Hinduism Books

Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the 2017 World Sanskrit Award, Indian Council for Cultural Relations"Table of ContentsList of abbreviations ix Preface xv Guide to Sanskrit Pronunciation xvii Part I Introduction 1 The problem of the Aranyakanda 3 2 Summary of the Aranyakanda 7 3 The Ramayana: Myth or Romance? 10 4 The Divine King of the Ramayana 15 5 Rama's Madness 55 6 Raksasas and others 68 Part II Aranyakanda 85 Part III Notes 245 Glossary of Important Sanskrit Words, Proper Nouns and Epithets 359 Emendations and Corrections of the Critical Edition 363 Bibliography of Works Consulted 365 Index 379

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the 2017 World Sanskrit Award, Indian Council for Cultural Relations"Table of ContentsList of Abbreviations Preface Guide to Sanskrit Pronunciation PART I INTRODUCTION 1 The Position of the Sundarakanda 2 Synopsis of the Sundarakanda 3 The Structure and Contents of the Sundarakanda 4 The Characters of the Sundarakanda 5 A Tale of Three Cities: Ayodhya, Kiskindha, and Lanka 6 The Name of the Sundarakanda 7 The Destiny of the Sundarakanda 8 Text, Translation, and Commentaries PART II SUNDARAKANDA PART III NOTES Glossary of Important Sanskrit Words, Proper Nouns, and Epithets Glossary of Common Flora and Fauna Bibliography of Works Consulted Index

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Book SynopsisComposed by three poet-saints between the sixth and eighth centuries A.D., the Tevaram hymns are the primary scripture of the Tamil Saivism, one of the first popular large-scale devotional movements within Hinduism. Indira Peterson eloquently renders into English a substantial portion of these hymns, which provide vivid and moving portraits of theTable of Contents*FrontMatter, pg. i*CONTENTS, pg. vii*ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAP, pg. ix*PREFACE, pg. xi*A NOTE ON TRANSLITERATION, pg. xiv*GUIDE TO TAMIL PRONUNCIATION, pg. xv*PART ONE. Introduction: Poetry and Religion in the Songs of the Tamil Saiva Saints, pg. 1*PART TWO. An Anthology of Hymns from the Tevaram, pg. 93*APPENDIXES, pg. 337*GLOSSARY, pg. 349*BIBLIOGRAPHY, pg. 357*INDEX OF POEMS, pg. 367*GENERAL INDEX, pg. 371

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Book SynopsisPresents a different paradigm, which opens up several perspectives for understanding and analyzing Hindu life and culture. This book attempts to 'connect the dots', moving beyond isolated local village-based studies in order to bridge the gulf between anthropology and Hindu studies.Trade ReviewThis is an intricate book dealing with complex subject matter. Daryn's monograph is a carefully worded argument for the application of the 'fractal of matrimonial encompassment' as a key notion for making sense of and interpreting Hindu culture and society. . . .Encompassing a Fractal World is ethnographically rich (drawing on different techniques such as fieldnotes, personal reflections, and a number of well-chosen greyscale photographs) and analytically precise (excellent and consistent transcription of local terms, augmented by a glossary). * Journal Of The Royal Anthropological Institute, March 2010 *Table of ContentsChapter 1 An Overview Part 2 MAN: UNDERSTANDING MISTRUST Chapter 3 Himalayan Uncertainties Chapter 4 Encompassing the Ambivalent Female Core Part 5 COSMOS: FROM IMAGE TO COSMOLOGY Chapter 6 On Hindu Divine Sexuality and Marriage Chapter 7 The Jagya - Ethnography Chapter 8 The Jagya - an Analysis Part 9 RICE: FROM MUST TO TRUST - AN ONTOGENY OF RICE Chapter 10 An Agricultural Jagya Chapter 11 The 'World Upside-Down' or a Himalayan Inversion of Hierarchy and Trust Chapter 12 Conclusion

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Book SynopsisA Spiritual Bloomsbury is an exploration of how three English writersEdward Carpenter, E.M. Forster, and Christopher Isherwoodsought to come to terms with their homosexuality by engagement with Hinduism. Copley reveals how these writers came to terms with their inner conflicts and were led in the direction of Hinduism by friendship or the influence of gurus. Tackling the themes of the guru-disciple relationship, their quarrel with Christianity, relationships with their mothers and the problematic feminine, the tensions between sexuality and society, and the attraction of Hindu mysticism; this fascinating work seeks to reveal whether Hinduism offered the answers and fulfillment these writers ultimately sought. Also included is a diary narrating Copley''s quest to track down Carpenter''s and Isherwood''s Vendantism and Forster''s Krishna cult on a journey to India.Trade ReviewHighly recommended for those interested in sexuality, religion, and Hinduism. * Religious Studies Review *The book is fascinating, over-full but in some sense not full enough, frustrating, personal, engaging, sometimes illuminating. * British, Irish and Postcolonial Literatures, August 2008 *Antony Copley's book is...delightful and instructive....He takes us through his reading of the three seminal authors with aplomb and charm. * The Round Table, December 2008 *A valuable contribution to the critical understanding of Carpenter, Forster, and Isherwood. Copley's painstaking research into their lives, and the religions they were drawn to, offers new insights into their writings and relationships—as well as yielding unconventional perspectives on other authors' works. * Times Literary Supplement *Copley's book provides a wealth of fascinating detail about each of these figures, draws important conclusions between their experiences, and raises a series of provocative questions about the nature of the relationships between (homo)sexuality and (Hindu) spirituality. * Journal of the History of Sexuality *Table of ContentsChapter 1 Prologue Part 2 Managing the Transgressive Chapter 3 Between Two Gurus: Edward Carpenter and Walt Whitman Chapter 4 Between Two Gurus: Edward Carpenter and Illakanam the Grammarian Chapter 5 The Disciple Turned Guru: Edward Carpenter, Sexologist and Mystic Part 6 Love in Absentia Chapter 7 Forster, Religion and Sexuality Chapter 8 Forster and the Krishna Cult Part 9 The Atman Denied Chapter 10 Isherwood and Swami Prabhavananda: The Guru-Disciple Relationship Chapter 11 Isherwood's Vedantist Quest: Transcending the Ego Chapter 12 Epilogue Chapter 13 Appendix: Indian Diary 1999

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Book SynopsisA Spiritual Bloomsbury is an exploration of how three English writersEdward Carpenter, E.M. Forster, and Christopher Isherwoodsought to come to terms with their homosexuality by engagement with Hinduism. Copley reveals how these writers came to terms with their inner conflicts and were led in the direction of Hinduism by friendship or the influence of gurus. Tackling the themes of the guru-disciple relationship, their quarrel with Christianity, relationships with their mothers and the problematic feminine, the tensions between sexuality and society, and the attraction of Hindu mysticism; this fascinating work seeks to reveal whether Hinduism offered the answers and fulfillment these writers ultimately sought. Also included is a diary narrating Copley''s quest to track down Carpenter''s and Isherwood''s Vendantism and Forster''s Krishna cult on a journey to India.Trade ReviewHighly recommended for those interested in sexuality, religion, and Hinduism. * Religious Studies Review *The book is fascinating, over-full but in some sense not full enough, frustrating, personal, engaging, sometimes illuminating. * British, Irish and Postcolonial Literatures, August 2008 *Antony Copley's book is...delightful and instructive....He takes us through his reading of the three seminal authors with aplomb and charm. * The Round Table, December 2008 *A valuable contribution to the critical understanding of Carpenter, Forster, and Isherwood. Copley's painstaking research into their lives, and the religions they were drawn to, offers new insights into their writings and relationships—as well as yielding unconventional perspectives on other authors' works. * Times Literary Supplement *Copley's book provides a wealth of fascinating detail about each of these figures, draws important conclusions between their experiences, and raises a series of provocative questions about the nature of the relationships between (homo)sexuality and (Hindu) spirituality. * Journal of the History of Sexuality *Table of ContentsChapter 1 Prologue Part 2 Managing the Transgressive Chapter 3 Between Two Gurus: Edward Carpenter and Walt Whitman Chapter 4 Between Two Gurus: Edward Carpenter and Illakanam the Grammarian Chapter 5 The Disciple Turned Guru: Edward Carpenter, Sexologist and Mystic Part 6 Love in Absentia Chapter 7 Forster, Religion and Sexuality Chapter 8 Forster and the Krishna Cult Part 9 The Atman Denied Chapter 10 Isherwood and Swami Prabhavananda: The Guru-Disciple Relationship Chapter 11 Isherwood's Vedantist Quest: Transcending the Ego Chapter 12 Epilogue Chapter 13 Appendix: Indian Diary 1999

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Book SynopsisMystical Science and Practical Religion examines the religious discourse employed by Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh applied science professionals and students, mainly engineers and Information Technology (IT) workers. Although applied scientists, especially immigrants to the United States, have shown high rates of religiosity, there have been few studies of this subject. Based on interviews with forty-five professionals and students, Cimino finds that although they are from different faiths, these applied scientists share a common discourse that blends religion and science. They each view their religions as the most scientific. Their work and study reshapes how they practice and conceptualize their faiths, though not in the expected directions of secularization and fundamentalism. This book provides a unique look at how the much contested fields of science and religion interact in real life.Trade ReviewThe biggest contribution of this book is to undermine the notion that there is some abstract science and-religion relationship at all. . . .As an illuminating account of the lived experience of religion and science among an understudied population, this book would be a useful and even necessary addition to a university library. * American Journal of Sociology *Sociologists, philosophers, and scientists themselves have struggled with the idea that science is ‘value free’ in its practice yet ‘value laden’ in its effects. Scientists who are also religious believers, it seems, have much less difficulty with this idea because they apply a conceptual framework that circumscribes the value of science for their own lives and for the meaning of life more generally. The striking feature of Richard Cimino’s book is its focus on non-Christian religious scientists, whose faith positions incline them toward mysticism but in ways that only serve to enrich their scientific practice. The book is a welcome corrective to the false science-religion divisions that permeate both popular and academic culture today. -- Steve Fuller, Auguste Comte Chair in Social Epistemology, University of Warwick, author of The IntellectualMystical Science and Practical Religion is well written, provocative, and informative. Cimino’s style is clear and not overly didactic. He analyzes and argues against Weber’s secularization thesis that the increase of science and technology will be deleterious to religion. The book will appeal to specialists in religion and science studies, as well as those interested in the sociology of minority religions in the United States. -- John Caiazza, Rivier UniversityScience and religion have a corrosive relationship, or at least that is a common assumption. Richard Cimino’s research radically disrupts that taken-for-granted assumption. Through in-depth interviews with migrant engineers and IT professionals from three religious traditions, he shows how there is no conflict between religion, applied science, and “the spirit of pragmatism.” While there were cultural differences between Hindu, Muslim and Sikh scientists, the new knowledge class shared a pan-religious-scientific discourse. At the same time, these educated global citizens are transforming their religious traditions in the direction of American religiosity with its emphasis on individualism, spirituality, and practical relevance. Applied scientists thus become the conduits between religious traditions and the host society producing a complex blend between religious orthodoxy and American culture. Cimino provides a valuable contribution to the modern sociology of religion. -- Bryan S. Turner, The City University of New YorkTable of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1: American Muslim Applied Science Professionals and the Spirit of Pragmatism Chapter 2: Rationalized Hinduism and Mystical Science Chapter 3: Sikhism, Science, and the Ethic of Prosperity Chapter 4: A Shared Religion-Science Discourse Conclusion

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewIn this edited volume, Sree Padma brilliantly introduces the comparative study of contemporary local goddesses as a crucial window on India today that has previously been underrepresented in scholarship. Worship of the goddess in many forms in India is one of the world’s oldest continuous traditions, and Inventing and Reinventing the Goddess shows how and why, by providing lucid discussion of the many ways in which communities have invested and reinvested local goddesses with a diversity of contemporary concerns. Each chapter’s detailed case study breaks new theoretical ground in our understanding of the vital synergy that emerges wherever and whenever people connect local and global in the figure of the goddess. -- Karen Pechilis, Drew UniversityI am struck by how well this book brings out the vitality of South Asian goddess traditions, particularly in their mobility and the responses they elicit in new situations. These authors have looked for divinity in surprising places, and enriched the possibilities for deepening what we think we know. -- Alfred Hiltebeitel, George Washington UniversityTable of ContentsChapter 1: Goddesses That Dwell On Earth: A Folk Paradigm of Divine Female Multiplicity Brenda Beck Chapter 2: Constructing Goddess Worship: Colonial Ethnographic and Public Health Discourses in South India Perundevi Srinivasan Chapter 3: From Local Goddess to Locale Goddess: Karumariamman as Divine Mother at a North American Hindu Temple Tracy Pintchman Chapter 4: An Indentured Goddess: Displacement of a Village Deity from Colonial India to Ceylon Sasi Kumar Balasundaram Chapter 5: Creating Realities, Communicating Dreams, Constructing Temple Lore: Anklets for the Goddess’ feet at Thirumeeyachur Vasudha Narayanan Chapter 6: Traveling Goddess– A Study of Uppalamma in Andhra Pradesh Sree Padma Chapter 7: The Leap of the Limping Goddess: Aai Khodiyar of Gujarat Neelima Shukla-Bhatt Chapter 8: Tantric Visions, Local Manifestations: The Cult Centre of Chinnamasta at Rajrappa, Jharkhand R. Mahalakshmi Chapter 9: The Goddess on the Hill: The (Re)invention of a local goddess as Cāmuṇḍī Caleb Simmons Chapter 10: Communicating the Local Discursively: Devi, the Divine feminine as a Contemporary Symbol for Grassroots Feminist Politics Priya Kapoor

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Book SynopsisPopular religion in village India is overwhelmingly dominated by goddess worship. Goddesses can be nationally well-known like Durga or Kali, or they can be an obscure deity who is only known in a particular rural locale. The origins of a goddess can be both ancientwith many transitions or amalgamations with other cults having occurred along the wayand very recent. While some have tribal origins, others sprout up overnight due to a vivid dream. Inventing and Reinventing the Goddess: Contemporary Iterations of Hindu Divinities on the Move looks at the nature of how and why goddesses are invented and reinvented historically in India and how social hierarchy, gender differences, and modernity play roles in these emerging religious phenomena.Trade ReviewIn this edited volume, Sree Padma brilliantly introduces the comparative study of contemporary local goddesses as a crucial window on India today that has previously been underrepresented in scholarship. Worship of the goddess in many forms in India is one of the world’s oldest continuous traditions, and Inventing and Reinventing the Goddess shows how and why, by providing lucid discussion of the many ways in which communities have invested and reinvested local goddesses with a diversity of contemporary concerns. Each chapter’s detailed case study breaks new theoretical ground in our understanding of the vital synergy that emerges wherever and whenever people connect local and global in the figure of the goddess. -- Karen Pechilis, Drew UniversityI am struck by how well this book brings out the vitality of South Asian goddess traditions, particularly in their mobility and the responses they elicit in new situations. These authors have looked for divinity in surprising places, and enriched the possibilities for deepening what we think we know. -- Alfred Hiltebeitel, George Washington UniversityTable of ContentsChapter 1: Goddesses That Dwell On Earth: A Folk Paradigm of Divine Female Multiplicity Brenda Beck Chapter 2: Constructing Goddess Worship: Colonial Ethnographic and Public Health Discourses in South India Perundevi Srinivasan Chapter 3: From Local Goddess to Locale Goddess: Karumariamman as Divine Mother at a North American Hindu Temple Tracy Pintchman Chapter 4: An Indentured Goddess: Displacement of a Village Deity from Colonial India to Ceylon Sasi Kumar Balasundaram Chapter 5: Creating Realities, Communicating Dreams, Constructing Temple Lore: Anklets for the Goddess’ feet at Thirumeeyachur Vasudha Narayanan Chapter 6: Traveling Goddess– A Study of Uppalamma in Andhra Pradesh Sree Padma Chapter 7: The Leap of the Limping Goddess: Aai Khodiyar of Gujarat Neelima Shukla-Bhatt Chapter 8: Tantric Visions, Local Manifestations: The Cult Centre of Chinnamasta at Rajrappa, Jharkhand R. Mahalakshmi Chapter 9: The Goddess on the Hill: The (Re)invention of a local goddess as Cāmuṇḍī Caleb Simmons Chapter 10: Communicating the Local Discursively: Devi, the Divine feminine as a Contemporary Symbol for Grassroots Feminist Politics Priya Kapoor

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Book SynopsisWith its complex nature and many forms and practices, Hinduism is one of the world''s most elusive religions for outsiders to understand. In Essential Hinduism, expert Steven Rosen aims to make the facets of this faith clear. Essential Hinduism explores this rich tradition through its history, literature, arts, and people. This straightforward overview focuses primarily on monotheistic Vaishnavism, the most common form of Hinduism. Beginning with chapters about the foundations of Hinduism, Steven Rosen clearly lays out the religion''s otherwise complicated history. Providing Hindu terms alongside English translations, he illuminates the basics of the faith for readers unacquainted with its varieties and tenets and examines commonly held misconceptions. Chapters about practices, including festivals, teachings, chanting, eating habits, and more, bring Hinduism to life in vivid detail.Trade ReviewRosen (Introduction to the World's Major Religions) is the ideal author to unravel the mystery of this diverse and complex faith. As editor of the Journal of Vaishnava Studies, he is especially qualified in his highlighting of Vaishnavism, the most popular form of Hinduism, throughout. The book is made up of 13 chapters and is divided into two conceptual parts: 'The Basis,' which focuses on Hinduism's history and holy texts, and 'The Practice,' which discusses philosophical ideas and specific practices such as vegetarianism, meditation, and worship. Hindu terms appear alongside English translations. * Library Journal *Rosen, a frequent writer about Hinduism, sets out the fundamentals of the religion, focusing on the tradition of Vaishnavism, with which about two-thirds of Hindus worldwide identify themselves. He considers such aspects as the one and the many, dharma, the Vedas, underlying metaphysics, festivals and holidays, and sonic theology. * Reference and Research Book News *This sophisticated but readable book covers just about everything there is to know about Hinduism. The history of India, the caste system, sacred texts, deity worship, and much more is thoroughly and reverently discussed. * VOYA *Rosen provides a clear, concise introduction to Vaishnavism, the forms of Hinduism adhered to by the approximately two-thirds of 'Hindus' who acknowledge Vishnu as the supreme deity. . . . Highly recommended. * CHOICE *Table of ContentsChapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 The Antecedents: Everything Comes from Something Chapter 3 Hinduism: The One and the Many Chapter 4 Dharma and the Hindu Social System Chapter 5 What Are the Vedas? Chapter 6 Epic Hinduism Chapter 7 The Bhagavad-Gita and the Life of Lord Krishna Chapter 8 The Puranas and the Bagavata Chapter 9 Vaishnavism and the Practice of Hinduism Chapter 10 Underlying Metaphysics Chapter 11 The Yoga of Eating Chapter 12 Idols, Deities, Worship, and Temples Chapter 13 Festivals and Holidays Chapter 14 Sonic Theology Chapter 15 Conclusion

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Book SynopsisRichard King provides an introduction to the main schools of Hindu and Buddhist thought, emphasising the living history of interaction and debate between the various traditions.Trade ReviewRichard King has written a clear, modern, up-to-date, wide-ranging and accessible introduction to the principal doctrinal postiions and debates in Indian philosophy. It is a balanced book, free from bias in favour of one school or another. King is an accurate, reliable and well-informed expositor. I would say that it is by some margin the best popular survey of Hindu and Buddhist philosophical doctrines on the market today. Richard King has written a clear, modern, up-to-date, wide-ranging and accessible introduction to the principal doctrinal postiions and debates in Indian philosophy. It is a balanced book, free from bias in favour of one school or another. King is an accurate, reliable and well-informed expositor. I would say that it is by some margin the best popular survey of Hindu and Buddhist philosophical doctrines on the market today.

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Book SynopsisThis work examines the social reality of a Hindu woman''s involvement in the transmission of religious knowledge. The two-year ethnographic study traces the steps of Dalit women in an urban village in New Delhi, India, in which Dr. Yim explores the mother''s role in life cycle rituals, festivals, vrats (ritual fasts), and daily life. In this study, Yim attempts to bridge the gap between the word of religious texts and the reality of the women''s lives. Despite the tradition of religious texts to overlook the role of women as teachers, this study found that women are the primary agents of religious knowledge transmission. The Dalit women in this study convey their erudition through informal education, such as observation; worship; imitation; and family responsibilities. The implications of this study are not only to validate informal education as an effective means of teaching, but to confirm the central role Hindu women have in the transmission of religious knowledge to their children.Table of ContentsChapter 1 The Women and Their Environment Chapter 2 The History of Women in Hinduism, Ritual Practices and Education Chapter 3 Transmission of Religious Knowledge: Who is Responsible Chapter 4 Religious Knowledge Transmission Through Ritual Chapter 5 Religious Transmission Through Festivals and Votive Rites Chapter 6 Knowledge Transmission Through Daily Life Chapter 7 Agents of Knowledge Transmission: Hindu Women

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Book Synopsis The Hindu sect the Vallabha Sampradaya was founded in India in the 15th century by a devotional saint, Vallabhacharya. Their bhakti tradition worships a variety of forms of Krishna as a seven-year-old child. Following U.S. immigration reforms in 1965, members of the sect established a spiritual headquarters for the faith in Pennsylvania and began to construct temples across the United States. Since then, the growth has continued as this 500-year-old faith becomes an American religion, as this work demonstrates.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a study of India''s great epic, the Mahabharata, against the background of Indo-European myth, epic, and ritual. It builds upon the pioneering studies in these areas by Georges Dumezil and Stig Wikander to work toward the goal of understanding how this epic''s Indo-European heritage is interpreted and reshaped within the setting of bhakti or devotional Hinduism.The book begins with a comparative typology of traditional classical epics, arguing that epic is a distinctive mythical genre, and that the Mahabharata in particular should be studied as part of an Indo-European epic and (and not just mythical) continuum. The reshaping of Indo-European themes is then examined in relation to the Mahabharata''s central mystery: the figure of Krishna, hero and ally of the Panbrothers in their struggles against their cousins, the Kauravas, and incarnation of Vis.The study argues that Krishna figures in the epic at the center of a coherent theological ensemble that builds upon continuities in Indo-European, Vedic, and particularly Brahmanic sacrificial idioms. Ultimately, Krishna guides the forces of dharma or righteousness through a great sacrifice of battle whose eschatological background recalls Indo-European and Vedic themes, while projecting them into the Hindu bhakti cosmology of universal dissolutions, recreations, and divine grace. The study vigorously opposes attempts to explain Krishna by arbitrary theories of the Mahabharata''s growth through interpolations.

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Book SynopsisCoburn provides a fresh and careful translation from the Sanskrit of this fifteen-hundred-year-old text. Drawing on field work and literary evidence, he illuminates the process by which the Devi-Mahatmya has attracted a vast number of commentaries and has become the best known Goddess-text in modern India, deeply embedded in the ritual of Goddess worship (especially in Tantra). Coburn answers the following questions among others: Is this document scripture? How is it that this text mediates the presence of the Goddess? What can we make of contemporary emphasis on oral recitation of the text rather than study of its written form? One comes away from Coburn''s work with a sense of the historical integrity or wholeness of an extremely important religious development centered on a text. The interaction between the text and later philosophical and religious developments such as those found in Advaita Vedanta and Tantra is quite illuminating.Relevant here are the issues of the writtenness and orality/aurality of ''scripture,'' and the various ways by which a deposit of holy words such as the Devi-Mahatmya becomes effective, powerful, and inspirational in the lives of those who hold it sacred.

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Book SynopsisThis is the best introduction to Vedanta and to Sa?kara''s philosophy. The Upadesasahasri, or A Thousand Teachings consists of a metrical part and a prose part. In the metrical part, Sankara discusses the basic philosophical problems of non-dualism, at the same time refuting the teachings of other philosophical schools. In the prose part, he explains how to teach the way to self realization?to enlightenment.Sa?kara and the great Abhinavagupta are generally regarded as the two greatest thinkers in the long history of Indian philosophy. Sankara represented Advaita Vedanta, a non-dualistic view of ultimate reality. Most of his works are commentaries on classics of Indian thought. A Thousand Teachings is the only non-commentarial work that can be attributed to him; the other independent writings ascribed to him are probably spurious.

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Book SynopsisRooting itself in Kashmir Shaivism, Srividya became a force in South India no later than the seventh century, and eventually supplanted the Trika as the dominant Tantric tradition in Kashmir. This is the first comprehensive study of the texts and traditions of this influential school of goddess-centered, Sakta, Tantrism. Centering on the goddess''s three manifestations-the beneficent deity Lalita Tripurasundari, her mantra, and the visually striking sricakra-Srividya creates a systematic esoteric discipline that combines elements of the yogas of knowledge, of devotion, and of ritual. Utilizing canonical works, historical commentaires, and the interpretive insights of living practitioners, this book explores the theological and ritual theories that form the basis for Srividya practice and offers new methods for critical and comparative studies of esoteric Hinduism.

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Book SynopsisA vast and diversified religious movement originating from Sai Baba of Shirdi, is often referred to as the Sai Baba movement. Through the chronological presentation of Sai Baba's life, light is shed on the various ways in which the important guru figures in this movement came to be linked to the saint of Shirdi.

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Book SynopsisProvides an accessible introduction to the Vedic religious world by focusing on the role of divine and human imagination in sacred texts.

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Book SynopsisPresents the multi-faceted Hindu deity Dattatreya from his Puranic emergence to modern times. This book presents the multi-faceted Hindu deity Dattatreya from his Puranic emergence up to modern times. Dattatreya's Brahmanical portrayal, as well as his even more archaic characterization as a Tantric antinomian figure, combines both Vaisnava Saiva motifs. Over the course of time, Dattatreya has come to embody the roles of the immortal guru, yogin and avatara in a paradigmatic manner. From the sixteenth century Dattatreya's glorious characterization emerged as the incarnation of the trimurti of Brahma, Visnu, and Siva. Although Maharastra is the heartland of Dattatreya devotion, his presence is attested to throughout India and extends beyond the boundaries of Hinduism, being met with in Sufi circles and even in Buddhism and Jainism via Nathism. The scarce attention which most Western scholars of Indian religions have paid to this deity contrasts with its ubiquitousness and social permeability. Devotion to Dattatreya cuts through all social and religious strata of Indian society: among his adepts we find yogis, Brahmans, faqirs, Devi worshippers, untouchables, thieves, and prostitutes. This book explores all primary religious dimensions: myth, doctrine, ritual, philosophy, mysticism, and iconography. The comprehensive result offers a rich fresco of Hindu religion as well as an understanding of Marathi integrative spirituality: precisely this complexity of themes constitutes Dattatreya's uniqueness.

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Book SynopsisA fascinating study from a modern feminist perspective of an androgynous Hindu god in Indian culture.The designation Lord Who Is Half Woman refers to the androgynous Hindu god Ardhanarisvara (also known as Siva-Sakti). While iconographical aspects of this significant image have been addressed, the complex theological, philosophical, and social implications inherent in a dual gendered deity have not. This book provides the first extensive study of the influence of Ardhanarisvara, exploring four distinct areas of Indian culture, namely iconography, hatha yoga, devotional poetry (bhakti), and mythology. Ellen Goldberg also offers a feminist analysis of the ways in which male and female have been constructed in this image and the various representations pertaining to the broader gender implications of an androgynous deity.

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Book SynopsisIn Rapt in the Name, Ramdas Lamb provides an intriguing account of the Ram bhakti tradition in India. Less well-known in the West than the tradition of devotion to Krishna, the Ram tradition is an important component of Hinduism. Ram is the most-worshipped form of the divine in North India today and has long been particularly important to those of the lower castes throughout India. Lamb explores both the evolution of the tradition and the rise of lower caste religious movements devoted to Ram, specifically the Ramnami Samaj, an Untouchable religious movement in Central India.Lamb''s study of the Ramnamis has spanned nearly three decades, first on a personal level as a Hindu monk and later as both a friend and a researcher. He discusses the historical origins, as well as present-day forms and structure of the Samaj, including a description of its distinctive ritual dress and practices. Among the more innovative aspects of the sect is its adaptation of the story of Lord Ram that is uniquely woven into its devotional repetition of his name (Ramnam). In addition, Lamb shares biographical sketches of six Ramnamis, each of which reveals the freedom of individual exploration and expression that is integral to the sect. This is a fascinating account of religious life and adaptation on the periphery of society.

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Book SynopsisA first-hand description of the Durga Puja, the Hinda celebration of the Great Goddess.During a nine-day period every autumn, Hindus in India and throughout the world worship the Great Goddess, Durga?the formidable deity who is loved like a mother. One of the most dramatic and popular of these celebrations is the Durga Puja, a rite noted for its visual pageantry, ritual complexity, and communal participation. In this book, Hillary Peter Rodrigues describes the Bengali style of Durga Puja practiced in the sacred city of Banaras from beginning to end. A romanization of the Sanskrit litany is included along with an English translation.In addition to the liturgical description, Rodrigues provides information on the rite''s component elements and mythic aspects. There are interpretive sections on puja, the Great Goddess, women''s roles in the ritual, and the socio-cultural functions of the ritual. Rodrigues maintains that the Durga Puja is a rite of cosmic rejuvenation, of empowerment at both the personal and social levels, and a rite that orchestrates manifestations of the feminine, both Divine and human.

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Book SynopsisExplores the influence of yoga in the seminal Indian philosophy of Bhartrhari and in the Western psychology of Freud, Jung, and the transpersonalists, providing unique insights into the differences between Eastern and Western concepts of human nature.Harold Coward explores how the psychological aspects of Yoga philosophy have been important to intellectual developments both East and West. Foundational for Hindu, Jaina, and Buddhist thought and spiritual practice, Patañjali''s Yoga Sutras, the classical statement of Eastern Yoga, are unique in their emphasis on the nature and importance of psychological processes. Yoga''s influence is explored in the work of both the seminal Indian thinker Bhartrhari (c. 600 C.E.) and among key figures in Western psychology: founders Freud and Jung, as well as contemporary transpersonalists such as Washburn, Tart, and Ornstein..Coward shows how the yogic notion of psychological processes makes Bhartrhari''s philosophy of language and his theology of revelation possible. He goes on to explore how Western psychology has been influenced by incorporating or rejecting Patañjali''s Yoga. The implications of these trends in Western thought for mysticism and memory are examined as well. This analysis results in a notable insight, namely, that there is a crucial difference between Eastern and Western thought with regard to how limited or perfectible human nature is-the West maintaining that we as humans are psychologically, philosophically, and spiritually limited or flawed in nature and thus not perfectible, while Patañjali''s Yoga and Eastern thought generally maintain the opposite. Different Western responses to the Eastern position are noted, from complete rejection by Freud, Jung, and Hick, to varying degrees of acceptance by transpersonal thinkers.

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Book SynopsisAn exploration of Hindu women''s folk religion focusing on goddess worship and women''s rituals.Exploring the folk religion of India and the role of girls and women within it, author June McDaniel focuses on the brata (vrata) ritual in which moral lessons are taught and goddesses are revealed. Bratas are performed to gain such goals as a healthy family, a good husband, and a happy life. They are also performed so that the performers (bratinis) develop such virtues as devotion, humility, and compassion.This book presents data from fieldwork, along with brata stories, songs, poems, and ritual activities. It discusses Bengali folk religion, offers an example of ritual worship in folk Hinduism, and surveys a variety of bratas. The author analyzes the similarities and differences among these rituals in low-caste village life and in high-caste Hindu tradition, and notes that the development of these rituals involves a form of continuing divine revelation with women as the primary transmitters. Bratas act to maintain traditional Hindu values, but also emphasize the power of women, whose virtues can save their husbands from hell worlds and their families from disasters.

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Book SynopsisProvides both a first-hand look at and an insightful analysis of a little-known world?that of female ascetics in India.Female Ascetics in Hinduism provides a vivid account of the lives of women renouncers-women who renounce the world to live ascetic spiritual lives-in India. The author approaches the study of female asceticism by focusing on features of two dharmas, two religiously defined ways of life: that of woman-as-householder and that of the ascetic, who, for various reasons, falls outside the realm of householdership. The result of fieldwork conducted in Varanasi (Benares), the book explores renouncers'' social and personal backgrounds, their institutions, and their ways of life. Offering a first-hand look at and an insightful analysis of this little-known world, this highly readable book will be indispensable to those interested in female asceticism in the Hindu tradition and women''s spiritual lives around the world.

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Book SynopsisPresents Kamadeva, the Hindu god of desire, in tales, art, and ritual. This book also covers Kamadeva's appearance in Buddhist lore.

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Book SynopsisA reconsideration of the relationship between fieldwork and anthropological knowledge.The Encounter Never Ends offers a thoughtful meditation on the relationship between fieldwork and anthropological knowledge through the analysis of Tamil ritual practice in a South Indian village. Isabelle Clark-Decès revisits field notes taken more than fifteen years earlier, and reveals what she intended when she took the notes, what she came to understand and record, and why she proceeded to ignore her ethnography until recently. Returning to these notes with fresh eyes and matured experience, Clark-Decès gains insight into Tamil rural society that complicates anthropological analyses of the Indian village. She realizes that the village she lived in was neither a community nor a system but rather a loose hodgepodge of caste groups and advises that the social order is not necessarily the best place to start looking for important insights into the ways in which cultures construe ritual action. Drawing on the recent work of Don Handelman to discuss the two Tamil ritual complexes recovered from her field notes, a drought removal ritual and a post-funeral ceremony, the author shows how they articulate complex notions regarding knowledge, reflexivity, and action. Throughout, the author shares her own story, including the mixture of frustration and fascination she felt while conducting fieldwork, illustrating how extraordinarily difficult ethnographic description is.

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Book SynopsisA study and translation of a tantric contemplative manual and the commentary on it.This book offers the first published translation of the contemplative manual Virupaksapañcasika, written circa the twelfth century CE, and the commentary on it, Vivrti by Vidyacakravartin. These late works from the Pratyabhijña tradition of monistic and tantric Kashmiri Saiva philosophy focus on means to deindividualize and disclose the primordial, divine essential natures of the human ego and body-sense.David Peter Lawrence situates these writings in their medieval, South Asian religious and intellectual contexts. He goes on to engage Pratyabhijña philosophical psychology in dialogue with Western religious and psychoanalytic conceptions of identity and narcissism, and also demonstrates the Saiva tradition''s strong concern with ethics. The richly annotated translation and glossary illuminate the texts for all readers.

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