Abstract

GONZALEZ REIMANN, Luis. Orthodoxy and heresy in Hinduism. Estud. Asia Áfr. [online]. 2019, vol.54, n.1, pp.83-102. ISSN 2448-654X.  https://doi.org/10.24201/eaa.v54i1.2361.

This article studies three commonly used concepts in some genres of Brahman literature to designate heretics over the centuries: nāstika, asura and pāṣaṇḍa. Examples show how these ideas-drawn mainly from Puranic and Sanskrit epic narratives-are deployed in specific circumstances, and illustrate how they have been used by some Buddhist authors.

Keywords : Ṛgveda; Vedas; Hinduism; Sanskrit epics; Mahābhārata.