Hindu Theology as Churning the Latent

The term Hindu philosophy is often preferred over Hindu theology, but I argue theology better characterizes certain Hindu texts than philosophy. I give a theoretical account of Hindu theology through an examination of Viśvanātha Cakravartin's (eighteenth-century Caitanya Vaiṣṇava-Hindu) analysis of the "churning of the ocean of milk," an important Purāṇic story, showing how it illuminates the role of the systematic intellectual engagement with, and meditation on, sacred text. I further argue for a definition of a Hindu theologian as someone trained in a disciplinary tradition, who seeks knowledge of ultimate reality (Brahman), and who seeks to follow the ethical requirements of a Hindu tradition. I examine the difference between what I have called first- and second-order theology, and look at the role of tradition (saṃpradāya) in the formation of theology. This article aims to spark further debate about the category Hindu theology in the contemporary study of religion.