Sarama and Her Children: The Dog in Indian Myth

by Bibek Debroy

The most recognized dog in Indian myth is the dog in the Mahabharata that accompanied the Pandavasnot actually a dog but Dharma in disguise. There are, however, several more references to dogs in the classical texts. Mentioned for the first time in the Rg Veda, the eponymous Sarama is the dog of the gods and the ancestor of all dogs. In Sarama and Her Children, the evolution of the Indian attitude towards dogs is traced through the vedas, epics, puranas, dharmashastras and niti shastras. The widespread assumption is that dogs have always been looked down upon in Hinduism and a legacy of that attitude persists even now. Tracing the Indian attitude towards dogs in a chronological fashion, beginning with the pre-Vedic Indus Valley civilization, Bibek Debroy discovers that the truth is more complicated. Dogs had a utilitarian role in pre-Vedic and Vedic times. There were herd dogs, watchdogs and hunting dogs, and dogs were used as beasts of burden. But by the time of the Mahabharata, negative associations had begun to creep in. Debroy argues convincingly that the change in the status of the dog in India has to do with the progressive decline of the traditional Vedic gods Indra, Yama and Rudra (who were associated with dogs), and the accompanying elevation of Vishnu, associated with an increase in brahmana influence. Debroy demonstrates that outside the mainstream caste Hindu influence, as reflected in doctrines associated with Shiva and in Buddhist jataka tales, dogs did not become outcasts or outcastes. Drawing references from high and low literature, folk tales and temple art, Sarama and Her Children dispels some myths and ensures that the Indian dog also has its day.

Genres: Nonfiction

243 pages, Paperback

First published August 25, 2008

About the author

Bibek Debroy was an Indian economist, who served as the chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India. He was also the Chairman of the Finance Ministry's 'Expert Committee for Infrastructure Classification and Financing Framework for Amrit Kaal'. Debroy has made significant contributions to game theory, economic theory, income and social inequalities, poverty, law reforms, railway reforms and Indology among others. From its inception in January 2015 until June 2019, Mr. Debroy was a member of the NITI Aayog, the think tank of the Indian Government. He was awarded the Padma Shri (the fourth-highest civilian honour in India) in 2015.
Bibek Debroy's recent co-authored magnum opus, Inked in India, stands distinguished as the premier comprehensive documentation, capturing the entirety of recognized fountain pen, nib, and ink manufacturers in India.
In 2016, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the US-India Business Summit. In 2022, he was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award by The Australia India Chamber of Commerce (AICC). In February 2024, Debroy was conferred Insolvency Law Academy Emeritus Fellowship, in recognition of his distinguished leadership, public service, work and contributions in the field of insolvency.
Bibek Debroy died on 1 November 2024, at the age of 69. He had been admitted to All India Institutes of Medical Sciences in New Delhi one month prior.

Reviews

[Andre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Als Leseratte hatte ich dieses Buch natürlich schnell durch. Ursprünglich hatte ich angenommen, dass es dicker wäre und war dann überrascht, die Erklärung folgte aber schnell, da die Seiten so dünn sind. Der Autor hat eine Menge Geschichten zusammengestellt und mehrere Texte untersucht. Das ganze ist aber keine wissenschaftliche Facharbeit wie ich sie erwartet hatte, allerdings recht informativ. Man kriegt schnell eine Menge zusammen, leider macht es auch Hunger auf mehr und das kann das Buch nicht erfüllen. Das einzige was man an Informationsgehalt ankreiden muss sind die Aussagen des Autors in Bezug auch echte Hunde, z.B. gibt es auch Tausende wenn nicht sogar Millionen von streunenden Hunden in den Industrieländern. Dieses Manko scheint aber mehr auf Unwissenheit zu beruhen die ich ihm nicht vorwerfen kann, da es einfach nicht soviel ernsthafte Forschung zuim Thema Hund gibt und wenn man bedenkt wieviel unwahres über Wölfe noch in der Fachliteratur rumgeistert (obwohl sie weit ausführlicher erforscht wurden) kann man leider nicht erwarten, dass es bei Hunden besser ist. Im Großen und Ganzen ist das Buch zu empfehlen, vor allem weil es eines der wenigen zum Thema Hund im Hinduismus und der Indischen Gesellschaft ist, dass international ist. Kommentar Kommentar | Kommentar als Link

[Pranjal Awasthi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bibek Debroy is a fascinating scholar whose erudition goes as wide as it goes deep. A noted scholar in Indology, Economics and culture, his writings can be a great resource to learn about India. I've enjoyed his translations of the Valmiki Ramayana and his commentary on the Puranas.

A somewhat minor work in his repertoire is this book exploring the dog in Indian (and world) culture. From Anubis in Egypt to Cerebrus in Greece and ofcourse Sarama in India, Debroy takes us on an engaging (though at some places in excessive detail) journey of the Dog. His primary thesis is centered around India and the changing attitudes towards the canine from Vedic, post Vedic, Caste Brahmana and Reformist Hinduism eras. After the scriptures he deals with literature (there's overlap there), poetry, diary entries etc. Eventually he weaves an interesting painting, which would delight any dog or animal lover.

Great read. Go pet your puppy

[Divya Pal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title appeared promising. However, it was a tedious read. Just a compilation of of canine mentions in Indian texts.

[Devanshu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book because the subject of dogs in the context of human history and narrative has, I think, never been written about. Although I would have liked a little more in depth analysis of how the dog is portrayed in mythologies and stories around the world, I think the author has done a great start. I wish someone took it over from here and went further on this subject. A beautiful story from Tripura is mentioned in this book "Once upon a time, in the remote past, men and dogs could see the gods. But gods smeared black soot on human eyes, so that humans are no longer able to see gods. However, dogs can see the gods even today."

[Shaily Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is quite a research by Bibek ji from the Pre Vedic times to the contemporary one. The role and importance of dog, it's decline and confused acceptance has been deeply and extensively studied. I can only imagine the amount of hard work behind this relatively small book. It can only be a work of a passionate dog lover. A great book to read for anyone who wants to know about this faithful animal in detail.

[Adarsh Mishra · Rating 3 out of 5]

not everyone's cup of tea- Mr. Debroy goes at painful length to build the narrative about history of mankind's association with dogs- across cultures, from myths to history.. but its too monotonous unless you are in love with the pet.