The Inner Conflict of Tradition: Essays in Indian Ritual, Kingship, and Society c9.5

c9.5

In this connection the *brahmodya*—the verbal contest in which the *bráhman*, the force holding the universe together, is at stake—should have pride of place. Here we can observe the development from contest to doctrine. We may conveniently start from Renou's classic analysis of the brahmodya.³ Renou found that the classical brahmodya is "l'aboutissement (peut-être dégradé) de l'énigme essentielle du védisme ancien." The essence of its preclassical form would seem to have been an exchange of enigmatic "formulations." The question of the challenger is couched in terms of a well-turned enigma to which his opponent should react, not with a clear-cut, unambiguous solution, but with an equally enigmatic rejoinder, till one of the parties is reduced to silence⁴ or till the strongest, well aware of his strength, enforces silence by withdrawing.⁵