The Vedic Experience


Book Description

One of the most stupendous manifestations of the Spirit is undoubtedly that which has been handed down to us under the generic name of the Vedas. The Vedas are still too much neglected not only in the world at large but also in their country of origin. this Vedic anthology will make direct and fruitful knowledge of the Vedas available to a wider range of people than the small elite of pandits and Indologists. This anthology collects the most crucial texts of the Indian Sacred Scriptures--in all more than 500--newly translated into contemporary English. Dr. Panikkar`s principle has been to select and place together texts so as to offer a selection of texts that cover the full range of `The Vedic Experience` and at the same time to show how they manifest the universal rhythms of nature, history, and Man. Excerpts are taken from the oldest hymns, such as the Rig Veda; from the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas, or Forest Treatises, and finally the Upanishads, which represent the mystical and philosophical culmination of the Vedas. This is a book for meditation, for reading, public and private, as well as for thorough study at this wellspring of human wisdom. It should, moreover, facilitate that meeting of East and West so long desired and delayed, and now so imperative.




In the Image of Fire: The Vedic Experience of Heat


Book Description

These volumes of the Sacred Books of the East series include translations of all the most important works of the seven non-Christian religions that have exercised a profound influence on the civilisations of the continent of Asia. The Vedic Brahmanic system claims 21 volumes, Buddhism 10, and Jainism 2;8 volumes comprise Sacred Books of the Paris; 2 volumes represent Islam; and 6 the two main indigenous systems of China. Translated by twenty leading authorities intheir respective fields, the volumes, Buddhism 10, and Jainism 2;8 volumes comprise Sacred Books of the Parsis; 2 volumes represent Islam; and 6 the two main indigenous systems of China. Translated by twenty leading authorities in their respective fields, the volumes have been edited by the late F. Max Muller. The inception, publication and the compilation of these books cover almost 34 years.




Initiation to the Vedas


Book Description

The hymns we find here are prayers. To be able to invocate, that is, to call upon something greater than ourselves and so break our own boundaries is the beginning of wisdom, the source of hope and the condition of joy.




Searching for Vedic India


Book Description

Deep in lost history, did high civilizations and advanced knowledge thrive? The ancient Vedic literatures of India describe a worldwide civilization that flourished at a time when modern historians insist that humans like us existed simply as hunter-gatherers. This Vedic civilization, centered in India, employed technologies based on a scientific under­standing of the physical elements and forces we know today, as well as more subtle conscious elements. Devamrita Swami, who has spent a lifetime in his own search for Vedic India, takes us on a journey of intellectual discovery through the history of the remarkable Vedic civilization and its knowledge, locked in the ancient literatures of India. His wit and wisdom combine to make our search for Vedic India not only illuminating but entertaining. He tells us not only the truths of Vedic India, but how they are again coming to be. Searching for Vedic India thus takes us not only into the past, but into the future.




Raimon Panikkar


Book Description

Raimon Panikkar: A Companion to his Life and Th ought is a guide to the life, work and thought of Raimon Panikkar, a self-professed Buddhist-Christian-Hindu philosopher and theologian. A man of deep and wide learning and an extremely prolifi c author, Panikkar is equally at home in various religious and cultural traditions and embodies in himself the ideals of intercultural, intrareligious, and interreligious dialogues. This book explicates Panikkar’s basic vision of life as the harmonious rhythm of divinity, humanity, and the cosmos, which he terms “cosmotheandrism,” and shows how it permeates and illumines his articulations of the central Christian doctrines. Given the complexity and diffi culty of Panikkar’s thought this book is a welcome companion for a course on Panikkar and for a general reader who wishes to understand one of the most profound and orginal thinkers of out time.




The Vedic Altar Updated


Book Description

‘The objective of the 9th Avatar’s descent was to reverse the direction spirituality had taken with its almost exclusive emphasis on an otherworldly realisation, leaving the Earth to her own devices; and to establish a life divine on this very planet, to bring heaven upon Earth, as the Scriptures state. How can this best be achieved, is the question the sincere seeker must ask. Yogic realisations of the old schools, even if they could be extended beyond the single realiser to many others, would still not have the power to bring about any universal transformation, the signature of the Aquarian Age. Sri Aurobindo made this clear: it is not merely the goal of his mission that is different from the old Yogas: it is the process as well… This means that the supramental Truth-Consciousness must arrange its manifestation in such a manner that in the becoming of its being, or its innermost essence, that divine life is manifested for all to see on Earth… there has to be a revelation with great precision in keeping with the character of Supermind, of exactly how the transformation can be accomplished. That revelation is the Mother’s chamber. It is the seed of all that is to follow.’ (Part 11, page 87)




Hinduism


Book Description




Readings in Vedic Literature


Book Description

Readings in Vedic Literature provides a firsthand experience of India's timeless wisdom. Along with concise essays, the book includes the entire Bhagavad-gita and illuminating excerpts from the Puranas and Upanisads. In this way the reader can discover the tradition for himself. “Readers, be of good cheer. To those of you who have surveyed in confusion the trackless path of Indian philosophy, this volume offers hope and respite. You are holding in your hands a reasonable and highly readable account of the particulars of Vedic thought. … Read and find enlightenment.” Professor Jerry Clack Department of Classics, Duquesne University “I am impressed by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami’s presentation. His initial chapter is one of the best statements available on the importance of the guru in transmitting spiritual knowledge.” Dr. Thomas J. Hopkins Department of Religious Studies, Franklin & Marshall College




Life Code Second Edition - The Vedic Science of Life


Book Description

What if you could pick the right home for successful living? What if you can pick the perfect partner for love and marriage? What if you can know which car you will enjoy the most? What if your can know if you are in the right career? What if you could tell what tomorrow would be like? And so on. Would life not be easier if you could know how safe your children are at anytime? Would you not worry less if you know your partner will never be unfaithful? How great it would be to know that you will win a court case or a contract deal?




Decoding the Vedic System of Knoweldge


Book Description

One of the oldest libraries of texts in India is the Vedas. Vedic texts are painstakingly corrected by the teacher. Instructors and students still teach them orally today. Virtual classrooms have allowed females to learn the Vedas and how they were changed through technology. Samaveda has a much more intricate connection with Rigveda than the other Vedas. Because all its verses except seventy-five are directly drawn from the Rigveda, it holds great historical significance. The eighth and especially the ninth of the Soma book provide the bulk of its content. It is similar to the Yajurveda in having been composed only for ritual use since the verses are all intended for chanting during the offering ceremonies. Unlike those in the Rigveda, these stanzas appear in the Sama-Veda as if they were to be spoken or recited. Their significance is solely determined by their relevance to particular rites, removed from their context in the Rigveda. The Vedas have been the subject of voluminous literature over the centuries, written in many languages, including English. Due to their symbolic language, the Vedas remain elusive. Despite exploring every ancient Indian sourcebook, Shankara, Ramanuja, and Madhva did not write full commentaries on the Vedas. Vedas are enigmatic and ethereal, and this adds to their mystery. In contrast to the voluminous commentary on Upanishads, Bhagawad Gita, Brahma sutras, and Mahapuranas, Sri Madhva wrote a short Rigbhyasya. Sayana Madhava, also known as Sayanacharya, is the most common source of information on the Vedas. Vedic texts are covered in complete detail in this voluminous work, basically a literal translation of the Vedas. Those who criticize it point out that it ignores the Vedas' symbolism and the Vedic tenets' hidden meanings. It is for this reason that the Vedas remain inadequately illuminated. In addition, Vedic Sanskrit differs from classical Sanskrit, a currently taught, written, and spoken language. A widespread family of languages, the proto-Indo-European languages, is derived from it.