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Sulabhā and Indian Philosophy: Rhetoric, Gender, and Freedom in the Mahābhārata

Research output: Contribution in Book/Report/Proceedings - With ISBN/ISSNChapter

Published
Publication date17/08/2023
Host publicationAncient Women Philosophers: Recovered Ideas and New Perspectives
EditorsKatharine R. O'Reilly, Caterina Pellò
Place of PublicationCambridge
PublisherCambridge University Press
Pages38-56
Number of pages19
ISBN (electronic)9781009028769
<mark>Original language</mark>English

Abstract

In a well-known scene from the Mahābhārata, the female renunciate Sulabhā engages in a philosophical debate against King Janaka. This chapter will examine Sulabhā’s arguments and methods, while demonstrating that she makes important contributions to philosophical discussions that are going on throughout the text. I will focus on three aspects of her argument: (1) her discussion on good speech; (2) her articulation of the ethics of renunciation; and (3) her characterisation of the highest knowledge as beyond the dualities of gender distinctions. As I will show, Sulabhā makes original contributions to ongoing debates about rhetoric, ethics, and ontology in Indian philosophy. I will also address the thorny question of whether Sulabhā should be understood as a woman philosopher, or as a literary character most likely constructed by male authors. Despite the ultimate unanswerability of this question, Sulabhā articulates an understanding of enlightenment (mokṣa) that is as available for women as for men.