Jarrod Whitaker, "Strong Arms and Drinking Strength: Masculinity, Violence, and the Body in Ancient India" (Oxford UP, 2011)
Today I talked to\xa0Jarrod Whitaker about his book\xa0Strong Arms and Drinking Strength: Masculinity, Violence, and the Body in Ancient India\xa0(Oxford UP, 2011).\nThe Rgveda contains over a thousand hymns, addressed primarily to three gods: the deified ritual Fire, Agni; the war god, Indra; and Soma, who is none other than the personification of the sacred beverage soma. The hymns were sung in day-long fire rituals in which poet-priests prepared the sacred drink to empower Indra. The dominant image of Indra is that of a highly glamorized, violent, and powerful Aryan male; the three gods represent the ideals of manhood.Whitaker finds that the Rgvedic poet-priests employed a fascinating range of poetic and performative strategies--some explicit, others very subtle--to construct their masculine ideology, while justifying it as the most valid way for men to live.\n Raj Balkaran is a scholar, educator, consultant, and life coach. For information see\xa0rajbalkaran.com.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices\nSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/gender-studies