How the Brahmins won : from Alexander to the Guptas / by Johannes Bronkhorst.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 490-564) and index.

Preliminary Material -- Introduction -- I Catastrophe and New Departures -- II Brahmanism -- III External Influence -- IV Conclusions: How did the Brahmins Win? -- Appendix I Brahmins and Śramaṇas -- Appendix II Vedic and Para-Vedic Texts on the Śunaskarṇa Sacrifice -- Appendix III Manu’s Final Chapter -- Appendix IV Passages Dealing with Five-Nailed Animals -- Appendix V Liberation, Enlightenment and Death -- Appendix VI The Ṛgveda Prātiśākhya and its Śākhā -- Appendix VII Did Patañjali Know Pāṇini’s Original Text? -- Appendix VIII Why did Buddhism and Jainism Develop Differently in India -- Appendix IX Bhāskara’s Acquaintance with Grammatical Literature -- Appendix X Was there Buddhism in Gandhāra at the Time of Alexander? -- References -- Index.

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This is the first study to systematically confront the question how Brahmanism, which was geographically limited and under threat during the final centuries BCE, transformed itself and spread all over South and Southeast Asia. Brahmanism spread over this vast area without the support of an empire, without the help of conquering armies, and without the intermediary of religious missionaries. This phenomenon has no parallel in world history, yet shaped a major portion of the surface of the earth for a number of centuries. This book focuses on the formative period of this phenomenon, roughly between Alexander and the Guptas.