Pratibhana Reconsidered: Eloquence and the Aesthetics of Power in Some Mah?y?na S?tras

Scholars have recognized that pratibhāna, “inspired eloquence,” is of particular prominence in Mahāyāna sūtras as a characteristic of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas who preach the sūtras. Gummer reexamines the use of the term in light of the sūtras’ conflation of sacrificial rituals for conferring/confirming sovereignty with elements of dramatic performance and aesthetic experience, illuminating a broader connection between the exercise of sovereignty and the experience of literary-poetic works.