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It shows how reality is generated in a recursive fashion and uses this insight to illuminate many puzzles of history and culture. The book straddles history and science, aesthetics and religion, and politics and power, by juxtaposing material in ways that provide surprising new insights.
The Loom of Time shows how reality is generated in a recursive fashion and uses this insight to illuminate many puzzles of history and culture. Recursion is at basis of mimicry in nature and germination and development of biological organisms; it also provides structure to mental images of physical systems and human behavior. It helps us make sense of the repeating patterns across cultures and nations, understand the manner in which technology is impacting society, and see the reasons behind the crises of the contemporary world.
The topics covered in this book include philosophical bases of recursion, cosmologies old and new, religion and modernity, globalization and bureaucratic control, loss of meaning and freedom, spirituality, narcissism leading to despair, and limits of medicine. It deals with problems of employment and questions of meaning of life when robots and other machines become more numerous than humans. The book straddles history and science, aesthetics and religion, and politics and power, by juxtaposing material in ways that provide surprising new insights.
This book features the uniqueness of the relationship between Hindustani musician and his art. Hindustani music is not merely north Indian art music. It is inextricably linked to a multiplicity of other musical traditions and is an active participant in the totality of the cultural process.
This book presents a collection of essays and lectures written by the author between 2011 and 2018. Its underlying theme as suggested by its title is the uniqueness of the relationship between the Hindustani musician and his art. This uniqueness is moulded by the fact that the tradition enjoins upon the performer the simultaneous role of a composer. This makes Hindustani music a three-dimensional art: contemplative, expressive and communicative. These three components serve to make Hindustani music a remarkable manifestation of continuity within change, and individuality within conformism.
Viewed from this perspective, Hindustani music is not merely north Indian art music. It is inextricably linked to a multiplicity of other musical traditions folk, devotional, tribal, martial and popular and is an active participant in the totality of the cultural process. Every piece of performed music speaks, in some manner, on behalf the generation performing it, and addresses the corresponding generations of audiences. For the author, therefore, it is not merely sufficient to understand what Hindustani music is. It is necessary also to seek insights into why it is what it is.
In this book, the author relentlessly pursues his intellectual aims by borrowing ideas from a wide range of disciplines: sociology, linguistics, cultural anthropology, acoustics, aesthetics, demography, economics, marketing finance, psycho-analysis, mythology, philosophy and even mathematics. Despite its diverse intellectual canvas, the book retains the essential Indian-ness of the authors argument, and simultaneously addresses an international readership.
The essays included in this book provide highly critical and creative analysis of some of the basic problems of normative and meta—ethies in a pleasantly readable language. They can be enjoyably and profitably read by technical philosophers as well as interested bymen. Professor Prasad writes on ethical issues as seminal, conceptual issues of moral philosophical, and not as issues arising out of some regional, Indian or non-Indian, instances of moral thinking. Even ethical issues, generally discussed as rooted in classical Indian thinking, have been discussed by him as basic ones of moral philosophising, and thereby he raises the status of some classical Indian views to a level at which their conceptual, general or non-regional, role becomes crystac clear, His writings by to bridge the gulf wrongly created by some others, between Indian and Western moral theorising.
This book discusses the quintessential aspects of George Santayana’s wide and comprehensive philosophy. Its critical and comparative discussions have taken place centring round the problems of Epistemology, Metaphysics, Aesthetics, Ethics and Religion, thereby making it all the more interesting.
This book discusses the quintessential aspects of George Santayana’s wide and comprehensive philosophy. Its critical and comparative discussions centre round the problems of Epistemology, Metaphysics, Aesthetics, Ethics and Religion. This makes it all the more interesting.
What is noteworthy about this book is that it shows how naturalism serves as a basis of the idealistic philosophy of George Santayana. Moreover, the illustrious part of this treatise is that essence, as discovered by Santayana by the doubting process, serves as the keynote of his whole philosophy.
The exposition of Santayana’s philosophy on the basis of the above two points is an outstanding feature of the present work. What is captivating about this book is that it shows how the natural gets reconciled with the ideal by making the former the ground of the latter.
This book critiques the poetics of theatre in early India by interpreting a system of theatre and performance along several themes such as theatre’s place in the premodern interdisciplinary knowledge systems, theatre space and architecture, cognition and emotion, performance, experience and consciousness, human and social behaviour, and music.
Theatre discourses of early India present theatre (natya) as an integrated art form, and the poetics of theatre as an interdisciplinary system of thought and performance. Theatre functions as a composite art production comprising dance (nrtya), song (gana), instrumental music (Atodya) and enactment (abhinaya). The poetics of this theatre provides thoughts, techniques, and instrumental frameworks for performance, based on an interdisciplinary reflection upon space, body, mind, motion, sound, memory, consciousness and theatre in relation to the other disciplines of knowledge.
This book attempts to examine the poetics of theatre in early India by interpreting a system of theatre and performance along several themes such as theatre’s place in the premodern interdisciplinary knowledge systems, theatre space and architecture, cognition and emotion, performance, experience and consciousness, human and social behaviour, and music. While focusing mainly on the aphoristic statements on theatre by Bharata in his Natyasastra (third century bce), the book responds to the principles of theatre and literature discussed and debated in a tradition of texts such as Nandikesvara’s Abhinaya Darpana (fifth-fourth century bce), Rajasekhara’s Kavyamimasa (tenth century ce) and Abhinavagupta’s Abhinavabharata (tenth-eleventh century ce). The major concepts elaborated in the book consist of the types of theatre space (ranga), forms of mental/emotive states (bhavas), forms of consciousness (rasas), human and regional variations of performance (vrtti and pravrtti), forms of vocal and instrumental music (gana and atodya), and various others. Divided into eight chapters, each addressing an aspect of theatre, the book is premised upon the argument that theatre poetics of early India presents a coordinated world of inner experience rooted in the self (citta) formed by cognition, emotion and consciousness, but that which develops on stage into an artistic network created by the primitive human behaviour, body, senses, space, sound and the external world, including the varieties of the social world.
The book addresses the main theme of the nature of consciousness from a wide-ranging stances and have also taken a step towards establishing a platform for an intense and critical study of Indian theories of consciousness
The book provides a platform to discuss and examine the subtle and complex issues related to the nature of consciousness, self, mental states and subjectivity from Indian and cross-cultural perspectives. It explores contemporary problems of consciousness and tries to find solutions from Indian philosophical traditions. The purpose is to understand how far the views and approaches of classical and contemporary Indian thinkers are relevant in contemporary consciousness studies. The book argues that great thinkers of Vedānta, Tantra, Sāṁkhya and Buddhism have done enormous works which can be explored, examined and enhanced even today for a better comprehension of the subjectivity and conscious experience.
The chapters of this present volume have thoroughly explored and examined many classical Indian theories of consciousness. Keeping in view the objectives of this volume, the contributors have made an effective effort to reflect critically on Indian theories to answer the contemporary problems. There are chapters discussing and examining the standpoints of Indian thinkers like Abhinavagupta, Utpala, Śaṅkara, Rāmānuja, Swāmī Vidyāraṇya, Nāgārjuna, Gautama and many more. On the other hand, there are chapters engaged in reappraising the philosophical positions of Kant, Hegel, Sartre, Chalmers, Searle, Dennett and other contemporary thinkers. The chapters of this volume have addressed the main theme from a wide-ranging stances and have also taken a step towards establishing a platform for an intense and critical study of Indian theories of consciousness.
The book is extremely beneficial for students and scholars interested in classical Indian philosophy and contemporary consciousness studies. It inspires more researchers to ponder upon the concept of consciousness and subjectivity from multiple dimensions.
Krishnattam, a unique Sanskrit ritualistic dance-theater of Kerala, is one among India’s treasure trove of rare living artistic masterpieces. This history-travelogue, richly illustrated, takes one along to experience the Krishnattam plays, with their rituals and preparations, as the performers in fantastic, colorful costumes, dance, and mime the story of Lord Krishna’s life to the accompaniment of vocal and instrumental music.
Krishnattam, a unique Sanskrit ritualistic dance-theater of Kerala, is one among Indias treasure trove of rare living artistic masterpieces. In time past, Krishnattam, based on the Sanskrit poem Krishnagiti by the Zamorin King Manaveda, thrived in the royal environment of the Kingdom of Calicut, receiving the adoration of small devoted audiences. But, with Indias independence, the Zamorin lost his kingdom, and as his wealth dissipated, Krishnattam teetered on the edge of extinction. It was the Krishna-Vishnu Temple at Guruvayur that came to Krishnattam’s rescue and has become an integral part of the history of Krishnattam. Here, again, Krishnattam remained in seclusion until 1961, when the troupe performed in Bombay, exposing it to a larger Indian audience and foreign interest.
This history-travelogue takes one along in the dark of night to experience the Krishnattam plays, with their rituals and preparations, as the performers in fantastic, colorful costumes, dance, and mime the story of Lord Krishna’s life to the accompaniment of vocal and instrumental music.
This volume, richly illustrated, makes one meet some people, who have been the soul of Krishnattam. The actor-dancers share the quirks of fate, the severity of training schedule, and the rigor of exercises that transformed them from village children into performers. Currently, Krishnattam thrives at Guruvayur Temple, together with ample outside performances, as a devotional votive offering.
The first author takes one along on her twenty-year journey to discover the history and attractions of this art so rarely performed outside its locale in south India. Co-authors, Robert Sikora, A. Purushothaman and A. Harindranath greatly enhance this edition with their new researches, translations, and photographs.
This book is an interesting specimen of Hindu critical ability. It presents the synopsis of sixteen philosophical systems that were current in the fourteenth-century south India in their most important tenets and maintains the principal arguments by which their followers were endeavoured to maintain them.
The Sarvadarshanasamgraha of Madhavacharya is an interesting specimen of Hindu critical ability. The author herein presents the synopsis of sixteen Charvaka, Bauddha, Jaina, Ramanuja, Purnaprajna, Pashupata, Shaiva, Pratyabhijna, Raseshvara, Vaisheshika, Nyaya, Jaiminiya, Paniniya, Samkhya, Patanjala and Advaita philosophical systems current in the fourteenth-century south India in their most important tenets and maintains the principal arguments by which their followers were endeavoured to maintain them. In course of his sketches of these systems, Madhavacharya frequently explains at length obscure details of these different systems.
Sarvadarshanasamgraha presents all these Darshanas from the Vedantic point of view. These had attracted to their study the noblest minds in India throughout the medieval period of its history. There were numerous sects of Bauddha, Jaina, and Hindu philosophical systems and we come across many of them in this book.
This present retypeset edition is quite reader-friendly as we have made a few changes to this edition as value-adds and by incorporating the present-day diacritics.
This English translation of Sarvadarshanasamgraha must evoke keen interest among scholars of philosophy, and researchers and students of philosophy across the globe.
This book is an interesting specimen of Hindu critical ability. It presents the synopsis of sixteen philosophical systems that were current in the fourteenth-century south India in their most important tenets and maintains the principal arguments by which their followers were endeavoured to maintain them.
The Sarvadarshanasamgraha of Madhavacharya is an interesting specimen of Hindu critical ability. The author herein presents the synopsis of sixteen Charvaka, Bauddha, Jaina, Ramanuja, Purnaprajna, Pashupata, Shaiva, Pratyabhijna, Raseshvara, Vaisheshika, Nyaya, Jaiminiya, Paniniya, Samkhya, Patanjala and Advaita philosophical systems current in the fourteenth-century south India in their most important tenets and maintains the principal arguments by which their followers were endeavoured to maintain them. In course of his sketches of these systems, Madhavacharya frequently explains at length obscure details of these different systems.
Sarvadarshanasamgraha presents all these Darshanas from the Vedantic point of view. These had attracted to their study the noblest minds in India throughout the medieval period of its history. There were numerous sects of Bauddha, Jaina, and Hindu philosophical systems and we come across many of them in this book.
This present retypeset edition is quite reader-friendly as we have made a few changes to this edition as value-adds and by incorporating the present-day diacritics.
This English translation of Sarvadarshanasamgraha must evoke keen interest among scholars of philosophy, and researchers and students of philosophy across the globe.
This book comprises the first part of Saundaryalahari, popularly known as Anandalahari. The text is a protolinguistic composition using a pictorial language of images. The absolute joy of Advaita is presented subjectively as ananda and objectively as saundarya. For the contemplation of the Shri Chakra, 53 meditations have also been provided.
This book comprises the first part of Saundarya Lahari (The Upsurging Billow of Beauty), popularly known as Ananda Lahari, covering the first forty-one verses.
This poetic work has fascinated generations of scholars and laypersons with the sublime beauty of the verses in praise of the Devi, but also puzzled people by the authorship of Shankara. The text is a protolinguistic composition using a pictorial language of images. Beauty, elevated to the highest level, provides content to the otherwise abstract notion of the Absolute. The absolute joy of Advaita is presented subjectively as ananda and objectively as saundarya.
This tenth-century hymn to the Devi is a poetic restatement by the philosopher Shankara of his strict Advaita Vedanta monism. In a compelling series of verses, Shankara draws in many strands of Indias heritage and braids them into a vision of luminous, transcendent Beauty.
The present commentary by Guru Nitya Chaitanya Yati grew out of his class of intimate meditations. He has integrated the academic disciplines of aesthetics, linguistics, and psychology with contemplation into a comprehensive study of creative manifestation. The heterodox Tantric Shri Vidya schools are centered on the realistic worship of the Devi or Goddess and the Shri Chakra. Keeping in line with contemplation, the Appendix provides 53 meditations on the Shri Chakra.
This volume on the burial silks, excavated from the sand dunes of Central Asia, offers a window to the history of a lost civilization revealing how the complex thread of interconnections linking East and West helped to shape new civilizations along the way.
During the Roman Empire when pure silk was valued like gold, burials in Han China and Central Asia were furnished with luxurious fabrics. Application of Western motifs and designs in the newly developed Chinese silk technology led to the emergence of a unique patterned silk.Silk fabrics connecting the Mediterranean with inmost Asia allowed transmission of knowledge across the world of ideas and beliefs. Archaeology in the Age of Discovery unearthed the exceptional Silk Road Fabrics from graves and shrines spanning several centuries and across the vast continental expanse of Central Asia, Egypt, Europe, China, and Japan. To Sir Aurel Stein (18561935) and others the various types of textiles excavated from the sand dunes of Central Asia were worth the risks. The burial silks offer a window to the history of a lost civilization revealing how the complex thread of interconnections linking East and West helped to shape new civilizations along the way.
This volume critically examines six epistemological theories of the Advaita school of Vedanta: pratyaksha (perception), upamana (comparison), anupalabdhi (non-cognition), anumana (inference), arthapatti (postulation) and shabda (testimony), highlighting the problems, concepts and theories of the Vedantins within the focus of modern Western thought.
This volume critically examines six epistemological theories of the Advaita school of Vedanta: pratyaksha (perception), upamana (comparison), anupalabdhi (non-cognition), anumana (inference), arthapatti (postulation) and shabda (testimony). To make the study smooth and easy, it deliberates on two other concepts prama (conceptions of knowledge) and pramana (methods of knowing) as these underlie all epistemological discussions.
The book highlights the problems, concepts and theories of the Vedantins within the focus of modern Western thought. The method adopted is one of critical analysis, comparison and evaluation. It also tries to formulate some important epistemological doctrines of Advaita Vedanta and show by some criticism that, if rightly understood, they are valuable contributions to the philosophy of the world.
The book, targeting sceptical students trained in Western philosophy and an imagined tribunal of Western philosophers, tries to make a case for Advaita Vedanta, and thus is expected to usher keen interest among the students, teachers and followers of Advaita Vedanta.
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