Hungry God

India’s folklore and classical literature abound with stories of parents who sacrifice their children. In The Hungry God, David Shulman exam­ines one set of such tales – Hindu texts that bear similarities to the biblical aqedah, the account of Abraham’s near-sacrifice of Isaac. In all the stories that Shulman explores, the sacrifice proceeds from a divine command and has no utilitarian explanation or rationale. Both the biblical and Indian aqedah texts are central to their cultures: later texts resume the narrative, rework its premises, and develop its paradigmatic character so that it comes to function as a ‘root metaphor’ for its civilization. Shulman traces this history by unraveling the cumulative and sometimes conflicting meanings of the Hindu aqedah texts. Three Hindu tales figure most prominently in The Hungry God. First, there is the South Indian story of CiruttÉo]n_tar (Siriyāla), who kills and cooks his son to feast the god Śiva. Shulman traces the development of this story through the medieval Telugu sources, which are often openly hostile to both the god and his murderous devotee. He then turns to the story of Śuna]hśepa, nearly slaughtered by his cruel father.