Dominik A. Haas completed his doctorate at the University of Vienna in 2022. His publications, lectures, and courses deal with various aspects of Sanskrit literature and the cultural and religious history of South Asia, in particular with Vedic texts, mantras, and yoga. Following an interdisciplinary approach, he combines philological and historical research with methods and insights from various fields, ranging from digital humanities to text linguistics, religious studies, and archaeoastronomy.
Haas’s first monograph is the first comprehensive account of the early history of the Gāyatrī-Mantra (https://doi.org/10.1553/978OEAW93906). His second monograph offers an annotated translation of the Kaṭha-Upaniṣad and analyzes it using a novel text-linguistic method (https://doi.org/10.11588/hasp.1329). He has also published articles in various peer-reviewed journals.
His research has been supported by the Austrian Academy of Sciences (AAS), the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences (KNAW), the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS), and the University of Vienna. In 2023, his dissertation was awarded the Roland Atefie Prize of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
As co-founder of the Initiative for Fair Open Access Publishing in South Asian Studies, Haas is also involved in promoting innovative forms of scholarly communication, and fair working conditions in the academic and publishing sector. All of his publications are Open Access.
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“Wissen ist das einzige Gut, das sich vermehrt, wenn man es teilt.”
‘Knowledge is the only good that multiplies when you share it.’
― Marie Freifrau von Ebner-Eschenbach (1830–1916)
All of my works are Open Access – download and share them in good conscience!
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See you around:
WSC 2024 • YDYS 2024 • Vedic Workshop Paris 2023 • DICSEP Dubrovnik 2023 • DOT 2022 • EASR conference 2022 • Mantra Workshop Vienna 2022 • YDYS Kraków 2022 • Facets of Ancient Indian History and Culture Pune 2022 • HeiIDS Heidelberg 2021 • ECSAS Vienna/online 2021 • IIGRS Vienna/online 2021 • MESIC Wrocław/online 2021 • DICSEP Dubrovnik/online 2020 • Paths to Liberation in Hindu and Sikh Traditions, Vienna 2019 • IIGRS Oxford 2019 • IVW Dubrovnik 2019 • MESIC Poznań 2019 • LaNaFo Vienna 2018
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Memberships:
• Sammlung De Nobili
• DMG – Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft (German Oriental Society)
• ÖGRW – Österreichische Gesellschaft für Religionswissenschaft (Austrian Society for Religious Studies)
• WPU – World Philology Union
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ORCID: 0000-0002-8505-6112
Supervisors: Marion Rastelli (IKGA, ISTB)
Phone: +43-1 51581-6413
Address: Institute for the Cultural and Intellectual History of Asia | Institut für Kultur und Geistesgeschichte Asiens
Austrian Academy of Sciences | Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften
Hollandstraße 11–13/2
1020 Wien, Österreich
Haas’s first monograph is the first comprehensive account of the early history of the Gāyatrī-Mantra (https://doi.org/10.1553/978OEAW93906). His second monograph offers an annotated translation of the Kaṭha-Upaniṣad and analyzes it using a novel text-linguistic method (https://doi.org/10.11588/hasp.1329). He has also published articles in various peer-reviewed journals.
His research has been supported by the Austrian Academy of Sciences (AAS), the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences (KNAW), the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS), and the University of Vienna. In 2023, his dissertation was awarded the Roland Atefie Prize of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
As co-founder of the Initiative for Fair Open Access Publishing in South Asian Studies, Haas is also involved in promoting innovative forms of scholarly communication, and fair working conditions in the academic and publishing sector. All of his publications are Open Access.
––––––––––––
“Wissen ist das einzige Gut, das sich vermehrt, wenn man es teilt.”
‘Knowledge is the only good that multiplies when you share it.’
― Marie Freifrau von Ebner-Eschenbach (1830–1916)
All of my works are Open Access – download and share them in good conscience!
––––––––––––
See you around:
WSC 2024 • YDYS 2024 • Vedic Workshop Paris 2023 • DICSEP Dubrovnik 2023 • DOT 2022 • EASR conference 2022 • Mantra Workshop Vienna 2022 • YDYS Kraków 2022 • Facets of Ancient Indian History and Culture Pune 2022 • HeiIDS Heidelberg 2021 • ECSAS Vienna/online 2021 • IIGRS Vienna/online 2021 • MESIC Wrocław/online 2021 • DICSEP Dubrovnik/online 2020 • Paths to Liberation in Hindu and Sikh Traditions, Vienna 2019 • IIGRS Oxford 2019 • IVW Dubrovnik 2019 • MESIC Poznań 2019 • LaNaFo Vienna 2018
––––––––––––
Memberships:
• Sammlung De Nobili
• DMG – Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft (German Oriental Society)
• ÖGRW – Österreichische Gesellschaft für Religionswissenschaft (Austrian Society for Religious Studies)
• WPU – World Philology Union
––––––––––––
ORCID: 0000-0002-8505-6112
Supervisors: Marion Rastelli (IKGA, ISTB)
Phone: +43-1 51581-6413
Address: Institute for the Cultural and Intellectual History of Asia | Institut für Kultur und Geistesgeschichte Asiens
Austrian Academy of Sciences | Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften
Hollandstraße 11–13/2
1020 Wien, Österreich
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Mantra Repetition (2023–) by Dominik A. Haas
Gāyatrī Project (2018–2022) by Dominik A. Haas
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The mantra known as Gāyatrī or Sāvitrī (Ṛgveda III 62.10) is one of the most frequently recited texts of mankind. Over the course of time it has not only been personified as the mother of the Vedas – the oldest religious literature of South Asia –, but has even come to be venerated as a goddess. Today many consider it the most important, most efficacious, or holiest mantra of all.
In Gāyatrī: Mantra and Mother of the Vedas, Dominik A. Haas reconstructs the history of the Gāyatrī-Mantra for the first time, tracing it from 1000 BCE to 1000 CE. He shows how an inconspicuous verse became an emblem of Brahminical Hinduism and presents the processes that led to its deification. To this end, he not only subjects passages from more than one hundred source texts in Vedic and Sanskrit to philological-historical analysis, but also draws upon perspectives and insights from religious studies.
The Gāyatrī-Mantra plays an important role in contemporary Hinduism as well as in modern yoga and alternative spiritual currents around the globe. This book therefore not only contributes to South Asian studies and religious studies, but is also of interest to a wider readership.
Altkatholische Pfarre Wien - Heilandskirche in Vienna, Jan. 7, 2022 | Rauchfangkehrergasse 12, 1150 Wien | U4-Meidling Hauptstr., U4/U6-Längenfeldg. | Zoom details: wien15.altkatholiken.at - Meeting-ID: 703 736 906 | See https://julika.altkatholiken.at/index.php/events
Reviewers' quotes:
“The project stands out as it will, for the first time, provide an extensive study on the various (and partly divergent) understandings, applications and contexts of Gayatri. This holistic approach is unique in itself and will enable the academic community to much better grasp the overall importance, role and function of the mantra and goddess Gayatri, and their interrelation. But, the study will additionally stand out as it delivers detailed information on historic dimensions including transformation processes of ritual practices in Hindu (and Tantric) traditions and the role of certain groups in these. The study, if realized, will be a very valuable contribution to the international research in the field.” 4th review (2020, Austrian Academy of Sciences)
“Der Antrag hat mich inhaltlich, in seiner Zielführung und Originalität völlig überzeugt. [...] Nicht nur für die Indologie ist eine kritische Auseinandersetzung und Analyse der Frühgeschichte der „Wieder- / Weiterverwendung“ eines der weltweit bekanntesten und bedeutendsten Mantren ein vielversprechender Ansatz, er kann beispielhaft für ähnliche Entwicklungen in anderen Gebieten stehen.” 3rd review (2020, Austrian Academy of Sciences)
“Die Relevanz des Projekts für moderne und gegenwärtige Deutungen des Hinduismus ist hoch.” 2nd review (2019, Austrian Academy of Sciences)
“Das Forschungsdesign hat mich überzeugt und die Untersuchung ist seit langem ein Desideratum für die Indologie, aber auch die indische Religionsgeschichte.” 1st review (2019, Austrian Academy of Sciences)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/92069621367?pwd=eTFBVnRGQU8za2JzbjZFZitjSnF4Zz09
Meeting ID: 920 6962 1367
Passcode: 5ufxU2
KU Project (2016–2019) by Dominik A. Haas
In this study, Dominik A. Haas offers a new annotated German translation of the text and analysis using text-linguistic methods. He argues that, from the beginning, the Kaṭha-Upaniṣad was conceived as a compilation intended to combine new contemplative and yogic teachings with the ritual mysticism of the famous Vedic fire altar.
Eine textlinguistische Analyse soll zeigen, wie der Text verfasst wurde. Die Kaṭha-Upaniṣad wird zu diesem Zweck vollständig übersetzt und auf ihre Kohäsion und Kohärenz hin untersucht. Die Arbeit stellt die oft vertretene Auffassung, dass sich auf Basis des überlieferten Textes eine kohärente und widerspruchsfreie Urfassung der Upaniṣad rekonstruieren lässt, in Frage. Sie soll vielmehr zeigen, dass die Kompilation bereits bestehenden Textmaterials von Anfang zur Kaṭha-Upaniṣad gehörte und dass diese konzipiert wurde, um unterschiedliche Heilswege und -ziele miteinander zu verbinden. Um zu klären, auf welche Weise diese miteinander in Beziehung gesetzt werden konnten, werden die zu Grunde liegenden religiösen Konzepte vor dem Hintergrund ähnlicher Texte eingehend behandelt.
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The mantra known as Gāyatrī or Sāvitrī (Ṛgveda III 62.10) is one of the most frequently recited texts of mankind. Over the course of time it has not only been personified as the mother of the Vedas – the oldest religious literature of South Asia –, but has even come to be venerated as a goddess. Today many consider it the most important, most efficacious, or holiest mantra of all.
In Gāyatrī: Mantra and Mother of the Vedas, Dominik A. Haas reconstructs the history of the Gāyatrī-Mantra for the first time, tracing it from 1000 BCE to 1000 CE. He shows how an inconspicuous verse became an emblem of Brahminical Hinduism and presents the processes that led to its deification. To this end, he not only subjects passages from more than one hundred source texts in Vedic and Sanskrit to philological-historical analysis, but also draws upon perspectives and insights from religious studies.
The Gāyatrī-Mantra plays an important role in contemporary Hinduism as well as in modern yoga and alternative spiritual currents around the globe. This book therefore not only contributes to South Asian studies and religious studies, but is also of interest to a wider readership.
Altkatholische Pfarre Wien - Heilandskirche in Vienna, Jan. 7, 2022 | Rauchfangkehrergasse 12, 1150 Wien | U4-Meidling Hauptstr., U4/U6-Längenfeldg. | Zoom details: wien15.altkatholiken.at - Meeting-ID: 703 736 906 | See https://julika.altkatholiken.at/index.php/events
Reviewers' quotes:
“The project stands out as it will, for the first time, provide an extensive study on the various (and partly divergent) understandings, applications and contexts of Gayatri. This holistic approach is unique in itself and will enable the academic community to much better grasp the overall importance, role and function of the mantra and goddess Gayatri, and their interrelation. But, the study will additionally stand out as it delivers detailed information on historic dimensions including transformation processes of ritual practices in Hindu (and Tantric) traditions and the role of certain groups in these. The study, if realized, will be a very valuable contribution to the international research in the field.” 4th review (2020, Austrian Academy of Sciences)
“Der Antrag hat mich inhaltlich, in seiner Zielführung und Originalität völlig überzeugt. [...] Nicht nur für die Indologie ist eine kritische Auseinandersetzung und Analyse der Frühgeschichte der „Wieder- / Weiterverwendung“ eines der weltweit bekanntesten und bedeutendsten Mantren ein vielversprechender Ansatz, er kann beispielhaft für ähnliche Entwicklungen in anderen Gebieten stehen.” 3rd review (2020, Austrian Academy of Sciences)
“Die Relevanz des Projekts für moderne und gegenwärtige Deutungen des Hinduismus ist hoch.” 2nd review (2019, Austrian Academy of Sciences)
“Das Forschungsdesign hat mich überzeugt und die Untersuchung ist seit langem ein Desideratum für die Indologie, aber auch die indische Religionsgeschichte.” 1st review (2019, Austrian Academy of Sciences)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/92069621367?pwd=eTFBVnRGQU8za2JzbjZFZitjSnF4Zz09
Meeting ID: 920 6962 1367
Passcode: 5ufxU2
In this study, Dominik A. Haas offers a new annotated German translation of the text and analysis using text-linguistic methods. He argues that, from the beginning, the Kaṭha-Upaniṣad was conceived as a compilation intended to combine new contemplative and yogic teachings with the ritual mysticism of the famous Vedic fire altar.
Eine textlinguistische Analyse soll zeigen, wie der Text verfasst wurde. Die Kaṭha-Upaniṣad wird zu diesem Zweck vollständig übersetzt und auf ihre Kohäsion und Kohärenz hin untersucht. Die Arbeit stellt die oft vertretene Auffassung, dass sich auf Basis des überlieferten Textes eine kohärente und widerspruchsfreie Urfassung der Upaniṣad rekonstruieren lässt, in Frage. Sie soll vielmehr zeigen, dass die Kompilation bereits bestehenden Textmaterials von Anfang zur Kaṭha-Upaniṣad gehörte und dass diese konzipiert wurde, um unterschiedliche Heilswege und -ziele miteinander zu verbinden. Um zu klären, auf welche Weise diese miteinander in Beziehung gesetzt werden konnten, werden die zu Grunde liegenden religiösen Konzepte vor dem Hintergrund ähnlicher Texte eingehend behandelt.
Eine textlinguistische Analyse soll zeigen, wie der Text verfasst wurde. Die Kaṭha-Upaniṣad wird zu diesem Zweck vollständig übersetzt und auf ihre Kohäsion und Kohärenz hin untersucht. Die Arbeit stellt die oft vertretene Auffassung, dass sich auf Basis des überlieferten Textes eine kohärente und widerspruchsfreie Urfassung der Upaniṣad rekonstruieren lässt, in Frage. Sie soll vielmehr zeigen, dass die Kompilation bereits bestehenden Textmaterials von Anfang zur Kaṭha-Upaniṣad gehörte und dass diese konzipiert wurde, um unterschiedliche Heilswege und -ziele miteinander zu verbinden. Um zu klären, auf welche Weise diese miteinander in Beziehung gesetzt werden konnten, werden die zu Grunde liegenden religiösen Konzepte vor dem Hintergrund ähnlicher Texte eingehend behandelt.
This is the 6th volume in the series, containing thirteen articles based on the talks presented at the 12th IIGRS online and in Vienna, Austria on 22–24 July 2021.
For the last three thousand years, mantras in Sanskrit and other Indic languages have profoundly influenced religions in South Asia and around the world. Mantras take many forms, materializing in the sound of the human voice, the silence of thought, the script of writing and diagrams, the space of shrines and temples. In spite of the ubiquity and relevance of mantras, academic scholarship on mantras has proceeded in fits and starts, impelled by research on specific texts, traditions, and contexts—but only rarely through the systematic investigation of mantra as a category in its own right. While some studies of mantra in terms of language, sound, and ritual have gained wide attention, the intersections of mantra and other important scholarly categories—the body, performance, media, materiality, religious authority and identity—are relatively unexplored.
“Mantras: Sound, Materiality, and the Body” is an international workshop convened at the the Department South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies at the University of Vienna and co-organized by the Center for Contemporary South Asia at Brown University and the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore. This workshop aims to further the growth of mantra studies by bringing together scholars from various disciplines— religious studies, Asian studies, sound studies, anthropology, art history—around our shared interest in mantras. We will curate several days of conversation on mantras in all their multiformity, with a focus on sound, materiality, and the body.
What is a mantra, exactly? How does the philosophy of mantra relate to practice (and vice versa)? What role does embodiment play in mantra systems? How do mantras mediate between practitioners and their material or spiritual goals? How do mantras change when adapted to new technologies and media? How do mantras shape identities, communities, and traditions?
With the aim of grappling with these big questions (and more), we are calling for papers on mantras in premodern and contemporary contexts, in major Asian religions as well as global spiritualities, and addressing texts, practices, material culture, lived religion, and critical theory. Proposals may be works-in-progress, ideas for future research projects, summations of previous research, and theoretical or methodological interventions. We encourage contributions that span disciplines, consider mantras in vernacular languages and popular traditions, address neglected domains of inquiry, examine mantras using digital and audio-visual resources—and otherwise cultivate synergy between scholars working on mantra with different materials, approaches, and framings. This workshop will offer a forum for exploring future collaborations on mantras and the prospects for securing funding for a multi-year, international research project on mantras.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Please submit proposals via email to Finnian Gerety (finnian_moore-gerety@brown.edu), Borayin Larios (borayin.larios@univie.ac.at) or Carola Lorea (aricar@nus.edu.sg). The extended submission deadline is December 15, 2021. Proposals will be evaluated by the organizing committee and you will receive a response by January 15, 2022.
The time scheduled for paper presentations is 20 minutes, with 10 additional minutes for discussion and questions. Papers should be presented in English. Each paper proposal should include: name, affiliation of the author, paper abstract in English (not longer than 1,400 characters with spaces or 250 words), a short bibliography (optional, not included in the word limit).
We’re planning for an in-person workshop in Vienna as well as virtual panels conducted online via Zoom. When you submit your abstract, please indicate whether you plan to participate virtually or in-person.
https://iigrs.wordpress.com/date-and-venue/
The 12th International Indology Graduate Research Symposium (IIGRS 12) will be held online and in Vienna, Austria, from July 22nd to 24th 2021. The purpose of the conference is to bring together graduate students working with primary sources in Indology so that they can build contacts and present, discuss and publish their research. We are planning the symposium as a hybrid event, but expect that most people will only be able to participate online. Information on registration will follow at the end of June. Organising committee: Vitus Angermeier, Christian Ferstl, Dominik A. Haas, Channa Li. Contact: iigrsuk@googlemail.com