Description
Manohar The Dasanami-Samnyasis The Integration of Ascetic Lineages Into an Order by Matthew Clark
This book provides an account of the organisation, practices and history of the Daśanāmī-Sa^mnyāsī̄s, one of the largest sects of sādhu-s (‘holy men’) in South Asia. According to tradition, the sect was founded by the legendary south-Indian philosopher Śa]nkarācārya, whose floruit was most probably around 700 ce. While the first three chapters of this book examine the sect’s organisation and its various branches, the latter chapters explore its history. This is the first full-length study of the Daśanāmī-Sa^mnyāsī̄s to be published since the 1970s, and will be particularly useful both for students of Hinduism and for readers with a particular interest in the religious history of mediaeval India. About the Author Matthew Clark, Ph.D. (2004), School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London), contributed an article on sādhu-s/sādhvī̄-s to the 2nd edition (2005) of the Encyclopedia of Religions, and currently works as an independent academic.