17.3. Solar-rainy ambivalence of activity of Mitra and Varuna17.4. Exultation given by Mitra and Varu?a in the morning17.5. Conceptual cluster of darkness, lack of cognition and sin. Moraldimension of the symbols of darkness17.6. Analysis of RV 7.86-8817.7. Unsuccessful exultation (RV 7.89)17.8. Varuna is Agni?17.9. Varuna, Indra and Agni17.10. ConclusionChapter eighteenThe Rgvedic gods, Agni and the NasadiyaConcluding remarksAppendix I. Main conceptual metaphors in the RV analysed in the bookAppendix II. Main conceptual metonymies in the RV analysed in the bookAppendix III. The Rgvedic general domains and the general model of realitytransformationAppendix IV. Diagrams of philosophical modelsAppendix V. Stanzas discussed in the bookBibliography