Papers by Andrzej Babkiewicz
Religions of South Asia, 2022
„Obsolete Weapons in the Mahabharata, An Attempt at Reconstruction”, Andrzej Babkiewicz and Sven ... more „Obsolete Weapons in the Mahabharata, An Attempt at Reconstruction”, Andrzej Babkiewicz and Sven Sellmer; in Religions of South Asia, Vol. 16 No. 2-3 (2022);
Wratislaviensium Studia Classica, 2018
Article “The unity of European and Hindu medieval cosmological models” is an interdisciplinary un... more Article “The unity of European and Hindu medieval cosmological models” is an interdisciplinary undertaking of philosophy, theology and indology. Its goal is to look at the hypothesis of existing the common complex of ideas on which the cosmological models formed in medieval Europe and India are based and which are expressed in early medieval monastic theology of Hildegard of Bingen and Hindu epic text of Bhagavata-purana.
In this article a hypothesis is formulated about the crucial unity of the complex of ideas behind both cosmological models (although in those times there were no scholar and cultural contacts between both civilization circles). However some crucial similarities found in the analyzed cosmological models let us formulate a hypothesis that there is a common complex of ideas behind them, which as the religious paradigm (Sallie McFague, 1982) sets the main courses of thought in both cultures of those times.
Two authors (Bartosz Wieczorek and Andrzej Babkiewicz), experts in their fields present each of the traditions to see their “unity in diversity”. Thanks to such mutual looking at one tradition in the mirror of the other, each one of them could be better understood in itself because it is shown in broader interpretational context.
The authors analyze the texts (Liber divinorum operum and Bhagavata-purana) from the perspective of the following subjects:
1. model of God – cognitive models behind the conceptualization of the Absolute;
2. model of a man – central role in the creation, man as the micro- and macrocosm etc.;
3. model of the universe – spherical structure, shape, presence of the elements, planetary spheres etc.;
In the article both cosmological models are compared, the philosophical and theological similarities and differences are correlated.
The main scientific goal of this article is to find a fundamental complex of philosophical and theological ideas that stand behind the vision of the world existing in the European and Indian Middle Ages through the example of the works of Hildegard of Bingen and the text of the Bhagavata-purana. Verification of the hypothesis may have important social consequences, because it shows to the modern globalizing, intercultural and interreligious society that there is a crucial unity of ideas between even the distant civilization circles and this may form the foundation for dialog and cultural and social relations.
The Purāṇas constitute the most extensive corpus of ancient Hindu literature. The eighteen mahāpu... more The Purāṇas constitute the most extensive corpus of ancient Hindu literature. The eighteen mahāpurāṇas contain some 400 thousand verses 1. In addition, there are eighteen upapurāṇas and many other texts which are listed among Purāṇas or have the characteristics of the same genre but are known only locally. In that corpus are included the epics (itihāsa: Mahābhārata, Rāmāyaṇa), which have similar features to the Purāṇas and according to tradition they are named together as legend (ākhyāna) or the fifth Veda (pañcama-veda) 2. For ages the authority of the Purāṇas was so substantial that people by means of the selected verses were solving their life problems and answering questions regarding various issues in the spheres of theology and morality, and even geography and cosmology. Among traditional texts (smṛti) the Purāṇas had the religious authority and because they were easily accessible they reached the common people more directly than the Vedas or Upaniṣads. Reading of Purāṇas and itihāsas in public was considered not only the religious practice but also the social event. To this day the Purāṇas have remained real encyclopaedias of Hindu practices, beliefs, moral conduct and system of values. By means of their cosmological and geographic depictions they presented the unified model of the world. It is important to examine in detail the cosmic visions found in the Purāṇic texts because these concepts have been frequently used in different kinds of literature, from poetry and prose to prescriptive texts 3 ; and it shows how popular these visions were in the past. It is widely accepted that in India there have existed three cosmological models: Buddhist, Jain and Brahmanic (i.e. Purāṇic) 4. Although one can see many striking differences between them, there are also some obvious similarities in major. They seem to have come from one source and from the same cosmological presumptions which is even more understandable when we realize that having known one cosmological model it is easier to comprehend another one. Cosmology of the Bhāgavata-purāṇa [henceforth BhP] is multifaceted and presents many cosmological models of the universe based on many ancient sources. These complex models and images, although coming from different sources and different periods, formed a complete picture in the minds of the text recipients. Most of the cosmological descriptions are found in 1 MYLIUS 2004: 122. 2 BhP 1.4.20. 3 For example the beautiful description of the world structure in the commentary to Yoga-sūtra (YS 3.26). 4 On this division Kirfel based the structure of his great work dedicated to Hindu cosmology (KIRFEL 1990).
W niniejszym artykule przedstawiam proces kreacji świata zaświadczony w tekście Bhagawata-purany ... more W niniejszym artykule przedstawiam proces kreacji świata zaświadczony w tekście Bhagawata-purany (Bhāgavata-purāṇa – BhP 1) i zwracam szczególną uwagę na pojawienie się poznania podmiotowo-przedmiotowego jako jego myśli przewod-niej. W opisie wskazuję na elementy świadczące o prymacie postrzegania nad by-tem oraz na antropocentryczny charakter kreacji. Autorów dzieła w mniejszym stopniu interesuje obiektywnie istniejący świat, kierują oni swą myśl na wyłanianie się władz poznawczych, które stanowią według nich esencję rzeczywistości. Wybór tekstu podyktowany jest jego egzegetycznym charakterem – stanowi on dojrzałe podsumowanie wcześniejszej myśli kosmogonicznej. Jako taki tekst nie wnosi wiele nowych treści kosmogonicznych, za to porządkuje wcześniejszy mate-riał tradycji bramińskiej, składając rozrzucone obrazy kosmogoniczne niczym puzzle w jeden spójny obraz emanacji. Drugim ważnym czynnikiem, który wpłynął na wybór tekstu, jest jego przemyślana struktura i teologiczna spójność. BhP to tekst, którego znaczenie dla rozwoju myśli filozoficzno-religijnej hindu-izmu trudno przecenić. Chociaż dzieło w swojej ostatecznej postaci powstało między VI a IX wiekiem, to sięga do dużo starszych wyobrażeń epoki wedyjskiej i bramiń-skiej. W tym obszernym dziele (tekst podzielony jest na 12 ksiąg i liczy około 18 tys. dwuwierszy) poruszone są tematy charakterystyczne dla gatunku puranicz-nego, uporządkowane doktrynalnie przez kompilatorów i wyrażone piękną, często archaizowaną poezją. 1 Wykaz stosowanych w tekście skrótów znajduje się na końcu artykułu.
Bhagawata-purana (Bhāgavata-purāṇa; BhP) to tekst, którego znaczenie dla rozwoju myśli filozoficz... more Bhagawata-purana (Bhāgavata-purāṇa; BhP) to tekst, którego znaczenie dla rozwoju myśli filozoficzno-religijnej hinduizmu trudno przecenić 1. Chociaż dzieło w swojej ostatecznej postaci powstało między VI a IX w., to sięga do dużo starszych wyobrażeń epoki wedyjskiej i bramińskiej. W tym obszernym dziele (tekst podzielo-ny jest na 12 ksiąg i liczy około 18 tysięcy dwuwierszy) poruszone są tematy charakte-rystyczne dla gatunku puranicznego, ale uporządkowane doktrynalnie przez kompi-latorów i wyrażone piękną, często archaizowaną poezją. BhP stanowi dojrzałe podsumowanie wcześniejszej myśli teologicznej, w tym również kosmogonicznej. Tekst nie wnosi wiele nowych treści kosmogonicznych, za to porządkuje wcześniejszy materiał tradycji bramińskiej przedstawiając dość spójny opis kreacji. W tekście BhP można zauważyć głęboki namysł nad omawianymi za-gadnieniami i dążenie do zachowania ich logicznej spójności, czym różni się znacz-nie od powszechnie panującego wyobrażenia na temat literatury puranicznej.
ANDRZEJ BABKIEWICZ W niniejszym artykule pokrótce omawiam historiê rozwoju indyjskiej astrologii ... more ANDRZEJ BABKIEWICZ W niniejszym artykule pokrótce omawiam historiê rozwoju indyjskiej astrologii prognostycznej z uwzglêdnieniem jej korzeni i wp³ywów spoza subkontynentu. Wymieniam te¿ g³ówne teksty, które kszta³towa³y charakter indyjskiej horoskopii urodzeniowej (okreoelaj¹cej osobowooeae i losy jednostki na podstawie momentu jej narodzin), i przedstawiam miejsce astrologii w tradycji indyjskiej. Jako dodatek (s. 23 i nn.) i uzupe³nienie artyku³u za³¹czam t³umaczenie kluczowych fragmentów Wielkiej horoskopii Parasiary (Båhat-pârâoeara-horâ), popularnego tekstu astrologicznego pochodz¹cego z VI w. Na koñcu (s. 51 i nn.) zamieszczam s³owniczek najwa-¿niejszych pojêae astrologicznych pojawiaj¹cych siê w niniejszym artykule.
Books by Andrzej Babkiewicz
WBW, 2015
Purany, wraz z eposami (Mahābhārata, Rāmāyana) nazywane piątą Wedą, to najobszerniejszy dział piś... more Purany, wraz z eposami (Mahābhārata, Rāmāyana) nazywane piątą Wedą, to najobszerniejszy dział piśmiennictwa staroindyjskiego. Wylicza się, że liczba dwuwierszy całego zbioru może sięgać 2 000 000. Dla wiernych stanowią one encyklopedię mitów, wierzeń, obrzędów oraz wykładnię życiowej filozofii. Niniejsze opracowanie przybliża strukturę puranicznej rzeczywistości, w której operują bohaterowie eposów. Dodatkowo przedstawiona jest natura puran jako gatunku literackiego, zmieniające się poglądy na znaczenie i metodologię badań nad puranami, oraz konflikt między empiryczną wiedzą astronomiczną, a klasyczną kosmologią. Analiza kosmologii opiera się na tekście Bhagawata-purany. Szczegółowo przedstawiony jest obraz ziemi (Jambudvipa) z umieszczoną w centrum górą Meru, otoczonej kolistymi wyspami i oceanami. Obraz wspólny dla wyobrażeń tradycji buddyjskiej, dźinijskiej i bramińskiej.
Conference Presentations by Andrzej Babkiewicz
Transdisciplinary Approaches to the Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata” 10.06.2021; Polish Mahābhārata Translation Project panel, presentation: „Weapons in the Mahābhārata – an Attempt of Reconstruction”, 2021
Mahābhārata (MBh) is very scarce in building scenery. The authors of the epic did not include det... more Mahābhārata (MBh) is very scarce in building scenery. The authors of the epic did not include detailed descriptions of the world that could stimulate imagination. Little is known about the space in which the heroes operate, about their appearance or cities. This also applies to their militaries. The weapons, armors, parts of the chariot and military formations are named but we do not know how they could possibly look like and knowledge about this is sometimes very essential for the understanding of the epic. This paper is a part of the bigger project of translating the MBh into Polish which include an attempt to reconstruct the epic world. We would like to give some hints to help visualize military scenes in the MBh. In this paper we discuss obsolete weapons which were no longer in use. Some weapons after they become out of use, they start to play a symbolic role or sacred function. This is what happened with the Egyptian khopesh, which from 1300 BC becomes a symbol of the pharaoh's power and the insignia of some deities.
Conference article – AAR Annual Meeting 2021; Mahabharata and Classical Hinduism Seminar; Thema: Multifarious Mahābhārata Methods (21-11-2021), 2021
The three geographies related to the MBh interact with each other. In the paper I define mundane ... more The three geographies related to the MBh interact with each other. In the paper I define mundane geography as a map of India as it was imagined by the bards. Its starting point is the kingdom of Kuru seen as the epicenter of the world. Here I have reconstructed it on the basis of the number of mentions of the kingdoms and the importance of the heroes belonging to them. The analysis of mutual relations of the kingdoms formed six areas of the subcontinent within which the kingdoms were placed. Finally, using the archaeological evidence and the assumptions of historians, I mapped the capitals of kingdoms and marked areas of their possible extent. The reconstruction gives an overall orientation in the geography imagined by the bards. It is worth emphasizing that the purpose of the reconstruction is not to reflect any historical age. The text of the MBh was written over centuries during which the knowledge of the bards about geography was changing.
The demarcation line between mundane and sacred geography is the distance from the Kuru kingdom to the farthest places that could be reached by travelers. Beyond the reach of travelers is the world of gods and divine beings. These are wondrous worlds accessible only to a select few. They can be reached by taking long journeys (2.25) or in dreams (7.57). When describing sacred geography, I pay special attention to the three cosmological versions which can be found in the MBh. I suppose that the oldest is the version of continents reflected on the surface of the Moon. The islands scattered on the ocean could be a further development of it and the ultimate version is the ring-islands surrounded by the oceans. The foremost continent known to bards was the land of Sudarśana. Right behind it to the north was the land of Śāka, what may suggest that this version appeared during the Scythian influence on the Indian subcontinent. It’s worth to notice the possible inclusion of astronomical content taken from the Babylonian tradition into Indian cosmology – the Viṣṇu Cart in the north may be a reference to the Little Dipper from Babylon.
Mundane and sacred geography from the MBh influence the religious geography – pilgrimage sites related to the epic. It is a constant process, some mechanisms of which I tried to trace in the third part of the article. For the sake of clarity, we divided the pilgrimage sites into four groups, trying to capture their specificity. I pointed out slight influence of archeological finds in forming the MBh pilgrimage sites, the problem of pilgrimage places outside India, and attempts to dominate over Buddhists sanctuaries. On a few occasions I exemplify the mechanism behind the emergence of pilgrimage sites. Saints and ascetics, who are credited with spiritual vision of the past, play an important role in this process. They mainly shape the Indian pilgrimage map; however, they do not act capriciously, but rely on folk tales, adding subsequent chapters to the already existing story.
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Papers by Andrzej Babkiewicz
In this article a hypothesis is formulated about the crucial unity of the complex of ideas behind both cosmological models (although in those times there were no scholar and cultural contacts between both civilization circles). However some crucial similarities found in the analyzed cosmological models let us formulate a hypothesis that there is a common complex of ideas behind them, which as the religious paradigm (Sallie McFague, 1982) sets the main courses of thought in both cultures of those times.
Two authors (Bartosz Wieczorek and Andrzej Babkiewicz), experts in their fields present each of the traditions to see their “unity in diversity”. Thanks to such mutual looking at one tradition in the mirror of the other, each one of them could be better understood in itself because it is shown in broader interpretational context.
The authors analyze the texts (Liber divinorum operum and Bhagavata-purana) from the perspective of the following subjects:
1. model of God – cognitive models behind the conceptualization of the Absolute;
2. model of a man – central role in the creation, man as the micro- and macrocosm etc.;
3. model of the universe – spherical structure, shape, presence of the elements, planetary spheres etc.;
In the article both cosmological models are compared, the philosophical and theological similarities and differences are correlated.
The main scientific goal of this article is to find a fundamental complex of philosophical and theological ideas that stand behind the vision of the world existing in the European and Indian Middle Ages through the example of the works of Hildegard of Bingen and the text of the Bhagavata-purana. Verification of the hypothesis may have important social consequences, because it shows to the modern globalizing, intercultural and interreligious society that there is a crucial unity of ideas between even the distant civilization circles and this may form the foundation for dialog and cultural and social relations.
Books by Andrzej Babkiewicz
Conference Presentations by Andrzej Babkiewicz
The demarcation line between mundane and sacred geography is the distance from the Kuru kingdom to the farthest places that could be reached by travelers. Beyond the reach of travelers is the world of gods and divine beings. These are wondrous worlds accessible only to a select few. They can be reached by taking long journeys (2.25) or in dreams (7.57). When describing sacred geography, I pay special attention to the three cosmological versions which can be found in the MBh. I suppose that the oldest is the version of continents reflected on the surface of the Moon. The islands scattered on the ocean could be a further development of it and the ultimate version is the ring-islands surrounded by the oceans. The foremost continent known to bards was the land of Sudarśana. Right behind it to the north was the land of Śāka, what may suggest that this version appeared during the Scythian influence on the Indian subcontinent. It’s worth to notice the possible inclusion of astronomical content taken from the Babylonian tradition into Indian cosmology – the Viṣṇu Cart in the north may be a reference to the Little Dipper from Babylon.
Mundane and sacred geography from the MBh influence the religious geography – pilgrimage sites related to the epic. It is a constant process, some mechanisms of which I tried to trace in the third part of the article. For the sake of clarity, we divided the pilgrimage sites into four groups, trying to capture their specificity. I pointed out slight influence of archeological finds in forming the MBh pilgrimage sites, the problem of pilgrimage places outside India, and attempts to dominate over Buddhists sanctuaries. On a few occasions I exemplify the mechanism behind the emergence of pilgrimage sites. Saints and ascetics, who are credited with spiritual vision of the past, play an important role in this process. They mainly shape the Indian pilgrimage map; however, they do not act capriciously, but rely on folk tales, adding subsequent chapters to the already existing story.