ABSTRACT
In the first Chapter, Brian Black stages a dialogue between the writings of three contemporary political theorists and two sources from ancient India, both of which are themselves dialogues. The first dialogue is between Yājñavalkya and King Janaka, from the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad; while the other one is between the Buddha and King Ajātasattu, from the Dīgha Nikāya. By looking at these two dialogues together, Black demonstrates that Hindu and Buddhist sources use the same literary paradigm to explore the relationship between religion and politics in distinct, yet overlapping ways. In addition to gaining insights into the specific textual connections between the Upaniṣads and Nikāyas, Black argues that these two sources make important contributions to a more general discussion about politics and religion in ancient India. Moreover, by reading these dialogues within the context of the arguments of Amartya Sen, Ashis Nandy and Rajeev Bhargava, Black indicates ways in which an engagement with premodern Indian sources might enhance debates about secularism today.
