SONGS OF THE ELDER NUNS (THERĪGĀTHĀ) AS THE SOURCE FOR RESEARCH ON FEMALE RELIGIOSITY IN ANCIENT INDIA – RESEARCH PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

Songs of the elder nuns (Therīgāthā) is a collection, which can be very interesting for the research in the area of religious studies. It is unique both in ancient Indian literature as well as in the world's religious literature. It constitutes the ninth part of the Khuddaka Nikāya of the Pāli canon. According to Buddhist tradition, it is composed of songs whose authors are the elder nuns (therī) – this is probably the only case where texts authored by women are recognized as part of the official canon of religious texts. The songs that form the collection are composed in the form of hymns bearing the features of personal accounts of nuns describing their path to obtain their liberation. They are often individual biographies, which describe the social origins and the motivations for conversion. This article aims to outline possible areas of research within which Therīgāthā can be analyzed and reflects upon the potential difficulties and limitations faced by researchers of the text.