A review of the book 'Sarama And Her Children: The Dog in Indian Myth' written by Bibek Debroy.
The most recognized dog in Indian myth is the dog in the Mahabharata that accompanied the Pandavas—not actually a dog but Dharma in disguise. There are, however, several more references to dogs in the classical texts. Mentioned for the first time in the Rg Veda, the eponymous Sarama is the dog of the gods and the ancestor of all dogs. In Sarama and Her Children, the evolution of the Indian attitude towards dogs is traced through the vedas, epics, puranas, dharmashastras and nitishastras.
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Coming up: A review of the book 'Sarama And Her Children: The Dog in Indian Myth' written by Bibek Debroy.
Namaste Friends. My name is 'Shinil Subramanian Payamal' and you are listening to the Historylogy podcast.
Before I proceed, a full disclosure: This book was bought with my own money and not been provided to me by the publisher.
Little bit about the author:
Bibek Debroy (1955–2024) was a renowned economist, scholar and translator. He worked in universities, research institutes, industry and for the government. He has widely published books, papers and articles on economics. As a translator, he is best known for his magnificent rendition of the Mahabharata in ten volumes as well as the three-volume Valmiki Ramayana, both of which have been published to wide acclaim by Penguin Classics. This book, Sarama and Her Children, spliced his interest in Hinduism with his love for dogs.
Let me read a brief description of the book:
QUOTE
The most recognized dog in Indian myth is the dog in the Mahabharata that accompanied the Pandavas—not actually a dog but Dharma in disguise. There are, however, several more references to dogs in the classical texts. Mentioned for the first time in the Rg Veda, the eponymous Sarama is the dog of the gods and the ancestor of all dogs. In Sarama and Her Children, the evolution of the Indian attitude towards dogs is traced through the vedas, epics, puranas, dharmashastras and nitishastras.
The widespread assumption is that dogs have always been looked down upon in Hinduism and a legacy of that attitude persists even now. Tracing the Indian attitude towards dogs in a chronological fashion, beginning with the pre-Vedic Indus Valley civilization, Bibek Debroy discovers that the truth is more complicated. Dogs had a utilitarian role in pre-Vedic and Vedic times. There were herd dogs, watchdogs and hunting dogs, and dogs were used as beasts of burden. India even exported them to Alexander the Great and to Persian kings. There were no negative connotations associated with dogs.
But by the time of the Mahabharata, negative associations had begun to creep in. How did this come about? Bibek Debroy argues convincingly that the change in the status of the dog in India has to do with the progressive decline of the traditional Vedic gods Indra, Yama and Rudra (who were associated with dogs), and the accompanying elevation of Vishnu, associated with an increase in brahmana influence. This is typified in the nasty things said about dogs (and women and shudras) in the dharmashastra texts. Debroy demonstrates that outside the mainstream caste Hindu influence, as reflected in doctrines associated with Shiva and in Buddhist jataka tales, dogs did not become outcasts or outcastes. Drawing references from high and low literature, folk tales and temple art, Sarama and Her Children dispels some myths and ensures that the Indian dog also has its day.
UNQUOTE
Even if there was antipathy towards the dog in Judaism and Christianity, over a period of time, this antipathy disappeared. In contrast, attitudes in Islam are different, in the sense that the antipathy does not seem to have disappeared over time, but remains. What about Hinduism?
This book is a long chronological journey beginning with the pre-Vedic Indus Valley civilisation which attempts to test the hypothesis that dogs were looked down upon in Hindu texts and religious tradition. And you will discover that the truth is much more complicated.
It makes you wonder what Indian attitudes towards dogs would have been had Buddhism not gone into a decline or if Islam had not arrived on the scale that it did. However, caste Hinduism did not overwhelm Indian society. And thus the dog retained its own in popular stories and popular culture, not to speak of its association with various holy men.
Final Verdict:
Overall, Sarama and Her Children is a delightful and thought-provoking read if you are a mythology enthusiast, animal lover, or anyone interested in the interplay of culture and spirituality. What sets this book apart is Debroy’s ability to blend rigorous research with engaging storytelling.
The author concludes the book with the following lines:
QUOTE
How one treated the dog was a function of whether one was, or was not, a brahmana. And this also probably explains why the issue of the dog and its role has never merited a paper or book in Indological literature, since such stuff is almost invariably written by brahmanas. But as the brahmana influence fades and India becomes more equal and moves away from caste, it is time we gave the pure-bred mongrel indigenous Indian dog its due. A faithful dog is indeed sometimes worth more than a brahmana family.
UNQUOTE
I give this book 4.25/5.
At the time of recording this book review, the book is available only in Paperback and Kindle formats. But on Amazon USA the book is also available in Hardcover format. It is yet to be made available on Audible. I have given the respective buy links in the show notes. Please check them out for the latest prices.
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