The Wanderer as Becoming: A Satirical Critique of Indian Philosophy and Religions and a Wanderer’s Religion

Rahul Sankrityayan, a twentieth-century Indian polymath, is known for his contributions to Buddhism, Marxism, and Hindi literature. While his writing has been analyzed for its engagement with Buddhism and Tibet, he is also credited with inaugurating Hindi travel-writing. Though his contributions to this genre are well-recognized, one crucial work—ghummakaṛa śāstra (1945; lit. The Treatise of a Wanderer)—has received insufficient scholarly attention. This article investigates the intersection of religion, travel-writing, and satire in two chapters of Sankrityayan’s treatise: athāto ghummakaṛa jijñāsā (lit. Thus, the Curiosity of a Wanderer) and dharma aur ghummakaṛī (lit. Religion and Wandering). It argues that Sankrityayan employs the figure of the Wanderer to critique religions, religious ideals, and religious figures in two key ways. First, by framing his work as a śāstra (treatise) in the classical sense, he appropriates authoritative discourse to contest religious ideas. Second, the Wanderer functions as a transcendental subject who pervades history. Blending satire with polemic, the text subverts traditional religious hermeneutics. Through close analysis, this paper demonstrates how Sankrityayan’s unconventional form—a dialogic interplay between treatise and satire—invites readers to interrogate religious authority, offering a model for engaging with religion beyond doctrinal frameworks.