Part III: Challenge and Change—Sectarian Texts, Commentary, and Debate
As Hindu tradition matured, the question of sacred authority became increasingly contested. This section examines how different communities claimed scriptural legitimacy through Purāṇas that rewrote cosmic history, commentaries that reinterpreted ancient wisdom, and sectarian texts that challenged Vedic monopolies. Women mystics, devotional movements, and regional traditions all fought to be heard—some successfully entering the canon, others marginalized or forgotten. These chapters reveal how sacred authority was negotiated, not simply inherited, and how the boundaries of orthodoxy were constantly redrawn.