A Role Of Boon (Varadana) In Some Upanisadic Stories

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The boons and the curses function significantly in Vedas, Epics and Puranas. Sometime the boon becomes remedy over the curses, it leads to the development of the plot of they remain static in a way on the other hand.

Upanisadas refer to devotion, contemplation, sincere faith as means to the boon. The Upanisadas furnish in the Upanisadas we come across many stories, myths, and legends some of which have a boon as the motif.

There are works like stories of dialogues. This book is mere collection of stories from Upanisadas in which Diwakar summarises the theme of the stories. These stories do not deal with story element and the boon bearing. The scholars have touched these stories from philosophical, educational and social point of view. Still they are not evaluated from the Varadana perspective. Hence it is proposed to highlight the genesis of the boon-motif from Samhitas to Puranas and thus thereby to posturlate the concept of Varadana, the prime emphasis being on Upanisadas Upanisadic seers impart in discourses about pancagnividya, paryanka-vidya or Brahmavidya. In the dialogue the light is thrown on the shreyas and prayas or on the two paths leading a man to descend up or to descend down. Five great acaryas commentaries do project on metaphysics, exchatology and metampsychosis so far the relevant passages are analysed.

About the Author:

Dr. Vijayanti Dilip Shete is presently working as a lecturer in Sanskrit in the Faculty of Fine Arts M.S. University, Baroda since 1988. In a very short time she acquinted herself to the discipline of Art History and the role of a Sanskritist in the study of this subject and that is why today she is regarded as specialist in a Sanskrit texts pertaining to art and architecture. She has contributed number of papers to this subject also. She has participated in national seminars and actively taken part in the International Seminar in 1997 in Bangalore.

She is born in a traditional Pandit's family. She had received prizes for Grammar and Veda, in B.A. Mahavastra and Vedanta prizes for having stood first in M.A. Examination. She is also receipient of National merit scholarship in 1970-1972. After her Ph.D. work on 'Upanishadas', she contributed post-doctoral work on Mahabharata plays and published 4 articles on it. She got an award for best presentation of a research article in 1995 in a Gujarat State level conference. Neverthless she is a winner of Jayamanta Mishra prize in All India Oriental Conference held at Calcutta in 1997. In June, 1999 her research paper on "Technology and Science through the ages in Ancient India" is warmly appreciated by the scholars.