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The book presents an understanding of the nature and meaning of Hinduism as revealed in its Sruti and Smrti traditions, examining certain essential aspects of the Hindu philosophical thinking, such as the meaning of dharma and religion, mans understanding of his own existence and reality and the Hindu conception of the divine.
The book presents an understanding of the philosophical roots of Hinduism: the nature and meaning of Hinduism as revealed in its Shruti and Smriti traditions. The discussion begins with an analysis of the Shruti and Smriti streams as integral to Hinduism and shows that the growth and development of Hinduism is a result of constant interaction and mutual influence of the two traditions. It then focuses on the unique Hindu world-view which is the major source of unity of Hinduisms diverse sects and sub-traditions. Prof. Ramamurty exminses in detail certain essential aspects of the Hindu philosophical thinking, such as the meaning of dharma as religion, mans understanding of his own existence and reality, the Hindu conception of the divine and human destiny according to Hinduism. Written in a clear style, the book, reflecting the authors deep scholarship in the subject, includes an index and a bibliography for the readers easy reference and further research on the subject.
A profound work that addresses the major concern of ancient Indian metaphysical thought. Its discussion on the existence and nature of Brahman is simple and easy to understand. The book should be useful to scholars and students of Indian philosophy as well as to general readers.
This book is in one sense a critique of metaphysics usually viewed as an attempt to explain the existence of the world in terms of a reality which is regarded as the ultimate cause or source of the world, and in another sense to understand metaphysics as a profoundly significant attempt to know or understand the true or real nature of what is there, or what we all experience empirically, or the world. Most of the philosophers belonging to different schools of philosophy tried to understand the world in terms of a reality which is supposed to be the explanation of it. However, in the other approach to metaphysics which we discern in the philosophy of Shankara, and which is in tune with the basic insights of the Upanishads, a comprehensive attempt is made to know or understand the true or real nature of what we know empirically, or the world before any attempt is made to explain its existence. We therefore tried to analyse and understand critically the basic concepts involved in the ontological problem of Brahman, like the nature of the world, its causal explanation, nature and ontological status of matter, consciousness and its relation to spirit or self with a view to understanding the Advaitic insight that Brahman is the true nature of what we experience and know empirically, or the world.
The book presents the essence of the philosophy of Narayana Guru, the noted philosopher-saint of modern India who reintroduced the essential Upanisadic content with a fresh appeal. Based on a thorough study of his works, it deals with his thought on ethics, aesthetics, religion, rituals and casteism.
Narayana Guru (1854-1928), a much-revered philosopher-saint of South India, revisualised the essential Upanisadic thought with a freshness of perspective. Further, he applied basic aspects of his Upanisadic philosophy successfully to bring about radical social transformations. This book deals with his philosophy as discussed in his major work, Atmopadesa Satakam (One Hundred Verses of Self Instruction) but incorporates views and ideas from his other works as well. The work focuses on Narayana Gurus philosophic thought dealing with the meaning of Vedanta, the way to seek Reality, the role of the individual in life, and karma, maya, the atma’s (self-)manifestation and sat-cit-ananda as the definition of the atma or Brahman and as the final goal. The various concepts are explained in relation to one another and from the viewpoint of achieving the final goal in life to present a unified thought construct that forms the core of Narayana Gurus philosophy. It also takes up the application of his Upanisadic philosophy in different disciplines like ethics and aesthetics and in practice of religion, temple-related matters and rites. The book will be particularly useful to scholars, teachers and students of Vedanta as well as all educated seekers of Reality.
From time immemorial a family Þ consisting of father, mother, son, his wife, and their childern Þ has been accepted as a sacred institution in all societies Þ urban, rural, tribal or uncivilized, or even among animals to a certain extent. In the family, besides love and affection, the main factors cementing the bond between members are some virtues and morals like obedience, faithfulness, honesty, and, above all, chastity, not only for women but also for the men. In Hindu thought Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati are considered the ideal parents as well as the ideal couple. In four books Þ Pita, Maa, Pati and Patni Þ pleasingly embellished with self-explaining paintings, Mr K.N. Kogata and Mrs Lalita Kogata have extolled the roles, activities, and moods of these important members of the first family with charming and delightful verses.
Taittiriya Upanishad says, Pitru devo bhava consider your father as a god. We owe our existence to our father and mother, and in that sense they are our creators and therefore, gods. We cannot see God, the Creator of this universe, in person and offer our respects to Him. To make matters easy for us, God created father and mother and presented them before us in flesh and blood. By serving our father and mother we can pay back at least a little portion of the debt we owe to God for our existence and for the stage we have reached in life. Our epics, Puranas, Upanishads, etc. all extol the father as of utmost importance in society. Subhashita Manjari mentions five persons who are to be treated as father one who gives birth, one who initiates, one who teaches, one who feeds, and one who protects us from fear. Practically speaking, our biological father does all these five activities he is the cause of our birth, he initiates us as a brahmachaari by performing the Upanayanam ceremony, he teaches us how to live in the world with honour and dignity, he feeds us, and he protects us, his children, from all kinds of fear. As such, our efforts to serve and please our father should be fivefold. Aadi Shankaraachaarya sees, in Annapurnaashtakam, Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati as father and mother. In a similar way, the Kogatas have seen Shiva as the universal father and portrays him in the book along with mother Parvati in different activities and moods in pleasing illustrations which are further beautified by sweet and delightful verses.
Professor G.P. Singh tries to crystallize the political thought-processes accompanying the evolution of state in the bygone centuries. He dwells on the time-honoured components of the Saptanga theory and their role in supporting the state.
Ancient Indians were a highly organized polity, with a well-established worldview of the Rajya (the State). And also of its seven distinct organs: svamin (the king), amatyas (the ministers), janapada/rashtra (the territory and the people), durgas/pura (the forts/capital), kosha (the treasury), danda/bala (the army), and mitra tatha niti (the allies and inter-state relations). In their togetherness, these components of the state led political ideologues to advance the Theory of Saptanga : the seven limbs each of which admitted varying emphases with ancient scholars, according to the changing political situations or their own predilections. Besides traditional/semi-historical writings, the Saptanga Theory of State finds recurring allusions in Kautilyas Arthashastra which, written sometime about the fourth century BC, remains the oldest surviving treatise of its kind on statecraft. Surprisingly, the Arthashastra itself, claims its author, is a compendium of the writings of as many as eighteen ancient teachers, like Manu, Brihaspati, Ushana, Bharadvaja, Vishalaksha, Prachetas, and Pishuna. With bit-by-bit analysis of an astonishing mass of original, indigenous sources: Vedic, puranic, epical, Buddhist, Jaina, and even non-Indian, Professor G.P. Singh tries to crystallize the political thought processes accompanying the evolution of state through the bygone centuries. Bringing fresh insights into the Saptanga Theory, his study dwells, at length, on all its seven time-honoured components and their variegated roles in lending support to the state. Also underscored here is the relevance of ancient Indian view to modern theories of politics and diplomacy. A thoroughly documented work of equal utility to scholars and students, the monograph is supplemented by a comprehensive index and a glossary of non-English words/ phrases used in the text.
Sculptures of numerous engaging devanganas the surasundari, apsaras and alasakanya figures decorate walls, ceilings and doorways of classical structures in India. The book offers dynamic meanings of these figures in religious and cultural consciousness of India and how they symbolize and illustrate the power of the female in Indian traditions.
This book is an offering to New Art History taking the study of Indian classical sculptural art and traditional Indian iconography to newer heights of interpretation. Sculptures of female figures in classical Indian architectural traditions have enjoyed a special placement and significance. Numerous engaging images of devanganas the surasundari, apsaras and alasakanya figures decorate walls, ceilings and doorways of Hindu temples in India. Viewing the devangana sculptures as a continuation of the yaksi sculptures of Buddhist and Jaina monuments and the concept of primordial mother goddesses of the Vedic times, this challenging work on the devangana sculptures studies the morphology, iconology and semiotic meanings of the devangana figures and their placement in monuments of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh between the eighth and twelfth centuries ce.
In a path-breaking effort, the work focuses not on the much-discussed erotic and sexual connotations but explores their dynamic meanings in the religious and cultural consciousness which help to symbolise ßthe power of the femaleû in representational artistic traditions of India. For this, copious architectural and religious texts are examined. With more than 250 illustrations of temple sites and detailed sculptures, this book enquires into the imagery of these figures. A significant aspect of the research is its critiquing of the existing literature on the subject to come up with novel viewpoints and use of tools like dhvani theory, psychoanalysis and feminism to interpret the devangana sculptures.
The book will benefit young researchers, cultural enthusiasts and erudite scholars of Indian art and architecture focused on religious and cultural significance of Indias sculptural heritage.
The book presents a bridge between the cosmologies of Vedic knowledge and modern science. Commentaries are provided in 18 sutras on the nature of reality, language, art, mind, transformation and freedom. The sutras deal with abstract ideas, including aesthetics, love, war and suffering.
The Prajna Sutra presents a bridge between the cosmologies of Vedic knowledge and modern science. The ideas are presented as 18 sutras on the nature of reality, language, art, mind, transformation, and freedom on which explanatory commentaries are provided. The sutras tie together common symbols of the Vedic tradition and their deeper intuitions using contemporary vocabulary. The synthesis presented in the sutras is wide-ranging and it not only deals with abstract ideas but also with questions of meaning, aesthetics, love, war, and suffering. Although some consider only linguistic problems to be worthy of study, linguistic expressions ultimately are about things and they cannot properly address the mystery of consciousness. The sutras consider issues that go to the core of philosophy, namely the nature of reality and the relationship of the experiencing subject to it. They speak of the complementary domains of rationality and paradox that underlie ordinary experience. They explain how the mystery of consciousness relates not only to the individual’s cognitive capacity to know but also his ability to transform both himself and his environment.
The book of Purva-Mimamsa presents a detailed account of the Prabhakara system and explains the eight main issues in which the other systems of Indian philosophy do not agree with the Prabhakaras. Prabhakara thoughts are here undertaken in the light of modern developments in the areas of epistemology and linguistics.
Prakaranapancika of Salikanatha is an important text of Prabhakara Mimamsa. Salikanatha who is a direct disciple of Prabhakara made distinct contribution to Indian Epistemology and linguistics. The concepts of Svaprkashatva of cognition, Triputikarana formula, Akhyati theory of perceptual error are some of his important contributions in the area of epistemology, whereas anvitabhidhanavada, a theory of sentence meaning, the concept of Karya i.e., Niyoga as the import of injunction, the inclusion of Pauruseya statements under the inference are considered as his important contributions in the field of linguistics.
Nyaya and Bhafta Mimamsa strongly criticize all these concepts, but Vishistadvaita and Dvaita schools are a little friendly in some respects. We are sure that a study of Prakbhakara thought in the light of modern developments in the area of epistemology and linguistics will be fruitful.
This commentary unravels the riddle-like statements and contexts of the Prasna Upanisad in the light of the meta-logic of Yogic buddhi to study deeply the Brahmavidya philosophy and thus the problem of origin of beings.
In Upanishads is articulated not only the quintessence of spiritual wisdom, but also the remarkable philosophical genius of the classical Hindu mind. Owing, however, to their complexity, metaphor, and even obscurity, Upanishadic writings have been endlessly debated, discussed and written upon, more specially since Shankaras time. Swami Narayana Prasads commentary is yet another valuable addition to the existing literature attempting, as it does, to rationally unlock the metaphysical subtleties of Prashna Upanishad with the master-key handed down to him in the disciplic succession of Sri Narayana Guru. Prashna Upanishad offers an enlightened exposition of brahmavidya: knowledge of the Absolute/Supreme Reality. In an aptly thought-out dialectical situation, it offers a threadbare discussion of six questions which, centreing around procreation/origin of beings, prana: the most vital life-sustaining principle, functional states of the Self (purusha), significance of meditating on AUM lead to the finality of Vedantic wisdom: the sublimity of non-dual Reality: the param purusha of sixteen kalas.
This monograph presents, in a concise but comprehensive manner, a syncretic view of the latest information on various aspects such as tools and technologies, settlement and subsistence patterns, ecological background and distributional configuration in respect of the Stone Age and the Chalcolithic Cultures outside the Harappan Zone. The Megalithic Cultures of peninsular India and the Deccan too find a place in the book
Fresh excavations, new dating techniques and ever-growing conceptual frameworks since 1950 have greatly reshaped our perspective on Prehistory and Protohistory of the Indian subcontinent. This monograph, which is primarily aimed to serve as a starter for the undergraduate and postgraduate students, presents, in a concise but comprehensive manner, a syncretic view of the latest information on various aspects such as tools and technologies, settlement and subsistence patterns, ecological background and distributional configuration in respect of the Stone Age and the Chalcolithic Cultures outside the Harappan Zone. The Megalithic Cultures of peninsular India and the Deccan too find a place in the book. A glossary of the terms used frequently in archaeology as well as maps, line-drawings and explanatory notes on individual sites add further value to the text.
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