The Hindu Tradition

The Hindu Tradition PDF Author: Ainslie T. Embree
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307779092
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 383

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Book Description
This book, compiled from basic Hindu writings, is an exploration of the essential meaning of the Hindu tradition, the way of thinking and acting that has dominated life in India for the last three thousand years. Selections from religious, literary and philosophic works are preceded by introductory material that summarizes historical developments and cultural movements. While much attention is given to religion, many selections deal with social life, political relationships, and the Indian attitude to human love and passion. The arrangement of the material suggests the growth and development of Indian life through the centuries, and makes clear that Indian culture has never been static, but rather has been characterized at all times by a remarkable vitality and creativity. The selections range in time from the Rig Veda, composed around 1000 B.C., to the writings of Radhakrishnan, formerly the President of India. They illustrate both the continuity of the Hindu tradition and its vitality, for Hinduism is probably more vibrant and alive at the present time than it has been for many centuries. The ideals and values, the unquestioned assumptions and the persistent doubts that are presented here from the literature of the past are the fundamental ingredients of the life of modern India.

The Hindu Tradition

The Hindu Tradition PDF Author: Ainslie T. Embree
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307779092
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 383

Get Book

Book Description
This book, compiled from basic Hindu writings, is an exploration of the essential meaning of the Hindu tradition, the way of thinking and acting that has dominated life in India for the last three thousand years. Selections from religious, literary and philosophic works are preceded by introductory material that summarizes historical developments and cultural movements. While much attention is given to religion, many selections deal with social life, political relationships, and the Indian attitude to human love and passion. The arrangement of the material suggests the growth and development of Indian life through the centuries, and makes clear that Indian culture has never been static, but rather has been characterized at all times by a remarkable vitality and creativity. The selections range in time from the Rig Veda, composed around 1000 B.C., to the writings of Radhakrishnan, formerly the President of India. They illustrate both the continuity of the Hindu tradition and its vitality, for Hinduism is probably more vibrant and alive at the present time than it has been for many centuries. The ideals and values, the unquestioned assumptions and the persistent doubts that are presented here from the literature of the past are the fundamental ingredients of the life of modern India.

Hindu Rites and Rituals

Hindu Rites and Rituals PDF Author: K V Singh
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 9385890042
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
Why is the tulsi considered sacred? What is the significance of namaste? Why do Hindus light a lamp before performing a ritual? Why is it forbidden to sleep facing the south? Why do Hindus chant 'shanti' three times after performing a rite? Millions of Hindus the world over grow up observing rites, rituals and religious practices that lie at the heart of Hinduism, but which they don't know the significance of. Often the age-old customs, whose relevance is lost to modern times, are dismissed as meaningless superstitions. The truth, however, is that these practices reveal the philosophical and scientific approach to life that has characterized Hindu thought since ancient times; it is important to revive their original meanings today. This handy book tells the fascinating stories and explains the science behind the Hindu rites and rituals that we sometimes follow blindly. It is essential reading for anyone interested in India's cultural tradition.

The Hindu Traditions

The Hindu Traditions PDF Author: Mark W. Muesse
Publisher: Fortress Press
ISBN: 1451414005
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 242

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Book Description
Renowned lecturer from The Teaching Company, Mark W. Muesse brings readers into an encounter with the world's oldest living religious tradition, known as Hinduism. Muesse's brief survey, challenges the perception of Hinduism as one religious tradition, showing how wonderfully rich and diverse this 5,000-year old story truly is. He traces the vast history and practices of classic and diverse traditions, moving from the origins in the Indus Valley up through classic and contemporary periods. Muesse exhibits a keen sense of the myriad spiritualities associated with Hinduism, demonstrating how the religious tradition is both monotheistic and polytheistic.

Pilgrimage in the Hindu Tradition

Pilgrimage in the Hindu Tradition PDF Author: Knut A. Jacobsen
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136240314
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
Salvific space is one of the central ideas in the Hindu traditions of pilgrimage, and concerns the ability of space, especially sites associated with bodies of water such as rivers and lakes, to grant salvific rewards. Focusing on religious, historical and sociological questions about the phenomenon, this book investigates the narratives, rituals, history and structures of salvific space, and looks at how it became a central feature of Hinduism. Arguing that salvific power of place became a major dimension of Hinduism through a development in several stages, the book analyses the historical process of how salvific space and pilgrimage in the Hindu tradition developed. It discusses how the traditions of salvific space exemplify the decentred polycentrism that defines Hinduism. The book uses original data from field research, as well as drawing on main textual sources such as Mahābhārata, the Purāṇas, the medieval digests on pilgrimage places (tīrthas), and a number of Sthalapurāṇas and Māhātmyas praising the salvific power of the place. By looking at some of the contradictions in and challenges to the tradition of Hindu salvific space in history and in contemporary India, the book is a useful study on Hinduism and South Asian Studies.

The Hindu Religious Tradition

The Hindu Religious Tradition PDF Author: Thomas J. Hopkins
Publisher: Cengage Learning
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 174

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Book Description
Comprehensive survey of Hindu development from the Indus civilization to the present. -- From product description.

The Hindu History

The Hindu History PDF Author: Akshoy Kumar Mazumdar
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Hinduism
Languages : en
Pages : 896

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Book Description


Hindu Rites, Rituals, Customs and Traditions

Hindu Rites, Rituals, Customs and Traditions PDF Author: Prem P. Bhalla
Publisher: Pustak Mahal
ISBN: 812230902X
Category : Hinduism
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
Rites, rituals and customs play a major role in the life of every person, irrespective of religious affiliations.Right from the time of birth, till a person's passing away and even after it, rites and rituals follow a Hindu, much like a shadow. This book outlines all these practices from the sunrise to the sunset years. It makes for an enlightening reading for Hindus as well as non-Hindus.

Yoga and the Hindu Tradition

Yoga and the Hindu Tradition PDF Author: Jean Varenne
Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publ.
ISBN: 9788120805439
Category : Yoga
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description


Maṇḍalas and Yantras in the Hindu Traditions

Maṇḍalas and Yantras in the Hindu Traditions PDF Author: Gudrun Bühnemann
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004492372
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 339

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Book Description
In recent years maṇḍalas have attracted much interest among a wider public. The main focus of such interest has been directed toward Tibetan maṇḍalas, specimens of which have been included in numerous publications. But maṇḍalas are found across a wide spectrum of South Asian religious traditions, including those of the Hindus and Jains. Hindu maṇḍalas and yantras have hardly been researched. This book attempts to fill this gap by clarifying important aspects of maṇḍalas and yantras in specific Hindu traditions through investigations by renowned specialists in the field. Its chapters explore maṇḍalas and yantras in the Smārta, Pāñcarātra, Śaiva and Śākta traditions. An essay on the vāstupuruṣamaṇḍala and its relationship to architecture is also included. With 13 colour plates.

The Rise of the Goddess in the Hindu Tradition

The Rise of the Goddess in the Hindu Tradition PDF Author: Tracy Pintchman
Publisher: State University of New York Press
ISBN: 1438416180
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 302

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Book Description
This book explores the rise of the Great Goddess by focusing on the development of saakti (creative energy), maya (objective illusion), and prakr(materiality) from Vedic times to the late Puranic period, clarifying how these principles became central to her theology.