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Religion and Culture...
Religion and Culture in Indian Civilization
Essays in Honour of Prof. C.N. Venugopal by: Amit Kumar SharmaThe volume speaks about the civilisational dimensions of religion and culture in India, unity and diversity of Indian civilisation, idea of civilisation, ecological crisis in the modern world, relationship between tribal and non-tribal religions, religious philanthropy, Christian influence on Hindu way of life in India, and concept of composite culture of India.
$30.00
ISBN: 9788124605639
Year Of Publication: 2011
Edition: 1st
Pages : x, 318
Bibliographic Details : Index]
Language : English
Binding : Hardcover
Publisher: D.K. Printworld Pvt. Ltd.
Size: 23
Weight: 600
The volume deals with the civilizational dimensions of religion and culture in India. It underlines the point that religion and culture are important elements of all civilizations but it is their interplay that has given a unique feature to Indian civilization.
The essays interrogate the various western sociological discourses on civilization and articulate the alternative conceptualizations available in Indian sociology. They underline the unity and diversity of Indian civilization, present the idea of civilization as conjoined with the idea of civil society and study the ecological crisis in the modern world. They focus on the dialogical relationship between tribal and non-tribal religions, link between religion and environment, religious philanthropy and Christian influence on Hindu way of life in India. They also delve into the concept of composite culture in India, scrutinising aspects of folk religion and cultures to show, for instance, how art forms get accumulated into the idea of culture.
The volume will be of immense interest to a variety of scholars and students associated with the study of Indian religion and culture.
Preface
Introduction: Religion and Culture in India
— Amit Kumar Sharma
Part I: Conceptual Essays
1. Unity and Diversity in Indian Civilization
— Amit Kumar Sharma
2. The Study of World Religion
— Wagish Shukla
3. Culture, Institution and Contemporary Ecological Crisis
— Satish Jain
4. Power, Culture and Civil Society
— Anand Kumar
Part II: Religion in India
5. Dialogical Relationship Between Tribal and Non-tribal Religions in Indian Societies
— C.N. Venugopal
6. Christian Influences on the Hindu View and Way of Life
— Rabindra Ray
7. Religion and Environment: Some Insights from the Case of Bishnois
— Vinay Kumar Srivastava
8. Religious Philanthropy in India
— Amit Kumar Sharma
9. Travellers and Pilgrims
— Susan Visvanathan
10. Khasi Religious Beliefs and Practices
— Tiplut Nongbri
Part III: Culture in India
11. Composite Culture in India
— C.N. Venugopal
12. Culture in Bengal: A Small Town Diary
— Avijit Pathak
13. Saying God into Presence: Narrative Embodiment in Folk Religion
— Roma Chatterji
14. Sacred Knowledge: Articulation in Dance
— Nita Mathur
The Contributors
Index
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Vedanta Science and Technology: A Multidimensional Apporoach $80.00
Vedānta texts have been well known for their richness in fundamental scientific and technological principles with strong potential for research and development today. In fact, much of ancient India’s remarkable achievements in science and technology can be credited to Vedantic texts.
This volume – proceedings of the 22nd International Congress of Vedanta held during 27-30 December 2015 at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi – features 53 scholarly articles from a wide variety of areas of study. The 22nd Vedanta was a confluence of scholars from various disciplines and the papers in this volume bear the imprint of an intense discussion that is usually expected from a good Vedanta seminar. Though the majority of the papers are in English, a few are in Sanskrit and Hindi as well. The papers are grouped under Vedānta Studies, Vedānta and Philosophy, Vedānta and Science, Vedānta and Culture, Applied Vedānta, and Digital Access and Search of Sanskrit Texts.
This multidimensional approach extends the core scientific ideas of Vedānta to social, cultural, aesthetic and religious aspects of studies, creating a wide spectrum of intellectual discourse and trying to discover fundamental scientific and technological aspects of Vedānta studies.
Being a worthwhile addition to Vedānta studies, this volume should invoke keen interest among all those who are deeply into it, be a student, a researcher or a common reader. -
Tantric Rituals of Kerala Temples $44.00
Kerala Tantra is a regional phenomenon, which is an offshoot or synthesis of Saiddhantika and Pancaratra tantric ritual rites. It is a tradition deeply rooted within the Vedic ritualistic fold and characterized by Smarta-Pauranika beliefs and customs.
This volume is a general, but a serious and in-depth study of distinct temple ritual cult of Kerala. Kerala Tantra still remains to be a less explored subject. There is no exclusive study on the ritual peculiarities of Kerala Tantra. This book focuses on filling that gap covering extensively the prominent characteristics of the unique ritual cult of Kerala.
The data presented in the book are based on many unpublished and less-known, but authentic manuscripts of late medieval period, and interviews with previous and current generations of tantrins and their testimonies. It covers the great traditions of Tantra, Kerala Tantra, and transmission of tantric knowledge through formal and informal methods. It also talks about the institutionalization of Tantric education, taking a cue from the context of Vedic and Sanskrit education of Kerala. -
India and South-East Asia $103.00
The South-East is a cultural perspective aptly named agneyi the direction of the God Agni. It is reflected even in the Sino-Japanese Mahakarunagarbha mandala of the 8th century where Agni is surrounded by sages: Angiras with his consort Gautami and Atreya with his consort Bhrgvi. In the Pao-hsiang Lou pantheon Agni is surrounded by eight rsi’s Angiras, Vasistha, Garga, Markandeya, Gautama, Kasyapa, Shan-ch’eng-ming-yang and Su-chi-i (the Sanskrit names of the last two have to yet to be found). In Indic terms, the conceptual space of SE Asia endows it with the serenity of the mind, the grandeur of structures, the profundity of expression derived from Sanskrit. The SE is the mind ground of the sages, the rishis, and as such the marvellous manifestation of the Hindu-Buddhist genius. This book chronicles the dynamism, the fire, the Agni of the Agneya (SE) direction across the past that shades into the present with tomorrows inside.
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Across the South of Asia $57.00
All too often, modern scholarship limits its scope according to the boundaries of contemporary nations and current geopolitical borders. Academic expertise frequently ties itself artificially to these pre-defined spaces and in so doing often does a disservice to the past. It is no great revelation to point out that people of the past defined the limits of their political and cultural reach in ways that were very different from those found on modern maps. Ancient rulers, merchants, and priests understood the reach of their influence and defined foreignness in ways that would be deeply unfamiliar to those only knowledgeable of the modern world. Yet, despite the well-recognized truth in these observations, it is still relatively rare for scholars to research in ways that transcend modern boundaries.
This collection of essays invites readers to take a broad view of South Asian art and culture by providing a wide geographic and chronological scope. The articles are united only by their focus on art historical and archaeological concerns and their concentration on South Asia ranging from Afghanistan to the island kingdoms of Indonesia. Each essay on its own constitutes a solid, well-grounded academic study, but taken collectively they provide a wide and inclusive view of issues of art and material culture that span the region and invite comparison.
By taking this approach, this volume is a tribute to Prof. Robert L. Brown whose lifetime of teaching has always emphasized connections as well as differences. Over his professional career, he has trained a large cohort of students (many of whom are contributors to this volume) whose expertise truly does reach across the south of Asia. -
Indian Movements $44.00
Does Indian civilization have the capacity to change or has it been static? The impression of this civilization as an unchanging one has been revised today. Conflict-tension processes in a complex heterogeneous civilization like that of India are equally important and require in-depth studies along with investigating the continuity of tradition. It is in this context that protest, dissent and reform movements have also played a critical role and facilitated adjustments to changing social realities over the centuries. From time to time alternate systems to the accepted ideological or normative patterns have been suggested. Apparently many of these movements were religious in nature, but the socio-economic context which remains in the background does require further detailed examination. The present volume reflects some aspects of these movements. It is one in the series undertaken as part of the group project A Sourcebook of Indian and Asian Civilizations at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study. The essays in this volume by such scholars as Arun Bali, Savitri Chandra, Narendra Mohan, M.G.S. Narayanan and Veluthat Kesavan; Y.M. Pathan, M.S.A. Rao, Sachchidananda, G.B. Sardar and Pushpa Suri will stimulate discussion and generate new perspectives towards understanding Indian civilization.
