Fall of the Indigo Jackal

McComas Taylor is Head of the South Asia Centre, Faculty of Asian Studies at the Australian National University.

• AcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsConventions1. Introduction The Textual Families of the Sanskrit PañcatantraPurnabhadra’s PañcatantraAssigning Meaning to the PañcatantraQuestions Addressed in This Study2. The Discourse of Division in the Pañcatantra The Concept of Jati in the PañcatantraSvabhava—"Essential Nature"Jati and Social StatusEnmity/Amity3. The "Regime of Truth" and the Pañcatantra The Authoritative VoiceUniversalizing the Discourse: Space, Time, and AudienceThe Sastric ParadigmIntertextualityThe "Naturalization" of DiscourseA "Regime of Truth" for the Pañcatantra 4. The Discourse of Division and the Brahmanical Archive The Origins of VarnaSvadharma—"Essential Duty"StatusEnmity/AmityThe Cultural Context of the Discourse of Division5. Conclusion Appendix 1. Core Stories of the Pañcatantra FamilyAppendix 2. Summary of Stories in Purnabhadra’s PañcatantraNotesGlossary of Sanskrit TermsBibliographyIndex

"…very interesting and innovative … Taylor's study has provided us with a new angle for methodology that will ensure the continuous progression of our field of study." — Journal of Asian Studies"This is a fine piece of scholarship. Nothing like this exists for the Indian folklore tradition. McComas Taylor presents the multifaceted significance of the Pañcatantra, which is possibly the most popular book within India. The stories from this collection spread across the world, so this book is also significant for the global study of folktales." — Patrick Olivelle, translator and editor of The Pañcatantra: The Book of India's Folk Wisdom