| Dr. Shakuntala Gawde was awarded a Doctoral Fellowship by the Heras Institute of Indian Culture, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, with the support of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, for her research project titled “Interpretation of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa through Narrative Analysis (Selected Episodes from the Tenth Skandha).” Abstract The research undertakes a hermeneutic interpretation of selected narratives from the Tenth Skandha of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa through the application of contemporary literary and narrative theories. Employing principles of textual interpretation and narratology, the study analyses episodes from the life of Śrī Kṛṣṇa to uncover their deeper philosophical, aesthetic, and theological significance. The research applies theoretical frameworks developed by K. Ayyappa Paniker, Gérard Genette, and Roland Barthes to examine the narrative architecture of the text. Adopting a toolbox approach, it integrates multiple interpretative methodologies to analyse narrative structure, characterization, temporal organization, narrative voice, and symbolic patterns. Through this interdisciplinary framework, the study demonstrates how the Bhāgavata Purāṇa constructs meaning at multiple levels and offers fresh insights into its literary artistry and hermeneutic richness. |
Interpretation of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa through Narrative Analysis
