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<div style="line-break:after-white-space">It is well known that the Mahābhārata has two frame dialogues that introduce the main story. While some characteristics of the Mahābhārata, such as its Vedic status and authorship, are emphasised in both frame stories,
other characteristics are developed in one frame story, but not the other. I will argue that the Ugraśravas narration establishes the text’s ontological status, while also presenting the story as having universal appeal. In contrast, Vaiśampāyaṇa’s narration
presents the main story in historical terms, as a chronicle of the king’s own family, as well as in cosmological terms as the unfolding of a divine plan. Addressing the creative tensions between these hermeneutical lenses, I will argue that they work together
to support the Mahābhārata’s claim to inclusivity and universality.
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Prof. Brian Collins</div>
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(He/Him/His)<br>
Drs. Ram and Sushila Gawande Chair in Indian Religion and Philosophy<br>
Department of Classics and Religious Studies<br>
234 Ellis Hall<br>
Ohio University<br>
Athens, Ohio</div>
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740-597-2103 (office)<br>
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