Hindu University of America Logo

Hindu University of America

Menu

BECOME A FRIEND
Give to HUA
Login to LMS
Hindu University of America Logo

Hindu University of America

Menu

FAQ

BECOME A FRIEND
Give to HUA
Login to LMS
BECOME A FRIEND
Give to HUA
Login to LMS

Menu

  • About HUA
    • About HUA
    • President’s Message
    • Goals & Objectives
    • Learning Outcomes
    • Mission & Vision
    • Values
    • Ethos And Culture
    • Our Promise
    • Team
    • Partners
    • Heritage
  • Academics
    • Academics
    • Divisions
    • Programs
    • Areas of Study
    • Courses
    • Faculty
    • Credit Hours
    • Academic Calendar
  • Ayurveda College
  • Admissions
    • Admissions
    • Contact
    • Apply
    • Conversion Formula
    • Credit Transfer
    • Tuition and Fees
    • Scholarships
  • Advancement
    • Advancement
    • Director’s Message
    • Giving to HUA
    • Giving Categories
    • Sustenance Funds
    • Capital Funds
    • Endowment Funds
    • Donor Recognition
    • Legacy Gift Guidelines
  • Activities
    • Videos
    • Webinars
    • Events
    • Photos
  • Blog
  • Login
    • Calendar
    • Drive
    • Chat
    • Meet
Annual Giving Campaign - 2026-2027 is under way. Donate today by Clicking Here, and help us reach our goal.
So far $710 has been raised out of a target of $ 3 Million. Click Here to donate today and help us reach our goal.
Latest Blog Restoring the True History and Chronology of Ancient India
Close button icon for closing popups
Hindu University of America Logo

Hindu University of America

  • About HUA
          • About HUA
          • President’s Message
          • Goals & Objectives
          • Learning Outcomes
          • Mission & Vision
          • Values
          • Ethos And Culture
          • Our Promise
          • Team
          • Partners
          • Heritage
        • Man in white doing yoga pose at ancient stone temple ruins
        • Learn more about HUA

        • Legacy Gift
        • Donate Today

  • Academics
          • Academics
          • Divisions
          • Programs
          • Areas of Study
          • Courses
          • Faculty-old
          • Credit Hours
          • Academic Calendar
        • Indian students using laptop with Academics page on screen
        • Explore programs and courses

        • A group of 5 young adults sitting with laptops & phones in campus setting
        • Browse our course catalog

  • Ayurveda
  • Admissions
          • Admissions
          • Contact
          • Apply
          • Conversion Formula
          • Credit Transfer
          • Tuition and Fees
          • Scholarships
        • Students
        • Learn more about our admissions process

        • Legacy Gift
        • Apply Now

  • Advancement
          • Advancement
          • Director’s Message
          • Giving to HUA
          • Giving Categories
          • Sustenance Funds
          • Capital Funds
          • Endowment Funds
          • Donor Recognition
          • Legacy Gift Guidelines
        • View of planet Earth from space showing Indian subcontinent
        • Learn about giving to HUA

        • Night view of Ganga river with illuminated ghats and buildings
        • Give to HUA

  • Activities
          • Videos
          • Webinars
          • Events
          • Photos
        • A group of men standing in a room during HUA gathering or event
        • Five men standing together at HUA event, including a swami in orange robes
  • Blog
  • Login
          • Calendar
          • Drive
          • Chat
          • Meet
        • A group of 5 young adults sitting with laptops & phones in campus setting
        • Access HUA Email

        • Indian students using laptop with Academics page on screen
        • Access HUA LMS

Course Details

Home / Course / Mahābhārata Textual Criticism

Mahābhārata Textual Criticism

$1,500.00

Register for Course

Course Code:

HAM8401

Credit Hours:

3

Course Level:

800

Area of Study:

History and Method

Course Description

HAM8401 – (PhD – Elective Course) This course covers the two parts of criticism: lower criticism and higher criticism. We will first look at the development of historical criticism and its application to the Old Testament, before considering its salience for the study and interpretation of Indian texts. We will critically evaluate German scholars’ application of principles such as form criticism, redaction criticism, redaction history, etc. either to identify strata in the texts or to identify putative ideologies behind them. In part 2, we will look at the application of these principles to the itihāsa-purāṇa tradition. Here we shall survey the main figures in Mahabharata studies and their theories of the composition and growth of the epic. We shall contrast these theories with the careful application of textual criticism to the Mahabharata by V. S. Sukthankar in creating the Mahabharata critical edition.
Mahabharata Textual Criticism
Apply for Program
Enroll In Program
Scholarships
Ask Us A Question
Express Interest

Program of Study

This course is part of the following programs:

Doctor of Philosophy in Hindu Studies

Doctor of Hindu Studies

Division

Graduate Division

Required / Core / Elective:

Elective

Prerequisites:

1)Admission into a qualifying Program of Study.

2)There are no prerequisite courses.

3)The ability to read complex texts and follow sustained arguments is required.

Semester / Quarter System:

Semester

Number of Weeks:

16

Semester / Quarter Offered:

Fall 2025

Days of the Week:

Every Sunday

Time:

11:00 AM EST – 2:00 PM EST

Start Date:

September 7, 2025

End Date:

December 21, 2025

Faculty

Dr. Joydeep Bagchee

Dr. Joydeep Bagchee is a core doctoral faculty member at the Hindu University of America and a visiting lecturer based in Berlin, Germany. He holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from New School for Social Research, New York.
read more

joydeep.bagchee@hua.edu

Course Learning Objectives

In this course, the students will be able to:

  • Identify higher and lower criticism.
  • Critically analyze the different parts of higher criticism.
  • Identify and use the different parts of a critical edition. Work with the Mahābhārata critical edition at an advanced level.
  • Be able to edit texts using the genealogical-reconstructive method
Mahabharata Textual Criticism

Featured Testimonial

Course Content

In the first half of this course, we will trace the rise of historical criticism in the context of debates over scripture. In the second half, we will study the creation of the critical edition of the Mahabharata, and what the completion of this edition reveals about the transmission of the epic.

Topics to be covered include historical criticism, higher and lower criticism, textual criticism, the principles of reconstruction, and how to use the edition, including its critical apparatus and appendices. Vishwa Adluri and Joydeep Bagchee, The Nay Science: A History of German Indology and Vishwa Adluri and Joydeep Bagchee, Philology and Criticism: A Guide to Mahābhārata Textual Criticism will serve as required textbooks for the course.

Class Structure

The class will meet for three hours each week. The course is structured as a series of lectures. Students will be asked to complete brief assignments (typically between 3–5 questions) to test their comprehension of the materials presented in class. There will be final exam. This is a take-home exam.

X

Mahābhārata Textual Criticism

$1,500.00

Clear

Share:

Browse course catalog
Hindu University of America | HUA

Be Part of The HUA Community

Sign-up for HUA communications

Hindu University of America

Main Campus:

  • Pine Lake Retreat Center,
  • 21725 FL-33,
  • Groveland, FL 34736

Administrative Office:

  • 5200 Vineland Rd #125
    Orlando, FL 32811
  • 407 545 5057
  • 407-205-2118
  • info@hua.edu
  • Tax ID / EIN: 59-2977691
Links
  • About HUA
  • President’s Message
  • Goals & Objectives
  • Learning Outcomes
  • Mission & Vision
  • Values
  • Ethos And Culture
  • Our Promise
  • Team
  • Partners
  • Heritage
  • About HUA
  • President’s Message
  • Goals & Objectives
  • Learning Outcomes
  • Mission & Vision
  • Values
  • Ethos And Culture
  • Our Promise
  • Team
  • Partners
  • Heritage
Social
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn

Be Part of The HUA Community

Sign-up for our free webinars

HUA Mitra

AI Mitra
Namaste! How can I assist you today?
Mitra! Ask me anything!
1
Cart
  • Your cart is empty! Return to shop
Checkout - $0.00
  • 0
  • 1
Doctor of Hindu Studies, Doctor of Philosophy in Hindu Studies
Please click on the link below to enroll into the Mahābhārata Textual Criticism Program or the appropriate phase.

On the program page, there are multiple payment plan options to choose from.

Doctor of Hindu Studies

,

Doctor of Philosophy in Hindu Studies

Mahābhārata Textual Criticism

Animated loading spinner icon in orange on white background

Courses in the Program

  • SAN5101 Vedic Sciences Foundations
  • SAN5102 Vyakarana 01
  • SAN5103 Sahitya I – Landscape
  • SAN5104 Veda I – Introduction to Vedas
  • SAN6101 Nyaya Vaisesika Basic
  • SAN6102 Vyakarana II
  • SAN6103 Sahitya II – Padya
  • SAN6104 Vedas II – Rgveda
  • SAN6105 Yoga Basic
  • SAN7101 Nyaya Vaiseshika Advanced
  • SAN7102 Vyakarana III
  • SAN7103 Sahitya III – Nataka
  • SAN7104 Veda III – Yajurveda-Samaveda
  • SAN7105 Ayurveda Basic
  • SAN7106 Mimasa Basic
  • SAN7107 Jyotisha Basic
  • SAN8101 Term Project
  • SAN8102 Vyakarana IV
  • SAN8103 Sahithya IV – Gadya and Campu
  • SAN8104 Veda IV – Atharva Veda
  • SAN8105 Yoga Advanced
  • SAN8106 Mimasa Advanced
  • SAN8107 Jyotisha Advanced
  • SAN8108 Ayurveda Advanced
  • SAN8109 Vedanta Basic
  • SAN8110 Vedanta Advanced
Animated loading spinner icon in orange on white background
Animated loading spinner icon in orange on white background