The White Umbrella


Book Description

This book has been written to provide the Western reader with a concise survey of Hindu political ideas. Various works habe been published by Indian scholars, but these erudite studies have generally been written for Indian readers or Orientalists, and deal with rather specialized fields. Although there are several American publications on Chinese political theory, the Indian field has been largely neglected in this country. tHe plan of the present work is to construct a brief analysis of Indian thought together with a series of sections from the Hindu political classics. --From the Preface This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1953.







The Role of Divine Grace in the Soteriology of Śaṃkarācārya


Book Description

This volume examines the role of divine grace in the non-dualist soteriology of Śaṃkara. The author argues that grace is an essential but generally overlooked feature in Śaṃkara’s enlightenment spirituality. Introductory chapters summarize recent developments in Śaṃkara research, Śaṃkara’s epistemology and ontology, ancient Vedāntic teachings on grace, and modern scholarly disagreement about grace in Śaṃkara’s Advaita system. The heart of the book consists of two lengthy exegetical chapters examining Śaṃkara’s key passages on grace from his dozen genuine works. The final chapter presents for the first time a systematic summary of Śaṃkara’s understanding of the operation and necessity of divine grace. This book provides a useful summary of Śaṃkara’s system as a whole besides offering a radical revision of the standard understanding of Śaṃkara’s soteriology. It also reveals that Śaṃkara was much more indebted in his thinking to his Vedantic predecessors than had hitherto been thought.




Indian Political Thought


Book Description




Perspectives on Vedānta


Book Description




The Religions of India


Book Description

A handy guide to every religion practised in India In India, the birthplace of some of the world’s major faiths and home to many more, religion is a way of life, existing as much in temples, mosques, churches and wayside shrines as it does in social laws, cultural practices and the political arena. The Religions of India contains, in a single volume, a comprehensive account of every major faith practised in the country today—Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and the Bahai faith. This meticulously researched work traverses a vast range of topics—from Somnatha Temple and Babri Masjid to Tirthankaras and the Akali Movement; from the Shariat and the Eucharist to Shabuoth and nirvana. It places each religion in its historical context, tracing its evolution from its inception to the present. • Incisive profiles of founders and key patrons, deities, saints, mystics and philosophers • Information on and insights into lesser-known and regional forms of worship, as well as important festivals, customs and rituals • Extensively cross-referenced with suggestions for further reading