The Hindus


Book Description

An engrossing and definitive narrative account of history and myth that offers a new way of understanding one of the world's oldest major religions, The Hindus elucidates the relationship between recorded history and imaginary worlds. The Hindus brings a fascinating multiplicity of actors and stories to the stage to show how brilliant and creative thinkers have kept Hinduism alive in ways that other scholars have not fully explored. In this unique and authoritative account, debates about Hindu traditions become platforms to consider history as a whole.




Reviving Hinduism


Book Description

Over the years, Hindus have slowly forgotten the amazing treasures that are hidden in the land of Bharath. The resilience of Hindu mind; suppleness of its soul; suppleness of Hindu character; gracefulness of Hindu cultures; equanimity of Hindu moral compass; gracefulness of Hindu traditions; the inner strength of Hindu scriptures; sacredness of rivers, mountains, animals and trees; the genuineness of the simple living and high thinking; the astounding principles of ahimsa - belief in nonviolence, grandeur of the principle of Vasudaika Kutumbam; the potency of spiritual life and glory that was and is Bharath; and all-embracing live and let live principles are the gems that are essential for the survival of Hinduism and human race itself. The richness of Bharath was clouded by ignorance, her glory seared with communalism, enveloped with the fog of secularism. The Hindu pride was tarnished with greed and smeared with Macaulyism. The future of Bharath looks bleak, depressing and miserable. Bharath Mata is attacked from all quarters. She is not even spared by vocal Hindu secularists, liberals and communists. Media has created havoc by denouncing the Hindus, Saints and Hindu organizations and leaders. Beneath every Hindu, there is the presence of divinity, dharma, spirituality and ahimsa. Somehow, he has forsaken the ancient richness and allowed it to be smeared with greed, name, fame, power, position, wealth and recognition that only satiate the present not the future. Divine intervention can only reverse the trend and malaise. Hinduism is being attacked by selected Hindus as well as the two Abrahamic religions. Patience, tolerance and ahimsa made Hinduism a defenseless religion in the world. It has become a soft target with no retaliation or any plan to protect itself from enemies both within and without. Unlike other two major religions, Hinduism does not preach for expansion, does not believe in terrorism and does not practice deceptive techniques to convert people; nor do they believe in the expansion through conversion techniques. Their emphasis is on the development of the individual, self-improvement and enlightenment.




Hinduism


Book Description

Preliminary Material -- Transcription of Indian Words -- Introduction /Bardwell L. Smith -- Religious Experience and its Institutionalization -- Caitanya's Ecstasies and the Theology of the Name -- Caitanya's Followers and the Bhagavad-Gītā: A Case Study in Bhakti and the Secular /Joseph T. O'Connell -- The Transformation of Śrī Rāmakrishna /Walter G. Neevel -- The Rāmakrishna Math and Mission /Cyrus R. Pangborn -- Mixing in the Color of Rām of Rānujā /Mira Reym Binford -- The Medieval Bhakti Movement in History /Eleanor Zelliot -- New Interpretations in Epic Mythology -- Life Out of Death /J. Bruce Long -- The Burning of the Forest Myth /Alf Hiltebeitel -- Contributors -- Index.




The Great Hindu Civilisation: Achievement, Neglect, Bias And The Way Forward


Book Description

About the Book A SUCCINCT ACCOUNT OF THE PROGRESS OF THE HINDU CIVILISATION AND ITS CURRENT CRISIS What do we mean by the Hindu civilisation? What are the texts and legacies that moved it forward from one century to another? How much of it has to do with inherited religious beliefs and how has the politicisation of these beliefs changed the prism through which Hindus view themselves and others, especially those identifying with different belief systems? These are the questions the author sets out to answer with this potted history of the Hindu world, in the context of changing empires and leaderships, through colonisation and conquest, leading up to the present challenges presented by the proponents of Hindutva. Direct, hard-hitting and wise, this is an invaluable treatise for our times.




Revival: Hindu Mysticism (1934)


Book Description

Hindu Mysticism provides an engaging introduction to the various mystical traditions that evolved over the centuries in India, including the sacrificial (Vedic), Upanishadic, Yogic, Buddhist, Classical Bhakti (Devotional) and Popular Bhakti. Given its sweeping scope, the text also serves as a useful overview to Indian thought for newcomers to this ancient philosophical and spiritual tradition.




Adi Shankaracharya: Hinduisms Greatest Thinker


Book Description

About the Book A COMPREHENSIVELY RESEARCHED BOOK ON THE LIFE AND PHILOSOPHY OF ADI SHANKARACHARYA What is Brahman? What is its relationship to Atman? What is an individual’s place in the cosmos? Is a personalised god and ritualistic worship the only path to attain moksha? Does caste matter when a human is engaging with the metaphysical world? The answers to these perennial questions sparkle with clarity in this seminal account of a man and a saint, who revived Hinduism and gave to Upanishadic insights a rigorously structured and sublimely appealing philosophy. Jagad Guru Adi Shankaracharya (788–820 CE) was born in Kerala and died in Kedarnath, traversing the length of India in his search for the ultimate truth. In a short life of thirty-two years, Shankaracharya not only revived Hinduism, but also created the organisational structure for its perpetuation through the mathas he established in Sringeri, Dwaraka, Puri and Joshimatha. Adi Shankaracharaya: Hinduism’s Greatest Thinker is a meticulously researched and comprehensive account of his life and philosophy. Highly readable, and including a select anthology of Shankaracharya’s seminal writing, the book also examines the startling endorsement that contemporary science is giving to his ideas today. A must-read for people across the ideological spectrum, this book reminds readers about the remarkable philosophical underpinning of Hinduism, making it one of the most vibrant religions in the world.




Hinduism


Book Description

Discover the rich cultural background behind six major religions of our world. World Beliefs and Cultures looks at key aspects of each religion and the way it is observed around the world. Find out where the religion originated, trace its history, and explore the meaning of its symbols. Hinduism explores typical places of worship for Hindus, as well as major sites and places of pilgrimage around the world. There are clear explanations of Hindusim's holy books, symbols, teachings and forms of worship, and how these affect moral and social issues. The significance of major festivals and life's rites of passage is also covered, backed up with personal accounts from young people from all over the world. Book jacket.




The revival of ancient Hindu values towards female sexuality


Book Description

Seminar paper from the year 2008 in the subject Theology - Miscellaneous, grade: 1,3, Muhlenberg College, course: The Feminine in South Asia, language: English, abstract: In Hinduism the role of females is strictly defined and tied closely to the almost live lasting goal of childbearing. In the ancient texts the Ramayana, the Puranas, and the Mahabharata, female characters function as role models of feminine behavior and their expectations towards motherhood are displayed in the Indian society again today. This essay discusses how the ancient values made their way back in today’s Indian society and reveals the controversy that development accumulates.




Tenets of Hinduism


Book Description




Religion and Pride


Book Description

Seeking recognition presents an important driving force in the making of religious minorities, as is shown in this study that examines current debates on religion, globalization, diaspora, and secularism through the lens of Hindus living in the French overseas department of La Réunion. Through the examination of religious practices and public performance, the author offers a compelling study of how the Hindus of the island assert pride in their religion as a means of gaining recognition, self-esteem, and social status.