The Books Sānk and Pātanğal

A Socio-Cultural History of Al-Bīrūnī's Interpretations of Sāṅkhya and Yoga
Erscheinungsjahr 2024
ISBN: 978-90-04-54853-4
Verlag: Brill

Buch, Englisch, Band 2, 282 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 620 g

Reihe: Perspectives on Islamicate South Asia

The open access publication of this book has been published with the support of the Swiss National Science Foundation.

Al-Biruni (ca. 973-1050) was an innovative encyclopaedist thinker. He is particularly known to have investigated into India of his time. Yet, his life and the circumstances of his encounter with Indian languages, culture and sciences are still shrouded in mystery and legends.

This research brings to light elements of his intellectual journey based on well-grounded analysis so as to contextualise al-Biruni’s work of transmission of Indian philosophies into Arabic. Thanks to a theoretical framework rooted in a multidisciplinary approach, including Translation Studies, it enables to comprehend the full scope of his work and to analyse deeply his motives and choices of interpretation.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Verdon, Noémie

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Nicht-Westliche Philosophie
• Geisteswissenschaften Islam & Islamische Studien Islam & Islamische Studien

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Acknowledgements

List of Figures and Tables

Abbreviations and Other Usages

Introduction

1 Cultural Contexts of al-Biruni’s Work and Writings

1.1 Persian and Islamic Spheres of Influence

1.2 Al-Biruni’s Visits to al-Hind

1.3 Elements of Culture of Gandhara and Panjab

1.4 Concluding Remarks

2 The Social and Intellectual Contexts

2.1 Building up Theoretical Knowledge on al-Hind

2.2 Collaborations and Multiculturalism at Royal Courts

2.3 Al-Biruni and Indian Scholars

2.4 The Transmission of Living Traditions

2.5 Concluding Remarks

3 Al-Biruni’s Translations within the Sa?khya-Yoga Traditions

3.1 Sa?khya-Yoga Literature Predating al-Biruni’s Time

3.2 Tenets of Sa?khya and Yoga

3.3 Authorships and Titles

3.4 Intersections and Disagreements of the Two Philosophical Systems

3.5 Concluding Remarks

4 Al-Biruni’s Interpretative Strategies

4.1 Al-Biruni’s Methods through the Lens of Translation Studies

4.2 Three Explicit Transformations

4.3 Al-Biruni’s Reshaping of the Original Texts

4.4 Al-Biruni’s Transformations of Content

4.5 Concluding Remarks

5 On the Kitab Patangal and Its Sanskrit Source

5.1 Scholarship Review

5.2 The Commentary as an Integrated Part of the Kitab Patangal

5.3 A Problematic Laudatory Passage

5.4 Concluding Remarks

6 On the Kitab Sank and Its Sanskrit Source

6.1 Scholarship Review

6.2 Methodological Considerations

6.3 Passages of the Kitab Sank and the Tradition of the Sa?khyakarika

6.4 Concluding Remarks

Conclusion

Appendix: Passages Related to the Kitab Sank Found in the Ta?qiq ma li-l-Hind

Glossary of Sanskrit Terms as al-Biruni Interpreted Them into Arabic

Bibliography

Index

Über Autor(innen)

Noémie Verdon, PhD (2016), Maître assistante (SNFS), Department of South Asian Studies, University of Lausanne, has several academic publications on al-Biruni and on the history of Indian thought. Her latest book Tantrisme, un chemin vers la liberté (L'Harmattan, 2023) is dedicated to a broad audience.