The Vedic Origins of Karma

Download or read book The Vedic Origins of Karma written by Herman Wayne Tull and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 1989-01-01 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book, the author seeks access to Karma's origins by following several clues suggested by the doctrine's earliest formulation in the Upanistexts (circa 600-500 B.C.) These clues lead back to the mythical and ritual structure firmly established in the Brahmana texts, texts concerned with the rituals that chronologically and conceptually precede the UpanisThe rise of the karma doctrine is tied to the increasing dominance in late Vedic thought of the cosmic man (Purusa/Prajapati) mythology and its ritual analogue the "building of the fire altar" (agnicayana).