Hindu life and practice Books

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Book SynopsisThe late Indian scholar and tantra practitioner Harish Johari introduces the classical principles of the chakras as well as their practical application for today.Trade Review"A beautifully crafted book. Johari skillfully takes us into the machinery of Hindu metaphysics, a nerve system vehicle that navigates the invisible frontiers of consciousness...compressed with detail." * Hinduism Today *"For Harish Johari--artist, composer, teacher, tantric devotee--desire is the brush and the five senses are the palette." * Yoga Journal *"Johari shows us the mysteries of these subtle centers of transformation with visualization techniques essential to a fully realized tantric practice." * Share Guide, March/April 2001 *"Unlike other books in its field, Chakras provides the tools to activate . . . and elevate one's intellectual knowledge to an experience of spiritual growth. Nowhere else will the Western reader find so much valuable information on this ancient tradition in one place." * Branches of Light, Spring into Summer 2001 *"Among the best of Western explications, combining traditional, visionary, and practical views...illustrated, detailed, and accessible to the neophyte." * East West *Table of ContentsChakras Energy Centers of Transformation Acknowledgments 1. Principles of Tantra Yoga 2. Kundalini and Yoga 3. The Essentials of the Chakras 4. Chakras, Rebirth, and Spirituality Appendix: Extracts from Hindu Scriptures on the Various Stages of Yoga Glossary Index

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Book SynopsisThe first book to cover Krishna’s entire life, from his childhood pranks to his final powerful acts in the Mahabharata war • Draws from the Bhagavad Purana, the Bhagavad Gita, the Mahabharata, and India’s sacred oral tradition • Shows how the stories of Krishna’s life are expressed with such simplicity and humor that they enable anyone--man, woman, or child--to see the wisdom of his teachings • Provides a valuable meditative tool that allows the lessons of these stories to illuminate from within Krishna, one of the most beloved characters of the Hindu pantheon, has been portrayed in many lights: a god-child, a prankster, a model lover, a divine hero, an exemplary ruler, and the Supreme Being. In The Complete Life of Krishna, Vanamali, a leading Krishna expert from a long line of prominent Krishna devotees, provides the first book in English or Sanskrit to cover the complete range of the avatar’s life. Drawing from the Bhagavad Purana, the Bhagavad Gita, the Mahabharata, and India’s sacred oral tradition, Vanamali shares stories from Krishna’s birth in a dungeon and early days as a merry trickster in Vrindavana, through his time as divine ruler at Dwaraka, to his final powerful acts as the hero Arjuna’s charioteer and guru in the Kurukshetra war. She explains how Krishna became a mahayogi, the greatest of all yogis, and attained complete mastery over himself and nature. By integrating the hero-child with the mahayogi, the playful lover with the divine ruler, Vanamali shows how the stories of Krishna’s life are expressed with such simplicity and humor that they enable anyone--man, woman, or child--to see the wisdom of his teachings. This complete biography of the man who was also a god provides a valuable meditative tool allowing Krishna’s lessons to illuminate from within.Trade Review“Scholarly and insightful on the meanings of these legends, The Complete Life of Krishna is a strongly recommended pick for religious history collections focusing on Hinduism and eastern religions.” * Midwest Book Review, August 2012 *“Drawing from the Bhagavad Gita and other sacred texts, the author explains how Krishna became a mahayogi, the greatest of all yogis, with complete mastery over himself and nature. On whatever level you receive these stories, they are a valuable meditative tool, full of delight and wisdom.” * Whole Life Times, August 2012 *“Vanamali’s new book will entrance readers as a first introduction to the immortal Lord of Love, or as a cherished opportunity to once again dip into the nectar of the Lord’s lila, his play on earth.” * Light of Consciousness, October 2012 *“Recommended for new age and spirituality collections alike, this draws from a range of sources, from India’s oral tradition to the Bhagavata Purana, Gita, Mahabharata and more, exploring Krishna’s life, how he became the greatest of all yogis, and how he evolved to the position of a divine ruler. Any collection strong in Indian spirituality needs this in-depth coverage.” * Midwest Book Review, November 2012 *Table of Contents Foreword by Swami Krishnananda Preface: The Historical Krishna Introduction: Krishna the Supreme Incarnation Part One Bala-Lila--The Play of the Child 1 The Advent 2 The Birth of the Unborn 3 The Divine Infant 4 The Butter Thief 5 Bondage of the Boundless 6 Brahma Bemused 7 The Enchanting Flute 8 Krishna Lifts the Mountain 9 The Divine Lover 10 The Lord of Vraja Part Two Raja-Lila--The Royal Game 11 The Prophecy Fulfilled 12 Uddhava at Gokula 13 Lord of Dwaraka 14 Abduction of Rukmini 15 The Cursed Gem 16 The Pandavas 17 The Divine Husband 18 The Sons of Krishna 19 The Divine Ruler 20 The Rajasuya Sacrifice Part Three Uttama-Lila--The Game Supreme 21 The Gambling Match 22 The Exile 23 The Lord as Ambassador 24 Declaration of War 25 Srimad Bhagavad Gita 26 The Mahabharata War 27 The End of the War 28 The Advice of Bhishma 29 The Story of Sudama 30 Dharma Rules Supreme 31 The Curse of the Sages 32 Advice to Uddhava 33 The Death of the Deathless Epilogue: Lila--The Cosmic Play Appendix One. Alphabetical List of Mantras Appendix Two. List of Characters Glossary of Sanskrit Terms Index

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Book SynopsisSensual is a guide to understanding the inner spark we are all born with, why and how we lose it, and how to reclaim our power to live the life we truly want.Sensuality is about more than just pleasure. Sensuality is an innate power that can help you to tune in to your body, mind, and spirit. To be sensual is to know yourself so intimately that you can move through life with confidence and clarity, deeply connected to the fire within.In this book, Henika Patel invites you on a journey of expansion to find your unapologetic, unashamed, fully expressed sensual spirit. Blending Eastern philosophy and Western psychology with practices, rituals, and stories from her own life, Henika will empower you to: Overcome blocks, shame, and numbness Unleash and express your authentic desires Discover your inner spark and confidence Find sensuality, connection, and freedom in all areas of your life, from love and creativity to work and rel

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Book SynopsisHinduism is one of the world's oldest and greatest religious traditions. In captivating prose, Shashi Tharoor untangles its origins, its key philosophical concepts and texts. He explores everyday Hindu beliefs and practices, from worship to pilgrimage to caste, and touchingly reflects on his personal beliefs and relationship with the religion. Not one to shy from controversy, Tharoor is unsparing in his criticism of 'Hindutva', an extremist, nationalist Hinduism endorsed by India's current government. He argues urgently and persuasively that it is precisely because of Hinduism's rich diversity that India has survived and thrived as a plural, secular nation. If narrow fundamentalism wins out, Indian democracy itself is in peril.Trade Review'A profound book on one of the world's oldest and greatest religions.' -- The Hindustan Times'An influential and thought-provoking book, shedding light on many of the contradictions and anomalies of this ancient religion and its chequered history.''Tharoor's book is essential for fostering a more varied political dialogue on nationalism, secularism, and democracy.' -- Eurasia Review'Shashi Tharoor is the most charming and persuasive writer in India. His new book is a brave and characteristically articulate attempt to save a great and wonderfully elusive religion from the certainties of the fundamentalists and the politicisation of the bigots.' -- William Dalrymple

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Book SynopsisThe Guru & Disciple Book examines the guru-disciple relationship, its evolution from India to the West, and its impact on spiritual communities. It covers the roles, struggles, pastoral care, and controversies surrounding gurus, emphasizing both enlightenment and scandal.

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Book SynopsisTulasi Srinivas uses the concept of wonder—feelings of amazement at being overcome by the unexpected and sublime—to examine how residents of Banglore, India pursue wonder by practicing Hindu religious rituals as a way to accept and resist neoliberal capitalism.Trade Review"[The Cow in the Elevator] teased me into questioning what Srinivas has so beautifully and chillingly thought through for decades—wonder as an ethical practice." -- Dhruv Ramnath * The Citizen *"Srinivas provides a lively lesson in religious originality with applications and implications far beyond Bangalore or India." -- Jack David Eller * Reading Religion *"The central contribution of this book is its presentation of wonder as a new category of anthropological inquiry, and its interdisciplinary approach of parsing wonder from the vantage points of ritual and liturgical lives, socioeconomics, and aesthetic and creative spheres. Srinivas’s deployment of these specific categories by no means limits its readers; on the contrary, the book inspires readers to revisit their own field experiences, and look for the moments of wonder." -- Arthi Devarajan * Anthropology News *"Tulasi Srinivas does us a service in identifying important insights arising from her study of ritual practice that will help us to better understand wonder. Hopefully, her work will prompt other scholars to use an anthropological approach to better understand the dynamics of wonder from the perspective of the interlocutors they study." -- Steve Derné * Asian Anthropology *"The Cow in the Elevator captures in lovely detail and theory-rich rumination, the evolution and dynamism of Hindu ritualism in modern Bangalore, calling attention to the unstable and creative dimensions of ritual, and the ethical possibilities and challenges it opens up within this rapidly changing city. Scholars of Hinduism and South Asian urbanism will find much to ponder in this book, as will anthropologists interested in ritual theory and practice." -- Andrew C. Willford * Pacific Affairs *"I treasure The Cow in the Elevator for its sparkle and its positive news about hope and creativity in often bleak circumstances. Rich in original analytic insights, this book is not a tidy package but a cornucopia from which all kinds of sweet and bitter products may be extracted, tasted, consumed, and transformed: high-powered caloric fuel for interpretive intellectual energies. . . . Daring, insightful, and highly engaging, The Cow in the Elevator offers so much that its capacity to provoke unanswered questions in no way detracts from its invaluable qualities. Certainly, no other book on religion in urban India so effectively conveys the ways that ritual excess works wonders." -- Ann Grodzins Gold * American Ethnologist *"In this intriguing and richly-textured book, Tulasi Srinivas immerses us in the world of contemporary Hindu ritual practice in Malleshwaram, a suburb of the South Indian city of Bangalore. . . . The Cow in the Elevator is a deeply insightful work that offers us a glimpse of the creativity and wonder that sustain Hindu ritual life in the concrete jungles of modern, neoliberal India." -- Tracy Pintchman * Anthropos *"I found much of value in this book. . . . The writing displays a lively sense of wonder. The autoethnography is deft, and the homage to M. N. Srinivas, as father and anthropologist, very moving." -- Soumhya Venkatesan * Anthropological Quarterly *"A stunning and provocative book.… Srinivas's experienced and eloquent prose gives this book a rare combination of provocativeness and accessibility.… The Cow in the Elevator provides an intensely real and nuanced account of urban life in the twenty-first century." -- Deonni Moodie * The Revealer *Table of ContentsA Note on Translation xi Acknowledgments xiii O Wonderful! xix Introduction. Wonder, Creativity, and Ethical Life in Bangalore 1 Cranes in the Sky 1 Wondering about Wonder 6 Modern Fractures 9 Of Bangalore's Boomtown Bourgeoisie 13 My Guides into Wonder 16 Going Forward 31 1. Adventures in Modern Dwelling 34 A Cow in an Elevator 34 Grounded Wonder 37 And Ungrounded Wonder 39 Back to Earth 41 Memorialized Cartography 43 "Dead-Endu" Ganesha 45 Earthen Prayers and Black Money 48 Moving Marble 51 Building Wonder 56 Interlude: Into the Abyss 58 2. Passionate Journeys: From Aesthetics to Ethics 60 The Wandering Gods 60 Waiting . . . 65 Moral Mobility 69 Gliding Swans and Bucking Horses 70 The Pain of Cleaving 74 And the Angry God 80 Full Tension! 84 Adjustments 86 Life and . . . 91 Ethical Wonders 92 Interlude. Up in the Skyye 95 3. In God We Trust: Economies of Wonder and Philosophies of Debt 99 A Treasure Trove 99 Twinkling Excess 107 The Golden Calf 111 A Promise of Plenitude 114 "Mintingu" and "Minchingu" 119 "Cash-a-carda?" Philosophies of Debt 128 Soiled Money and the Makings of Distrust 131 The Limits of Wonder 133 4. Technologies of Wonder 138 Animatronic Devi 138 Deus Ex Machina 140 The New in Bangalore 142 The Mythical Garuda-Helicopter 143 Drums of Contention 152 Capturing Divine Biometrics 157 Archiving the Divine 159 Technologies of Capture 162 FaceTiming God 164 Wonder of Wonders 169 5. Timeless Imperatives, Obsolescence, and Salvage 172 "Times have Changed" 172 The Untimeliness of Modernity 175 Avelle and Ritu 178 Slipping Away 181 When Wonder Falls 183 Time Lords 187 Dripping Time 188 The Future, The Past, and the Immortal Present 204 Conclusion. A Place for Radical Hope 206 Radical Hope 206 Amazement in Turmeric 210 The Need for Wonder 213 Afterword. The Tenacity of Hope 216 Notes 219 References 247 Index 265

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Book SynopsisAn inspiring meditation on living a purposeful life by the director of the Institute for Extraordinary Living at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health draws on the wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita to present the spiritually relevant story of a young warrior in crisis and God in disguise.

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Book Synopsis'In this jewel-like volume, the venerable Tirtha Maharaja recounts the nectarean activities of the associates of Lord Gauranga and the acharyas of the Gaudiya Vaishnava religion.' ––Swami B.P. Puri,  Founder Acharya, Gopinath Gaudiya Math  Srila Bhakti Ballabha Tirtha Goswami Maharaja has gathered a great deal of information about the lives of the devotees from numerous sources, and has made this information more relishable by virtue of his own insight. These biographies of Mahaprabhu's devotees should be read on their appearance and disappearance days, for this will bring great joy to both those who hear and those who read them. In this English translation, it will be possible for devotees around the world to enjoy them. Herein, the author delights in the life stories of Jagannath Mishra, Madhavendra Puri, Ishvara Puri, Advaita Acharya, Srivas Pandit, Chandrasekhar Acharya, Pundarika Vidyanidhi, Gadadhar Pandit, Vakresvara Pandit, Gadadhar Das, Shivananda Sen, Paramananda Puri, Murari Gupta, and many others. Every letter of these accounts is drenched with the nectar of devotion. The sincere seeker will never be able to enter the transcendental kingdom nor to advance in the devotional life unless they also discover this delight.  

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Book SynopsisIn literature and popular imagination, the Bauls of India and Bangladesh are characterized as musical mystics: orange-clad nomads of both Hindu and Muslim backgrounds who wander the countryside and entertain with their passionate singing and unusual behavior. Although Bauls claim to value women over men, little is known about the individual views and experiences of Baul women. Based on ethnographic research, this book explores the everyday lives of Baul women. Knight demonstrates that Baul women respond to the conflicting expectations imposed on them in various ways, sometimes adopting and other times subverting local gendered norms to craft meaningful lives. More so than their male counterparts, Baul women feel encumbered by norms. But rather than seeing Baul women''s normative behavior as indicative of their conformity to gendered roles (and, therefore, failures as Bauls), Knight argues that these women creatively draw on societal expectations to transcend their social limits and create new paths.Trade ReviewThe dominant tropes imagined for the Baul tradition of eastern India and Bangladesh are constructed around male models: the wandering mistrel carrying his ektara instrument who engages in esoteric ritual practices. Lisa Knight's sensitive ethnography, however, fills in the significant lacunae of the lives and practices of Baul women. She artfully analyzes the ways in which these women bridge the contradictory expectations of Baul traditions as 'wanderers' and those of the non-Baul communities as respectable, settled Bengali householders. This study will significantly impact the ways in which readers understand Baul traditions, asceticism, boundaries of religious identities, and women's agency and performance in South Asia. * Joyce Burkhalter Flueckiger, author of In Amma's Healing Room: Gender & Vernacular Islam in South India. *Table of ContentsNote on Diacritics, Transliteration, and Names ; List of Maps and Figures ; Part 1: Multiple Sites ; 1. Finding Baul Women ; 2. "Real Bauls Live under Trees:" Imaginings and the Marginalization of Baul Women ; 3. "I've Done Nothing Wrong:" Feminine Respectibility and Baul Expectations ; Part 2: Negotiations ; 4. Negotiating between Paradigms of the Good Baul and the Good Woman ; 5. "Do Not Neglect This Golden Body of Yours:" Personal and Social Transformation through Baul Songs ; 6. Renouncing Expectations ; Concluding Thoughts ; Glossry ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisJames McHugh offers the first comprehensive examination of the concepts and practices related to smell in pre-modern India. Drawing on a wide range of textual sources, from poetry to medical texts, he shows the deeply significant religious and cultural role of smell in India throughout the first millennium CE.McHugh describes sophisticated arts of perfumery, developed in temples, monasteries, and courts, which resulted in worldwide ocean trade. He shows that various religious discourses on the purpose of life emphasized the pleasures of the senses, including olfactory experience, as a valid end in themselves. Fragrances and stenches were analogous to certain values, aesthetic or ethical, and in a system where karmic results often had a sensory impact-where evil literally stank-the ethical and aesthetic became difficult to distinguish.Sandalwood and Carrion explores smell in pre-modern India from many perspectives, covering such topics as philosophical accounts of smell perception, odorTrade Reviewa book that will long stand out for bringing the text back in after the embodied turn in the history of religion, and doing so with the utmost erudition and nuance, like a fine perfume. * David Howes, Journal of the American Academy of Religion *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ; Preface ; Part One: Smells in Theory ; 1 INTRODUCTION ; 2 EARTH, WIND, FOUL & FRAGRANT: THE THEORY OF SMELLING & ODORS IN MEDIEVAL SOUTH ASIA ; Part Two: Smells in the World ; 3 LOTUS, FISH, & COWS: THE SMELL-SCAPE OF TRADITIONAL SOUTH ASIA ; 4 FLOWERS & FISH IN THE MAH?BH?RATA ; Part Three: Smells in Practice ; 5 MOON JUICE & UPROAR: PERFUMERY TEXTS ; 6 ALLIES, ENEMIES, & YAK?A MUD: PERFUMES ; Part Four: Aromatic Materials ; 7 THE INCENSE TREES OF THE LAND OF EMERALDS: EXOTIC AROMATICS IN MEDIEVAL SOUTH ASIA ; 8 SANDALWOOD: MERCHANTS, EXPERTISE & PROFIT ; Part Five: Smell and Religion ; 9 BOIS DES ISLES ; 10 THE TOILETTE OF THE GODS ; Epilogue ; Appendix SANSKRIT & PRAKRIT TEXTS ON PERFUME BLENDING & PERFUMERY ; Bibliography

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewRupa Viswanath has carried out an extraordinary feat of historical scholarship in the new field of Dalit studies. Skillfully negotiating two different archives-the official and the missionary-she grounds the cultural struggles of the untouchable castes of Tamil Nadu in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in the political economy of land and labor. Viswanath powerfully argues that there was a government-missionary nexus that sought to turn the pariah from traditional forms of slavery to modern forms of dispossessed labor. Most remarkably, she shows that the initiative for conversion to Christianity came not from missionaries but from Dalits who were motivated not by abstract ideas of emancipation but by strategic considerations of material advantage in their daily struggles. The Pariah Problem is a breakthrough in modern South Asian studies. -- Partha Chatterjee, Columbia University and the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta The combination of historical depth and theoretical nuance makes The Pariah Problem both a brilliant scholarly achievement and a major political intervention. Taking the agrarian unfreedom that marked rural life in Madras Presidency as her starting point, Viswanath reconstructs with meticulous precision the problem of the 'Pariah'-hereditarily unfree Dalit laborers-that by the late nineteenth century compelled the reluctant attention of the colonial state and the elite indigenous public sphere. The Pariah Problem is most far-reaching in its implications, and at its devastating best, in documenting the 'caste-state nexus' that developed to contain-rather than to solve-this problem and continue to thwart genuine solutions today. This book will take its place justifiably among the best on the Dalit struggle for equality in India. -- Mrinalini Sinha, University of Michigan Essential... The volume is meticulous in its scholarship and written with great care and precision. A must read for South Asian specialists and general educated readers. CHOICE A remarkable feat in historical scholarship and a nuanced theoretical intervention in the new field of Dalit Studies. American Historical Review In this brilliant study, Viswanath traces the origins of the many myths that the social elite continue to spread...This book would be a valuable reference to those engaged in the study of colonial India as well as those interested in the study of modern missions. -- James Taneti Mission Studies Rupa Viswanath's The Pariah Problem is an important, insightful, and very likely lasting contribution to the burgeoning field of Dalit studies, and more broadly the study of Indian religion, caste, and the colonial state... Ground-breaking. Journal of Hindu Studies An outstanding work of historical scholarship. Pacific Affairs Journal An absorbing combination of scholarly erudition, analytical force, and lucid exposition. -- Arvind Sharma International Journal of Dharma StudiesTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction 1. Land Tenure or Labor Control? The Agrarian Mise-en-Scene 2. Conceptualizing Pariah Conversion: Caste 3. The Pariah-Missionary Alliance: Agrarian Contestation and the Local State 4. The State and the Ceri 5. Settling Land 6. The Marriage of Sacred and Secular Authority: New Liberalism 7. Giving the Panchama a Home: Creating a Friction Where None Exists 8. Everyday Warfare: Caste 9. The Depressed Classes Conclusion: The Pariah Problem's Enduring Legacies Glossary Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A ground-breaking contribution to the emerging field of eco–art history, the book examines architecture, paintings, photography, and prints created in Braj alongside theological treatises and devotional poetry to foreground seepages between the natural ecosystem and cultural production. The paintings of deified rivers, temples that emulate fragrant groves, and talismanic bleeding rocks that Ray discusses will captivate readers interested in environmental humanities and South Asian art history." * South Asia Research Note *"A wonderfully imaginative addition to the growing body of literature on the Little Ice Age. Sugata Ray traces the influence of climatic variations on South Asian art, architecture and devotional practices with extraordinary interpretive skill. This book is a must read for everyone with an interest in human responses to climate variability." -- Amitav Ghosh * author blog *"By opening art history to questions about how humans have thought about the earth, and how art and religion have been shaped by human changes and natural disruptions to the earth, Ray’s brilliant book guides us to new problems, and to new ways of thinking about art" * H-Asia (H-Net) *"This is an excellent book that is well worth reading. Sugata Ray is a very good writer, and Climate Change and the Art of Devotion was impressively researched." * Journal of the American Academy of Religion (JAAR) / Reading Religion *"This is a thought-provoking work whose greatest contribution is that it carves a path for new studies that may extend our understanding of the deep and complex interrelationships among geoaesthetics, ecology, spiritual practice, and the built environment in early modern India." * Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians *"[E]nchanting and compelling. Ray musters visual and textual evidence for an original approach to representations of the natural environment in art and temple architecture devoted to the god Krishna during a three-hundred-year time span, 1550-1850." * The Middle Ground *"[T]he methodologies entailed in geoaesthetics and eco art history open up new avenues for understanding the history of Braj religion and art in particular, and the cultural dynamics of climate change more broadly. As we enter ever more deeply into the Anthropocene, scholarship such as Ray’s will be increasingly important." * Journal of Religion *"To call the methodology of this book transdisciplinary does not do justice to this well-constructed and beautiful masterpiece...Climate Change and the Art of Devotion is a must-read for all who care about religion and ecology, religion and art history, Indian philosophy and religion, Asian art, art history, and geoaesthetics." * Reading Religion *

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Book SynopsisThis volume is a systematic and comprehensive introduction to one of the most read texts in South Asia, the Bhagavad-gÄtÄ. The Bhagavad-gÄtÄ is at its core a religious text, a philosophical treatise and a literary work, which has occupied an authoritative position within Hinduism for the past millennium.This book brings together themes central to the study of the GÄtÄ, as it is popularly known â such as the Bhagavad-gÄtÄâs structure, the history of its exegesis, its acceptance by different traditions within Hinduism and its national and global relevance. It highlights the richness of the GÄtÄâs interpretations, examines its great interpretive flexibility and at the same time offers a conceptual structure based on a traditional commentarial tradition.With contributions from major scholars across the world, this book will be indispensable for scholars and researchers of religious studies, especially Hinduism, Indian philosophy, Asian philosophy, Indian history, literature and South Asian studies.Table of Contents1. The Bhagavad-gītā and its contents 2. The structure of the Bhagavad-gītā 3. Bhagavad-gītā: its philosophy and interpretation 4. Śaṅkara’s deconstruction of the Bhagavad-gītā grounded in his preunderstanding 5. The soteriology of devotion, divine grace, and teaching: Bhagavad-gītā and the Śrīvaiṣṇavas 6. Karma in the Bhagavad-gītā: Caitanya Vaiṣṇava views 7. The greatness of the Gītā, as icon and mantra 8. The Bhagavad-gītā and Indian nationalist movement: Tilak, Gandhi, and Aurobindo 9. The Gītā of the gurus: the Bhagavad-gītā since Indian independence 10. Arjuna and Acyuta: the import of epithets in the Bhagavad-gītā

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Book SynopsisThe study of Hinduism is fragmented among many disciplines. Early academic study of Hinduism was overwhelmingly a study of texts, and while a strong philological tradition continues to characterise much work on Hinduism (in particular in Indology), very different materials and questions animate debates among anthropologists, sociologists, historians, philosophers, and others. The result is that Hindu institutions such as temples are understood quite differently by those who focus on their political, economic, religious, or aesthetic dimensions. Valuable contributions are also beginning to appear in emergent fields as diverse as cognitive science and constructive Hindu theology. While many works in these fields are published in Europe or North America, significant work appears in journals and books published in India which remain hard to access elsewhere. The collection is fully indexed and supplemented with a comprehensive introduction, newly written by the editor, which places the gathered materials in their historical and intellectual context.

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Book SynopsisThe timeless leadership wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita explained Although it was written well over two thousand years ago, the Bhagavad Gita ("Song of God"), a revered Hindu religious text, contains an immense wealth of ageless wisdom that speaks directly to the needs of today's business leaders.Table of ContentsA Note about the Text xv Acknowledgments xix Introduction: The Context of the Gita xxi SUTRA 1 The Warrior’s Journey Leaders Embrace Discontinuity and Death 1 All Wars Are First Fought in the Mind 3 The Mind Is a Mob 5 The Ego Is a Disposable Idea 8 Leaders Embrace Discontinuity by Dispossessing the Ego 10 The Secret of Invincibility: The Conquest of the Binary Mind 12 Self Is the Cause; Self Is the Effect 13 Hunting for the I 15 SUTRA 2 Invincible Wisdom Leaders Create Alternative Reality 17 Grief, Pity, and Shame: The Mind’s GPS System 18 Creating Alternative Reality 20 Motivation and the Monkey Mind 22 The Leader’s Inspiration Comes from Unselfish Work 23 Unselfish Work Leads to Evenness of Mind 26 Applying Invincible Wisdom: Powered by the Intellect and Driven by Unselfishness 29 SUTRA 3 Karma Yoga Leaders Enter the Timeless Cycle of Action 33 Arjuna’s Dilemma: The Warrior as Worrier 34 Work and Its Secret: Action, Inaction, and Effortless Action 35 Karma Yoga: Work as Worship 38 The Yajna Spirit: Discovering the Timeless Cycle of Work 40 Swadharma: The Case for Righteous Action 42 Work as a Means of Realizing Who We Are 44 SUTRA 4 Timeless Leaders Pursue Purpose as the Source of Supreme Power 47 Rajarshi: The Leader as Sage 48 The Many Faces of the Supreme Power 50 Twenty-Four-Hour Leadership 53 The Return of the Rishi 55 SUTRA 5 Leadership Is the Art of Undoing The State of Detached Engagement 59 How Anchors of the Past Hinder Performance 60 The Art of Detached Involvement 62 Evolving to the Equality of Vision 63 The Art of Undoing 66 SUTRA 6 Leaders Are Masters of Their Minds The Art and Practice of Meditation 69 Separating the Self Image from the Real Self 70 Mastery of the Mind 73 Disciplines of Mastery: Concentration, Detachment, and Transcendence 76 The Power of Stillness 77 SUTRA 7 Leaders Are Integrators The Freedom of “I Am” 81 Context 81 Arjuna’s Journey from Ignorance to Wisdom 82 Timeless Leaders Integrate People and Processes 84 The Leader’s World: A Reflection of Unmanifest Dharma 85 From Ego-Centered to Spirit-Centered Leadership 87 Leaders Liberate Themselves and Others from Suffering 89 SUTRA 8 Timeless Leadership Decoding the Meaning of Life 93 Timeless Leaders Explore the Ultimate Meaning of Life 94 The Multidimensional Meaning of Life 95 Creation Is Sacrificing the Smaller for the Sake of the Greater 97 The Real Meaning of Life Is Contained in Life Itself 98 Meaningful Work: A Synthesis ofReflection and Action 100 SUTRA 9 The Sovereign Secret Timeless Leaders Live in a Self-Organizing Universe 103 Sovereign Self and the Path of Unity 104 The Governance of the Ego: The Path of Disintegration 105 Self-Organization: When Organization Becomes Community 107 The Law of Giving: Being and Becoming 110 SUTRA 10 Leadership Is an Adventure of Consciousness 113 Leading Consciously 113 Silence: The Language of Timeless Leadership 115 The Dynamism of Indivisibility 118 The Pursuit of Excellence 121 SUTRA 11 Timeless Leaders Have Integral Vision 125 Integral Vision 126 Sight and Insight 128 The Pangs of Plurality 130 The Leader as Servant: Being an Instrument of the Whole 132 SUTRA 12 Love Is the Leader’s Essence; Love is the Leader’s Presence 135 Leadership Is Love Made Visible 136 Devotion: The Art and Practice of Leadership 138 Attributes of the Leader as Devotee 142 SUTRA 13 Leaders Command Their Field with the Eye of Wisdom 145 The Leader as a Knower in the Field of Knowledge 146 The Dimensions of the Field and the Knower of the Field 149 Seeing with the Eye of Wisdom 151 SUTRA 14 Leaders Harness the Dynamic Forces of Nature 155 Nature’s Manuscript: The Three Forces 156 How Leaders Harness the Three Forces of Nature 158 Transcending the Dynamics of Nature 162 SUTRA 15 Timeless Leaders Discover Their Invisible Source The Tree of Life 165 The Tree of Life 166 The Invisible Leader 169 From the Perishable to the Imperishable: Quest for the Supreme Self 172 SUTRA 16 Leaders Negotiate the Crossroads The Divine and the Devilish 175 The Crossroads of Leadership: The Divine and the Devilish 176 Toxic Leadership 180 The Return Journey 182 SUTRA 17 Leaders Follow Their Faith The Journey of Self-Giving 185 Faith: The Deep Structure of Leadership 186 Three Kinds of Faith 187 The Art and Science of Self-Giving 191 SUTRA 18 Leadership Is Transcendence The Unity of Two Wills 195 The Source and Resource 196 The Algebra of Attachment 198 Renunciation and Regeneration of the Leader 201 The Path of Transcendence 203 The Unity of Two Wills: The Fighter and the Warrior 207 CONCLUSION Arjuna’s Awakening Practical Wisdom for Timeless Leaders 211 Quiet Leadership: The Practice of Handling Information Overload 212 Leaders Must First Solve Their Most Persistent Problem 214 Wisdom in Times of Uncertainty: Leaders Deal with Discontinuities in Life and Work 215 Leaders Triumph by Merging Their Individual Will with Life’s Purpose 216 References 219 About the Author 223 Index 225

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Book SynopsisLearn more at www.luminosoa.org. Impersonations: The Artifice of Brahmin Masculinity in South Indian Dance centers on an insular community of Smarta Brahmin men from the Kuchipudi village in Telugu-speaking South India who are required to don stri-vesam (woman's guise) and impersonate female characters from Hindu religious narratives. Impersonation is not simply a gender performance circumscribed to the Kuchipudi stage, but a practice of power that enables the construction of hegemonic Brahmin masculinity in everyday village life. However, the power of the Brahmin male body instri-vesamis highly contingent, particularly on account of the expansion of Kuchipudi in the latter half of the twentieth century from a localized village performance to a transnational Indian dance form. This book analyzes the practice of impersonation across a series of boundariesvillage to urban, Brahmin to non-Brahmin, hegemonic to non-normativeto explore the artifice of Brahmin masculinity in contemporary South Indian dance.Trade Review"In her excellent analysis of the arrival of the Indian classical dance Kuchipudi on the transnational stage, Kamath charts transformations in Kuchipudi narrative and performance. . . .Kamath cogently articulates these subversive possibilities through ideas of impersonation. Her work adds to the growing body of scholarly work on classical Indian dances that re-examines the cultural and gender politics of classicism as these forms are nationalized and globalized, and, in the current climate, increasingly integrated with the politics of Hindutva." * Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute *

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsList of Figures and Tables Preface Acknowledgments Part One. The Spectacle of Fire 1. Burning Issues 2. Colonial Necro-Politics and the Polysemic Corpse Part Two. Questing Fire 3. The City and Its Dead 4. Consuming Fire 5. The Global Dead Part Three. The Fire Triumphant 6. The Rebirth of Cremation 7. Cremation and the Nation Epilogue: Rethinking the Hindu Pyre A Note on Weights and Currency List of Abbreviations Glossary Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA Treatise on Dharma, written in the fourth or fifth century, illuminates major innovations in religious, civil, and criminal law, and informed Indian life for a thousand years. This new critical edition, presented alongside the Sanskrit original in the Devanagari script, opens the classical age of ancient Indian law to modern readers.

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Book SynopsisTulasi Srinivas uses the concept of wonder—feelings of amazement at being overcome by the unexpected and sublime—to examine how residents of Banglore, India pursue wonder by practicing Hindu religious rituals as a way to accept and resist neoliberal capitalism.Trade Review"[The Cow in the Elevator] teased me into questioning what Srinivas has so beautifully and chillingly thought through for decades—wonder as an ethical practice." -- Dhruv Ramnath * The Citizen *"Srinivas provides a lively lesson in religious originality with applications and implications far beyond Bangalore or India." -- Jack David Eller * Reading Religion *"The central contribution of this book is its presentation of wonder as a new category of anthropological inquiry, and its interdisciplinary approach of parsing wonder from the vantage points of ritual and liturgical lives, socioeconomics, and aesthetic and creative spheres. Srinivas’s deployment of these specific categories by no means limits its readers; on the contrary, the book inspires readers to revisit their own field experiences, and look for the moments of wonder." -- Arthi Devarajan * Anthropology News *"Tulasi Srinivas does us a service in identifying important insights arising from her study of ritual practice that will help us to better understand wonder. Hopefully, her work will prompt other scholars to use an anthropological approach to better understand the dynamics of wonder from the perspective of the interlocutors they study." -- Steve Derné * Asian Anthropology *"The Cow in the Elevator captures in lovely detail and theory-rich rumination, the evolution and dynamism of Hindu ritualism in modern Bangalore, calling attention to the unstable and creative dimensions of ritual, and the ethical possibilities and challenges it opens up within this rapidly changing city. Scholars of Hinduism and South Asian urbanism will find much to ponder in this book, as will anthropologists interested in ritual theory and practice." -- Andrew C. Willford * Pacific Affairs *"I treasure The Cow in the Elevator for its sparkle and its positive news about hope and creativity in often bleak circumstances. Rich in original analytic insights, this book is not a tidy package but a cornucopia from which all kinds of sweet and bitter products may be extracted, tasted, consumed, and transformed: high-powered caloric fuel for interpretive intellectual energies. . . . Daring, insightful, and highly engaging, The Cow in the Elevator offers so much that its capacity to provoke unanswered questions in no way detracts from its invaluable qualities. Certainly, no other book on religion in urban India so effectively conveys the ways that ritual excess works wonders." -- Ann Grodzins Gold * American Ethnologist *"In this intriguing and richly-textured book, Tulasi Srinivas immerses us in the world of contemporary Hindu ritual practice in Malleshwaram, a suburb of the South Indian city of Bangalore. . . . The Cow in the Elevator is a deeply insightful work that offers us a glimpse of the creativity and wonder that sustain Hindu ritual life in the concrete jungles of modern, neoliberal India." -- Tracy Pintchman * Anthropos *"I found much of value in this book. . . . The writing displays a lively sense of wonder. The autoethnography is deft, and the homage to M. N. Srinivas, as father and anthropologist, very moving." -- Soumhya Venkatesan * Anthropological Quarterly *"A stunning and provocative book.… Srinivas's experienced and eloquent prose gives this book a rare combination of provocativeness and accessibility.… The Cow in the Elevator provides an intensely real and nuanced account of urban life in the twenty-first century." -- Deonni Moodie * The Revealer *Table of ContentsA Note on Translation xi Acknowledgments xiii O Wonderful! xix Introduction. Wonder, Creativity, and Ethical Life in Bangalore 1 Cranes in the Sky 1 Wondering about Wonder 6 Modern Fractures 9 Of Bangalore's Boomtown Bourgeoisie 13 My Guides into Wonder 16 Going Forward 31 1. Adventures in Modern Dwelling 34 A Cow in an Elevator 34 Grounded Wonder 37 And Ungrounded Wonder 39 Back to Earth 41 Memorialized Cartography 43 "Dead-Endu" Ganesha 45 Earthen Prayers and Black Money 48 Moving Marble 51 Building Wonder 56 Interlude: Into the Abyss 58 2. Passionate Journeys: From Aesthetics to Ethics 60 The Wandering Gods 60 Waiting . . . 65 Moral Mobility 69 Gliding Swans and Bucking Horses 70 The Pain of Cleaving 74 And the Angry God 80 Full Tension! 84 Adjustments 86 Life and . . . 91 Ethical Wonders 92 Interlude. Up in the Skyye 95 3. In God We Trust: Economies of Wonder and Philosophies of Debt 99 A Treasure Trove 99 Twinkling Excess 107 The Golden Calf 111 A Promise of Plenitude 114 "Mintingu" and "Minchingu" 119 "Cash-a-carda?" Philosophies of Debt 128 Soiled Money and the Makings of Distrust 131 The Limits of Wonder 133 4. Technologies of Wonder 138 Animatronic Devi 138 Deus Ex Machina 140 The New in Bangalore 142 The Mythical Garuda-Helicopter 143 Drums of Contention 152 Capturing Divine Biometrics 157 Archiving the Divine 159 Technologies of Capture 162 FaceTiming God 164 Wonder of Wonders 169 5. Timeless Imperatives, Obsolescence, and Salvage 172 "Times have Changed" 172 The Untimeliness of Modernity 175 Avelle and Ritu 178 Slipping Away 181 When Wonder Falls 183 Time Lords 187 Dripping Time 188 The Future, The Past, and the Immortal Present 204 Conclusion. A Place for Radical Hope 206 Radical Hope 206 Amazement in Turmeric 210 The Need for Wonder 213 Afterword. The Tenacity of Hope 216 Notes 219 References 247 Index 265

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Book SynopsisPracticing Caste attempts a break from the tradition of caste studies, using versions of phenomenology, structuralism and post-structuralism; and gives a description of touchability and untouchability in terms of a rhetoric and semantics of touch.Table of ContentsForeword by Anupama Rao vii Introduction 1 1. Touch and Its Elements and Kinds 11 2. Touch—An A Priori Approach 37 3. Touch in Its Social and Historical Aspects I 61 4. Touch in Its Social and Historical Aspects II 93 5. Touch and Texts: Ancient and Modern 119 6. (Un)touchability of Things and People 148 7. Society, Sociality, Sociability 170 8. Recapitulation with Variations 190 Coda 205 Notes 209 Bibliography 223 Index 233

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Book SynopsisFirst Published in 1959, Hinduism written specifically for the modern readers describes and interprets one of the world's chief religions. For thousands of years Indian sages have speculated on man, creation, and the universe. One result has been an astonishing amount of myth and ritual, of art, asceticism, and philosophy. Swami Nikhilananda provides a brief account of Hinduism in both its theoretical and its practical aspects. It is written mainly from the point of view of non-dualism which the author argues is the highest achievement of India's mystical insights and philosophical speculation, and her real contribution to world culture. The volume deals with themes like Hindu Ethics; Karma-Yoga; Bhakti-Yoga; Jnana- Yoga; Raja-Yoga; and Tantra. This complete survey of Hindu beliefs and customs is indispensable for scholars and researchers of Hinduism, religion, Indian philosophy, Indian culture, and heritage. Table of ContentsWorld Perspectives What This Series Means Acknowledgements Foreword 1. The Spirit of Hinduism 2. The Godhead and Creation 3. The Soul and Its Destiny 4. Hindu Ethics 5. Spiritual Disciplines I (Karma-Yoga) 6. Spiritual Disciplines II (Bhakti-Yoga) 7. Spiritual Disciplines III (Jnana- Yoga) 8. Spiritual Disciplines IV (Raja- Yoga) 9. Tantra: A Way of Realization 10. Hinduism in Practice 11. Interreligious Relations: A Hindu Attitude

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Book SynopsisThis book explores the cross- and trans-cultural dialectic between Tantra and intersecting âmagicalâ and âshamanicâ practices associated with vernacular religions across Monsoon Asia. With a chronological frame going from the mediaeval Indic period up to the present, a wide geographical framework, and through the dialogue between various disciplines, it presents a coherent enquiry shedding light on practices and practitioners that have been frequently alienated in the elitist discourse of mainstream Indic religions and equally overlooked by modern scholarship.The book addresses three desiderata in the field of Tantric Studies: it fills a gap in the historical modelling of Tantra; it extends the geographical parameters of Tantra to the vast, yet culturally interlinked, socio-geographical construct of Monsoon Asia; it explores Tantra as an interface between the Sanskritic elite and the folk, the vernacular, the magical, and the shamanic, thereby revisiting the intellectual and

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This book provides a rigorously researched, critically comparative introduction to yoga. Is This Yoga? Concepts, Histories, and the Complexities of Contemporary Practice recognizes the importance of contemporary understandings of yoga and, at the same time, provides historical context and complexity to modern and pre-modern definitions of yogic ideas and practices. Approaching yoga as a vast web of concepts, traditions, social interests, and embodied practices, it raises questions of knowledge, identity, and power across time and space, including the dynamics of East and West. The text is divided into three main sections: thematic concepts; histories; and topics in modern practice.This accessible guide is essential reading for undergraduate students approaching the topic for the first time, as well as yoga teachers, teacher training programs, casual and devoted practitioners, and interested non-practitioners.

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Book SynopsisWe often feel powerless in our lives. We have many desires, but are limited in our ability to transform those wishes into tangible results. We are confused about our desires and unsure of what will really make us happy. ETERNAL DHARMA distils the essence of 5,000 years of spiritual wisdom, teaching us about the very nature of reality and how we can live powerful, effective and fulfilled lives. It teaches and inspires us to take powerful action and reach enlightenment and pure, transcendental love. Vishnu Swami, who became the youngest Swami in Vedic monasticism at the extraordinary age of 23, takes the ancient Eastern knowledge of Veda and guides you through a journey of understanding, empowering you to maximise your power and effectiveness and manifest your fullest spiritual potential in everything you do. ETERNAL DHARMA clearly shows you how to align yourself with the natural flow of existence and gives you powerful ways to:Gain clarity on all spiritual and religious pathsAccess Universal Power for maximum effectivenessLearn about the subtle and physical domains to achieve a totally new relationship with realityLearn to become enlightened - free from all the pain and suffering of this world

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Book SynopsisAt first sight the lives of hermits, living in solitude and committed to a life of prayer and contemplation seems to be a world apart of the active practice of interfaith dialogue. Yet, there is a long tradition of seeking the divine together and thus making a contribution to better mutual understanding and an active contribution to peace between Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism in India.Drawing on his experience of travelling to some of India's holy places, the life and work of writers like Thomas Merton, Charles de Foucauld and Abishaktanda and being himself a Benedictine hermit and Professor of Divinity at the University of St Andrews, Mario Aguilar opens up new possibilities for dialogue between three of the world's major religions in today's world. He shows how his own experience of an eremitic life has brought him into deep communion with pilgrims of other faiths, be it through shared silence or listening to each other's experience, through reading sacred scriptures together, through poetry or interfaith worship that draws on practices and texts from Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity.This is a book for all engaged in interfaith dialogue and seeking to explore how spiritualities of silence, contemplation and prayer can make a contribution to peace and harmony in the world today.Trade ReviewIn a culture characterised by incessant noise, Mario Aguilar's celebration of the sound of silence could not be more welcome. This book will not only engage your mind with its thoughtful insights - its prayerfulness and beauty will touch your soul. -- Right Reverend Dr Russell Barr, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of ScotlandIn this heartfelt and personal account, Professor Aguilar takes the reader on a journey into the practice and ideas of the hermit across traditions and his or her understanding of life as a journey to a fulfillment in a higher reality. This is an engaging and highly readable account. -- Professor Gavin Flood FBA, Senior Research Fellow, Campion Hall, Oxford UniversityProfessor Aguilar's book moves across continents and religious traditions with the ease and grace that comes from the depth and empathy of a lifetime's familiarity and study. Whether meeting Buddhists in Chile, Sikhs in India, or Hindus in Scotland we feel the personal friendships and experiences which have inspired him. However, its particular strength and uniqueness is the way he explores the places of the hermit's life as a site of meaning and sacred connectedness. Both those fresh to interreligious dialogue and lifelong practitioners and scholars in the discipline will find fresh insights and perspectives in the pages of this work. -- Paul Hedges, Associate Professor of Interreligious Studies at RSIS, NTU, Singapore and author of Towards Better Disagreement: Religion and Atheism in DialogueIn a world awash with chatter and superficial talk-fests, the choice of solitude and silence is spiritually challenging. Memory lives in silence. God is found there. With a deep and movingly autobiographical thread, The Way of the Hermit creatively probes the contribution of the eremitic life to Christian interfaith encounter. -- Professor Douglas Pratt, University of Waikato & University of BernDigging deep and drawing generously from the wells of experience and expertise, Professor Aguilar throws open the richness of dialogue that happens in the depths of silence and solitude that characterise a life of hermitage. Theologically imaginative and spiritually inspiring, the book recovers the potential of presence, poetry and prayer for dialogue in fresh and fascinating ways. -- The Reverend Dr Peniel Jesudason Rufus Rajkumar, Programme Executive, Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation, World Council of Churches, SwitzerlandMario Aguilar's personal homage to silence is eloquent, lucid, and simple. Not so much an argument for silence or against words which remain fundamental in every tradition, his meditations witness to his own instinct for silence and his growing solitude as a hermit in the world. The story of a soul, The Way of the Hermit joins the canon of spiritual autobiographies, akin to the monastic journeys of Thomas Merton, Henri Le Saux, and Bede Griffiths. It mirrors the broad interreligious wisdom of Raimon Panikkar, and stands in harmony with a multitude of Hindu and Buddhist experiences in today's world. A contemplative gift, The Way of the Hermit aids us in recovering quiet in today's noisy world. -- Francis X. Clooney, SJ, Director, Center for the Study of World Religions, Harvard University'How great the multitude of truths which the garment of words can never contain!' ~ Baha'u'llahDialogue in silence; speaking without words; this complex book explores the possibility of connection between faiths in the sacred space that silence allows and is a useful addition to the growing literature on interfaith dialogue. -- Dr Maureen Sier, Director of Interfaith ScotlandThis is Aguilar's first book on the eremitic life and how it relates to/enhances his own interfaith encounters, be they virtual or in situ. The broad range of topics he addresses and the variety of literary styles he uses-at times reflective, at times descriptive-can demand patience of the reader, but a patience that is well worth the effort. ..I found his work to be enlightening, informative, reflective, and provocative. He is a true seeker and peacemaker. -- Angela Del Greco, a lay consecrated hermit in the Catholic Diocese of Saint Cloud and an Oblate of Saint Benedict * Monastic Interreligious Dialogue *The reader who has had experience of interfaith encounter will delight in this book. The reader whose experience of other traditions is more limited would find it a valuable introduction. Those of us who may feel oppressed by the noise and tumult of the world will find an invitation to an inner silence and an opportunity to explore our own cave of the heart, and the God who dwells therein. In this most valuable volume we may discover clues to intimacy with All in solitariness and the Voice of God in silence. -- Kevin Tingay * The Christian Parapsychologist *Table of ContentsIntroduction. Experiencing Dialogue. 1. Hermits in Christianity and Hinduism. 2. Ordering Time, Space and Meditation Together. 3. Inter-Faith Encounters and Silence. 4. Creating Liturgies for the Absolute. 5. Reading Texts: Upanishads and Bodhisattvas. 6. The Silence of Death. Appendix 1. An Indian Eucharistic Prayer. Appendix 2. Morning Christian-Hindu Prayers. Appendix 3. Evening Christian-Hindu Prayers. Appendix 4. Roman Indian Liturgy (Eucharist). Appendix 5. Christian-Hindu Liturgies (Midday Worship). Appendix 6. Declarations for a Shared Humanity (St. Andrews and India).

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Book SynopsisShowing how spiritual care is practiced in a variety of different contexts such as healthcare, detention and higher education, as well as settings that may not have formal chaplaincy arrangements, this book offers an original and unique resource for Hindu chaplains to understand and practice spiritual care in a way that is authentic to their own tradition and that meets the needs of Hindus. It offers a Hindu perspective for all chaplains to inform their caregiving to Hindus.The book explores the theological and metaphysical roots of Hindu chaplaincy and puts forward the case for Hindu chaplaincy as a valuable spiritual practice. It covers the issues that arise in specific locations, such as college, healthcare, prison, military and the corporate sector. Chapters also examine Hindu pastoral care offered in other, 'non-chaplaincy' settings, such as LGBT centres, social justice work and environmental activism.Made up of some 30 essays by chaplains, scholars and other important voices in the field, Hindu Approaches to Spiritual Care provides spiritual caregivers with a comprehensive theoretical and practical approach to the relationship of Hinduism and chaplaincy.Trade ReviewThis landmark volume is a critical addition to the new conversation regarding Hindu chaplaincy in the United States. The depth and breadth of the volume highlights the challenges and complexities facing Hindu chaplains, as well as their unique and creative opportunities for engagement and support. As the religious landscape of the United States continues to shift, Hindu Approaches to Spiritual Care illuminates a path forward not just for Hindu chaplains, but for all chaplains working in a multi-religious ecosystem. -- Varun Soni, Pd.D., Dean of Religious and Spiritual Life, Vice Provost of Campus Wellness and Crisis Intervention, University of Southern CaliforniaHindu Approaches to Spiritual Care is a pioneering volume that sheds light on the foundations, practicalities and growing of Hindu spiritual care in America today. There is much-needed wisdom here for the wider Hindu community, but also countless insights for the rest of us, as we think about Hinduism in America - and also rethink and renew our own ways of spiritual care. -- Francis X. Clooney, SJ, Parkman Professor Divinity, Harvard UniversityTable of Contents1. The Necessity of a Hindu-American Chaplaincy (Rita Sherma). 2. Theoretical Foundations for Hindu Chaplaincy (Varun Khanna). 3. An Advaita Vedanta Theology of Spiritual Care: Reverence, Diversity and Detachment (Anantanand Rambachan).4. A Theology of Spiritual Care from a Bhakti Tradition (Shaunaka Rishi Das). 5. Body, Mind, and Breath: Yoga as a Framework for Integrative Spiritual Care (Christopher Key Chapple). 6. The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali in the Context of College Chaplaincy (Vineet Chander). 7. The Bhagavad-Gita's Theological Anthropology as a Foundation for Hindu Pastoral Care (Viraj Patel). 8. Rama in the Forest: A Hindu Framework for Grief Resolution from the Valmiki Ramaya?a (Ramakrishnan Parameshwaran). 9. Does God Really Care? A Hindu Response to the Problem of Suffering (Gopal K. Gupta). 10. How Does the Goddess Help Us Handle Pain and Suffering? A Sakta Theological Foundation for Hindu Chaplaincy (Rachel Fell McDermott). 11. Lessons from the Upanishads for the Spiritual Caregiver (Madhu Vedak Sharma). 12. Becoming Board-Certified: a Trail-Blazing Chaplain's Reflection (Swami Sarvaananda). 13. The Hospital Chaplain at Work: A Hindu Perspective (Shama Mehta). 14. Connecting to the Energy of Grace: End-of-Life Care (Joseph Ghanashyam Caruso). 15. Hindu Chaplaincy as Karma Yoga in the Tradition of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda: An Interview with Swami Tyangananda (Jeffery Long). 16. A Hindu Chaplain at a Jesuit Catholic University (Brahmachari V. Sharan). 17. Space for Spiritual Care (Asha Shipman). 18. Spirituality in University Community and Diversity (Tahil Sharma). 19. Where the Soldier is a Hindu: Spiritual Care for Military Personnel (Vineet Chander and Lucinda Mosher). 20. Tough Love: Prisons, Hinduism and Spiritual Care (Ramdas Lamb). 21. Hinduism and Coaching in the Corporate Realm (Rasanath Das). 22. Nurturing Knowledge: The Importance of Hindu Academics as Spiritual Caregivers (Murali Balaji). 23. Vocational Counselling: A Hindu Approach (Pulin Sanghvi). 24. Hindu Spiritual Care of LGBTQ People (Raja Gopal Bhattar). 25. The Food-Centric Chaplain (Vaishali Gupta Chandrashekar). 26. Spiritual Counselling Prior to a Wedding: A Hindu Approach (A. V. Srinivasan). 27. Hindu Approaches to Climate Trauma (Gopal D. Patel). 28. Dealing With Trauma: Re-interpreting Hindu Narratives as Lessons for Healing (Shrestha Singh).

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Book SynopsisThinking in Asana is an exploration of three popular lineages of modern postural yoga - Viniyoga, Iyengar Yoga, and Ashtanga Yoga. The book describes in detail the different styles of yoga practice advocated within the three lineages, and traces the influence of this practice on the corresponding yoga philosophies. While Viniyoga, Iyengar Yoga, and Ashtanga Yoga name the yoga of Patanjali as the source of their teachings, the interpretations of Patanjali's system differ significantly between the three lineages. A careful examination suggests that these differences can be accounted for by referring to the differences in the kinds of movement experienced during yoga practice. Linguistic theories of George Lakoff and Mark Johnson provide methodological groundwork for such examination. By deconstructing the experience of movement specific to modern postural yoga practice, and by juxtaposing it to a linguistic analysis of a textual corpus, Thinking in Asana argues that there is a systematic relation between how yoga is practiced and how yoga philosophy is understood. In doing so, the book not only gives a detailed, insightful look at modern postural yoga in practice and theory, but it also emphasises the role of movement in human meaning-making activity.

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Book SynopsisThinking in Asana is an exploration of three popular lineages of modern postural yoga - Viniyoga, Iyengar Yoga, and Ashtanga Yoga. The book describes in detail the different styles of yoga practice advocated within the three lineages, and traces the influence of this practice on the corresponding yoga philosophies. While Viniyoga, Iyengar Yoga, and Ashtanga Yoga name the yoga of Patanjali as the source of their teachings, the interpretations of Patanjali's system differ significantly between the three lineages. A careful examination suggests that these differences can be accounted for by referring to the differences in the kinds of movement experienced during yoga practice. Linguistic theories of George Lakoff and Mark Johnson provide methodological groundwork for such examination. By deconstructing the experience of movement specific to modern postural yoga practice, and by juxtaposing it to a linguistic analysis of a textual corpus, Thinking in Asana argues that there is a systematic relation between how yoga is practiced and how yoga philosophy is understood. In doing so, the book not only gives a detailed, insightful look at modern postural yoga in practice and theory, but it also emphasises the role of movement in human meaning-making activity.

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Book SynopsisExtensively based on fieldwork material, From Tapas to Modern Yoga primarily analyses embodied practices of ascetics belonging to four religious orders historically associated with the practice of yoga and hatha yoga.

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Book SynopsisLight of Devotion: Oil Lamps of Kerala, an in-depth study of the medieval oil lamps of Kerala and beyond, contributes a new chapter to the history of Indian art. These art objects are primary sources for a broader discussion of the ritual use of Hindu oil lamps, their related and unique cultural history, their motifs, style and subject matter. From an understudied region, they include miniature masterpieces in bronze of figural and mythic representations. Many of the pieces presented are previously unpublished. Hindu traditions and the underlying philosophy of these votive offerings to temple deities represented by the flaming oil lamps will interest those who study history of religions, art history and South Asian studies. The author has included oil lamps found not only in Kerala but also examples discovered in an international array of museums and collections. These lamps and their inscriptions offer a key to unlock the problem of the dating of Keralan bronze sculpture.Table of ContentsList of Figures ; Acknowledgements ; Note on names of towns ; Art of Devotion ; Collections ; Festivals ; Bibliography ; Inscriptions ; Dating difficulties ; Classification ; Names of Some Oil Lamps ; Suspension Lamps ; Stationary Lamps ; Portable Lamps ; Suspension Lamps ; Gaja/elephant-shaped lamps ; Archaeological Museum, Dadigama, Sri Lanka, elephant-shaped oil lamp ; CSMVS, Mumbai, elephant-shaped lamp found at Jogeshvari, Maharashtra ; Thrissur State Museum elephant-shaped oil lamp from Thripunithura, Kerala ; Kuthira Maliga Museum, Thiruvananthapuram, elephant-shaped oil lamp ; Vimana vilakku/ Temple model-shaped lamps ; Gaja Lakshmi ; Mythic Depictions ; Non-mythic suspension lamps ; Stationary Lamps ; Mada vilakku/wall niche lamps ; Vriksha vilakku or Tree-shaped lamps ; Kavara vilakku, branching lamp ; Nila or Kuthu vilakku or stambha ; Lakshmi Deepa/Fortune Lamp ; Kindi, ritual water pot lamp ; Portable Lamps ; Arti/prayer ; Changalavatta ; Vanchi vilakku, boat-shaped processional torch ; Extra Parts ; Conclusion ; Characteristics ; South Indian bronze imagery ; Production features of style ; Iconography ; Dynastic arts ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisOriginally published in 1997 -- "A wonderful balance of detail and clarity with excellent introductory essays on the Indus Valley civilization, the Vedic Period, the Upanishads, and devotional Hinduism," Religious Studies Review; Choice Outstanding Academic Book - selling over 10,000 copies, and now revised and expanded to two volumes (Volume II: Religious History and Philosophy). Herewith an outstanding introduction to Hinduism and the many expressions of the religion in India. The evolution and nature of the major Hindu deities occupies substantial sections of the book as well as social structures such as class and caste that inform not only ritualistic practices and approaches to divinity but also societal norms. Thus, the historical roots of present-day beliefs and practices and the religious contexts in which they are based are examined. Current issues such as the struggle for greater independence for women in all aspects of social and economic living are raised. The book also incorporates the ways in which Hinduism is expressed in the colourful festivals and the sacred pilgrimages throughout India. No prior knowledge of Hinduism is required. Contents include: Fundamental Beliefs; Scriptures; Class and Caste; The Four Stages of Life; Gods and Goddesses (Siva); Gods and Goddesses (Sakti); Gods and Goddesses (Visnu, Krisna and Radha); Ritual in the Home and Community (Worship); Ritual in the Home and Community (Life-cycle Rites); Women in the Home and Community; Sacred Times and Places: Festivals and Pilgrimage.

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Book SynopsisReviving the teachings and practices of Swami Kripalu“Richard Faulds brings Swami Kripalu alive in a book that illumines the breadth and depth of yoga.” —Stephen Cope, author, Yoga and the Quest for the True SelfLike the Indian sages in whose footsteps he walked, Swami Kripalu taught yoga as a wisdom tradition in which disciples maintain a close personal relationship to their guru and demonstrate their fitness to receive each level of its esoteric curriculum through the intensity of their study, practice, and devotion. He adopted this approach for an important reason, as the single-minded dedication it required was meant to bring forth the best from his top students, preserving yoga’s spiritual depth and enabling them to pass on its transformative potency. Yet this approach also had a downside in that it failed to make the full scope of his teachings accessible to a multitude of seekers unable to join his circle of intimates.Swami Kripalu’s Yoga of Success and Self-Realization presents Swami Kripalu’s teachings in a contemporary framework that any reader can understand and put into practice. John Mundahl calls it “a clear, engaging writing style infused with stories.” Supplementing the narrative are extensive quotations, excerpts, and teaching stories that remain as close as possible to Swami Kripalu’s words. Every effort has been made to retain his distinctive voice and subtlety of expression.

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Book SynopsisSamskaras which are ''rites of passage'' in Indian context, can be thought of as similar rites, rituals and ceremonies, which are meant to train and hence, transform individuals as per their life and social stages. Ancient Indian literature, particularly the Grhyasutra and Dharmasutra contains detailed and elaborate injunctions about rites, rituals and ceremonies associated with the Samskaras. Given Samskaras were primarily meant to ritually and socially transform an individual and to make them fit for a particular life stage, if one is to analyse the rites. rituals and ceremonial injunctions related to Samskaras in texts like the Grhyasutra and Dharmasûtra, one can interpret the social dimensions associated with Samskaras.

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Book SynopsisStudy examines evolution of divorce in Hindu law through Dharmasastra, custom, case-law, and legislation, focusing on interpretation under Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. Discusses impact of law on society and vice versa, highlighting role of English judicial precedent. Valuable resource for legal professionals and students of comparative law.

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Book SynopsisThe book provides a fresh perspective on Hindu tradition and precepts, emphasizing their modern relevance and serving as a guide for future interpretations within the Hindu community.

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