✍ Scribed by Hillary P. Rodrigues
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
Introducing Hinduism, 2nd Edition is the ideal sourcebook for those seeking a comprehensive overview of the Hindu tradition. This second edition includes substantial treatments of Tantra, South India, and women, as well as expanded discussions of yoga, Vedanta and contemporary configurations of Hinduism in the West. Its lively presentation features: case studies, photographs, and scenarios that invite the reader into the lived world of Hinduism; introductory summaries, key points, discussion questions, and recommended reading lists at the end of each chapter; narrative summaries of the great epics and other renowned Hindu myths and lucid explanations of complex Indian philosophical teachings, including Sankhya and Kashmir Saivism; and a glossary, timeline, and pronunciation guide for an enhanced learning experience. This volume is an invaluable resource for students in need of an introduction to the key tenets and diverse practice of Hinduism, past and present.
Cover
Series Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Preface to the Second Edition
A Note on Transliteration
Preliminary Guidelines on Pronunciation
Introduction
Preamble
“Hinduism,” “Hindu,” and “India” Defined
The Geographical Distribution of Hindus
The Indian Subcontinent
The Indus Valley Civilization
The Āryans
Aryan and Non-Āryan Influences
A Brief History of Hinduism
1: Vedic Religion and the Sanskrit Language
The Vedic Saṃhitās
Vedic Deities
Ṛta and the Cosmic Order
The Brāhmaṇas
Vedic Rituals (Yajña)
Soma
The Āraṇyakas
The Upaniṣads
Ātman and Brahman
Śruti and Smṛti
Other Vedic Literature
The Sanskrit Language
A brief History of Sanskrit
Structure of the Sanskrit Alphabet
Pāṇinī and the Aṣṭādhyāyī
The Sphoṭa Theory of Language
Mantra and the Theology of Sound
2: Karma, Time, and Cosmology
Hindu Conceptions of time and Creation
The Hindu Calendar
The Hindu Universe
Karma, Saṃsāra, and Reincarnation
Mokṣa
3: Hindu Social Organization and Values
Dharma and the Dharma Śāstras
The Four Classes of Hindu society
The Caste System
The Untouchables
Purity and Pollution
Auspiciousness and Inauspiciousness
4: Dharma and the Individual
Hindu Rites of Passage (Saṃskāra)
The Four Goals/Aims and the Four Stages of Life
Women in Hinduism
5: Indian Philosophical Schools
The Wandering Philosophers
Orthodox Versus Heterodox Schools
The Heterodox Philosophies
The Six Orthodox Systems
6: The Epics, Bhagavad Gītā, and the Rise of Bhakti
The Epics (Itihāsa)
The Householder Versus the Renouncer
The Bhagavad Gītā
The Bhagavad Gītā’s Three Yogas
South Indian Hinduism and the Rise of Devotionalism
The Alvārs and the Nāyanārs
7: Major Hindu Sects, Deities, and Purāṇic Myths
The Purāṇas
The Decline of the Vedic Deities
Śaivism
Śaiva Deities: Iconography, Myths, and Festivals
Vaiṣṇavism
Vaiṣṇava Deities: Iconography, Myths, and Festivals
Śāktism
Śākta Deities: Iconography, Myths, and Festivals
Other Deities
8: The Hindu Temple and Worship Rituals
A Note on Orthodoxy
Domestic Worship and Pūjā
Darśana and Temple Worship
The Hindu Temple
Sacred Specialists
Hindu Pilgrimage
9: Tantra
The Origins of Tantra
Characteristic Elements of Hindu Tantra
Tantric Śaivism in Kashmir
Kuṇḍalinī Yoga
The Left Hand Path
Goddesses and Women in Tantra
Symbolism of Tantric Mantras and Yantras
10: Colonization and Reform
Early Critiques of Hinduism and its Responses
Islam in India (A Brief History)
Hinduism Under Islam
Religious Syncretism in North India
The British in India (A Brief History)
Hindu Responses to Christianity
Hinduism and Politics
11: Transnational Hinduism in Asia
Hinduism in Nepal
Hinduism in Southeast Asia
Hinduism in Indonesia
12: Revitalization and Modernity
Hinduism and Humanism
Hinduism in Universalistic Religion
Noteworthy Figures in Contemporary Hinduism
Hinduism and Modernity
13: Hinduism and the West
Transnational Hinduism
Hinduism for the West
Some Contemporary Teachers of Hinduism to Westerners
Appendix I: A timeline of Hinduism
Appendix II: Pronunciation Guide and Glossary
Further Reading
Index
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