Sandalwood and Carrion: Smell in Indian Religion and Culture. By James McHugh. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012. ISBN: 978-0-19-991630-6, pp. xix, 322. $35 (paperback).
Author Affiliations: Loyola Marymount University
摘要
This research study, based on the author's doctoral dissertation, traces the presence of odour in the Indian culture, philosophically, narratively, and practically. The book begins with an analysis of the Sāṃkhya, Buddhist, and Jaina theories of sensory capacities. Sāṃkhya links fragrance with particles of earth and places olfactory functions at the lowest level of the sensory hierarchy. The Buddhists and the Jainas place the capacity to smell in the middle of the list of senses. For the Buddhists, the reason is somewhat unclear. For Jainas, the positioning is due to the categorization …
