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The essays in this volume approach the Ramayana from different perspectives textual criticism, art and architecture, and film to understand its ideological and aesthetic meanings. They address critical issues like the seminal status of Valmiki, gender representation in Ramayana and the importance of the so-called Ramayana derivatives.
These essays, originally presented at an international conference, are in the forefront of the modern response to an ancient work that has gained a new critical and social relevance in contemporary scholarship. Approaching the Ramayana from several angles in an attempt to understand its aesthetic and ideological meaning, they examine the epic through the perspectives of textual criticism, art, architecture and film. Thereby they address critical issues such as the seminal status of Valmiki, the underlying problem of canonicity itself, the importance of other — so-called derivative — Ramayanas, the implications of gender representation, and the cultural manipulation of social ideals relating to the position of women and the idealisation of love that achieves its highest value in marriage. Using the methods of rigorous textual and historical investigation, each essay seeks not only to uncover the layers of meaning in the complex structure of the epic in its varied forms but also to situate it critically in the cultures of South and Southeast Asia.
The book commences with a short wrap-up of the history of Cambodia with the arrival of Sage Kaundinya and comes down to the coronation ceremonies of Cambodian monarchs to whom the brahmin Grand Master hands the statues of Lords Siva and Visnu as the keeper of Divine Values (dharmaraja), and the Sacred Sword with the mantra ‘Take, for Thou art the Lightning of Indra’. The Grand Master is called Rama-rajya-adhipati. Prof. RaghuVira wanted to publish all the 442 Sanskrit inscriptions of Cambodia in Devanagari and their facsimiles. Prof. Coeaes sent their list which has been reproduced here. It shows how Sanskrit was the language of the state till the 12th century. After long-drawn negotiations the Government of Cambodia sent monk Ven. Candravarna in 1961. He obtained the Ramakirti from his uncle (parts 1-6, 8-10, 75). He used to transcribe the Cambodian text into Devanagari and give a resume which wrote down in English. Both have been reproduced here
The tradition of Rama-Katha existed in many folk and oral forms before Adikavi Valmiki wrote the Sanskrit Ramayana. The subsequent centuries witnessed composition of Ramayana in Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali, Assamese, Hindi, Kashmiri, Gujarati, Marathi, etc. This volume shares their many similarities and dissimilarites.
The long and continuous tradition of Rama-Katha existed in many folk and oral forms before Adikavi Valmiki composed it in Sanskrit in written form as the Ramayana, a book of divine harmony . . . a bottomless and shoreless ocean of love, piety and clemency. The subsequent centuries witnessed composition of Ramayana in many Indian languages like Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali, Assamese, Hindi, Kashmiri, Gujarati and Marathi among others. These versions share many similarities and some dissimilarities among them, though their epicentral concerns remain the same.
The present volume comprising more than a dozen articles by distinguished scholars discuss Ramayana in different Indian languages. The volume, it is hoped, would lead to mutual illumination of Rama-Katha in different Indian languages and facilitate greater understanding of its timeless appeal and journey through ages.
The concept of love-devotion is visible since ancient times in Indian history. In the poems and narrations of love-devotion human love has been depicted in the form of divine love. The love is permanent sentiment of Shringara rasa. Shringara rasa is of utmost importance in the tradition of textual contemplation.
There is intense interrelationship of love and devotion in narrative tradition of India. The concept of Rati-bhakti (love-devotion) is visible in Indian history since ancient times. Love and devotion are two facets of the one and the same fact. In the poetry and prose of Rati-bhakti, the human love is regarded as divine. Here, God and devotee are seen as lovers and, on the other hand, lovers are considered as the form of God himself.
The knowledge of Shastras, not being accessible to all, is propagated through narration. There are unlimited treasures of narratives in all languages and scholarly traditions of India as well as various themes related to manhood-quartet of narration-treasure. In this book, the main focus is on Rati-bhakti (devotion to love). In the cogitation of poetry-text, shringara rasa is foremost and the fundamental one for thinkers like Bhojaraj. The permanent rasa of shringara is love and how this is accomplished in shringara and devotion, is beautifully depicted in this book.
In the folk tales of Punjab, the narrators/poets of Rati-shastra/narrations see love-adorable in divine form and in devotional narrations and poetry, the poets and narrators see their God as their lover or beloved. This love-devotion tradition originated in India in the seventh century ce through the Tamil Alvars in their prabandhas. This tradition remained alive till nineteenth century in the folk tales of Punjab. Since then, owing to Western influence, the love is seen as lust in place of devotion.
In this book the contemplation has been done on tradition, intellectual tradition, the knowledge of narration and means of narratives, the relationship between knowledge and narratives.
This book sould prove to be thought-provoking and interesting for students and scholars of philosophy, language and literature as well as for the common readers.
The 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.
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.
The book logically demolishes some widely-prevalent Puranic myths, focussing on eight celebrated men of remote historical past: Visvamitra, Parasurama, Bhagiratha, Rama, Vyasa, Krsna, Yudhisthira and Valmiki whose real characters have been shrouded in mythologisation.
Did Rama banish his wife Sita? Did Krishna have Radha for his companion? Was Shakuntala Vishvamitras daughter? Could Bhagiratha bring about the Gangas descent from heaven? Or, was Vyasa really the author of the traditional eighteen puranas? Addressing these and other similar questions, Dr. Bhargava retrieves historically valid answers from the maze of Puranic myths notwithstanding their deeply entrenched contradistinctions in the Hindu psyche. As a well known genre of Sanskrit literature, the Puranas, besides giving an account of the creation and the dissolution of the universe and the ages of Manus (the ancestors of mankind), also list the genealogies of Aryan kings and rishis, and the life stories of famous persons. They have accordingly lent to ancient Hindu lore a most remarkable air of veracity. The historicity of these personages is evident from the fact that the names of many of them occur in the Vedic literature also, which is much older than, and quite independent of these Puranas. A systematic, critical, and comparative study of the Puranas and the Vedic literature, as well as of other time- honoured literary sources conducted in this book makes it possible to discredit the myths that have grown around the names of many great men and women of ancient India. The book logically demolishes some of the widely-prevalent Puranic myths, focussing on eight celebrated great men of remote historical past: Vishvamitra, Parashurama, Bhagiratha, Rama, Vyasa, Krishna, Yudhishthira, and Valmiki whose real characters have been shrouded in the mist of centuries of mythologization. The author has demonstrated that when shorn of all myths, the real greatness of these men is fully revealed. A widely acclaimed work, Retrieval of History from Puranic Myths is now in its second, revised edition.
This interesting compendium highlights the importance and stature of women Rishikas in the Vedic literature as epitomes of spiritual attainments, and emphasises that the gender discrimination as seen in the Hindu traditional thought was a later phenomenon. It provides a list of women Rishikas and mantras envisioned by them.
The volume presents a study of the famous women Rishikas mentioned in the Vedic literature.
The book describes the great respect offered to seers in the Vedic literature and the equal importance given to Rishikas when compared to Rishis. Discussing how even women of the Vedic period were epitomes of spiritual attainment, the book admiringly points out that the gender discrimination seen in the Hindu traditional thought was a later phenomenon (such as that women are not adhikaris for the study of the Vedas). It states that there are twenty-seven women mantra-drashtarah in the Rigveda. It provides a list of these women Rishikas and deals with the mantras envisioned by them. The Rishikas are mentioned in the study on the basis of those who praised the deities, those who conversed with the seers and deities, and those who praised the self. The Rishikas mentioned in the Yajurveda, Samaveda, and Atharvaveda are also mentioned. Rishikas whose individual contributions are taken up in detail include Vagambhrni, Surya-Savitri, Shraddha, Daksina, Aditi, Ratri, and Urvashi, among others.
The volume is bound to be a handy reference book for all those interested in Indology, particularly students and scholars of Vedic and gender studies.
This book studies the way both Hinduism and Christianity have related sacrifice to the reality of the whole cosmos including the material universe Þ the Vedic view is seen as the best example of creation through sacrifice and the Christian cross as that of redemption through divine sacrifice.
In Hinduism, yajna has been at the centre of Vedic thought and practice, epic and Puranic literature. The Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita add new dimensions to it through their spiritualization and interiorization and raising tapas and bhakti into sacrifice. The concept of sacrifice has been transformed into an ethical, spiritual and political value by Tilak and Gandhi in modern Hinduism. Christianitys interpretation of the mission of Jesus as a true, non-ritual sacrifice resulted in the gift of salvation to the world. The volume presents a deep understanding of the concept of sacrifice which is a central thought in Hinduism and Christianity. It studies the way the two traditions have related sacrifice to the reality of the whole cosmos including the material universe. The Vedic view is seen as the best example of creation through divine sacrifice, and the Christian Cross as that of redemption through divine sacrifice. The cosmic dynamism of the Eucharistic sacrifice is revealed through a study of four theologians. In this painstaking work sacrifice is examined as a complex universal phenomenon which has many-sided and multifaceted religious connotations. Thus it discovers the complementarity and interconnection between Vedism and Christianity. The book presents a new approach to study of religions and religious concepts. It would prove useful for scholars of religious studies.
Dr. Tagares book unfolds the essence of Saivism and its principal philosophical expressions. Spelling out Saivisms fundamental concepts, it offers a discussion of the major agama-based Saiva Schools besides the Vedic Pasupatism.
Along with Brahma and Vishnu, Shiva makes the Hindu trinity: the trimurti. The name, Shiva signifies auspiciousness. But he is Rudra: the fierce, as well. Often looked upon as the principle of cosmic destruction, he also creates and reproduces. In abstract terms, Shiva is the first cause, the source of consciousness, the very substratum of the universe. Shaivism: the worship of Shiva, is not just a dominant religious tradition. It is also a philosophy which, over the centuries, has evolved metaphysical doctrines on different issues of universal concern, specially the nature of Reality: Shiva (pati), and of its interrelatedness with the Individual Soul (jivatman/pashu) and the world at large. Dr. Tagares book is a brilliant effort to quintessentially unfold Shaivism and its principal philosophical expressions. Spelling out a range of fundamental concepts like, for instance, pati (Shiva), pashu (individual soul), and moksha (liberation), the author offers a stimulating, highly systematic discussion of the major, agama-based Shaiva Schools, namely, Kashmir Shaivism, Siddhanta Shaivism, Shivadvaita (or Shaiva Vishishtadvaita of Shrikantha), and Vira-Shaivism (or Shakti-Vishishtadvaita); besides the Vedic Pashupatism with emphasis on how one school of Shaiva thought differs from the other. Finally describing some of its syncretic forms, Dr. Tagare demonstrates how Shaivism, through a balanced synthesis of yoga, karma and bhakti, inheres a strong relevance to the tension-riven world of our times. Together with a glossary of Sanskrit terms and many bibliographic references, the book holds out a lasting appeal to the scholars of Indology, traditional Indian philosophy, and religion.
The worship of Shakti (Mother Goddess) is almost a universal phenomenon and its manifestation is seen in different forms. This book incorporates a number of papers on multiple aspects of øàkta traditions practised in Varanasi continuing from hoary past to-date.
The worship of Shakti (mother Goddess) is almost a universal phenomenon and its manifestation is seen in different forms. Indian contribution has also been laudable and it is amply noticed through the figures of Mother-Goddesses even from the pre-Indus Culture. This was followed in the subsequent ages throughout India, and Varanasi being a great religious centre has also left an indelible imprint in this regard. This book incorporates a good number of papers on multiple aspects of Shakta traditions practised in Varanasi continuing from hoary past to-date. Beside philosophical, religious and cultural leanings the contents expose the iconographic, ritualistic and artistic rendering of the Divine Mother. Kashi or Varanasi has been a stronghold of religious and spiritual fervour; and several religious sects have contributed to its present texture. Saktism has also been a forceful current in the cultural stream of this holy city. This is evidenced by several Devi temples, Shakti-pithas, yantras, fairs and festivals associated with the worship of Mother-Goddess.
This study, in an ethono-historical perspective, explores the multi linear evolution of Sakti worship in Orissa: from the pre-/protohistorical times to the late medieval epoch, and its continuity into the modern period with contextual focus on its probable genesis, historical development, festivals, ritualistic patterns, and cultural sources including myths, legends and folklore.
In the Hindu world-view, Shakti is the Mother of the Universe: the highest primal power. She is, accordingly, the all-pervading, intagible energy principle that propels the cosmos and its endless human dimensions with the life-throbs of activity and culture. Many are her songs, countless her stories, numerous her names. Worship of Shakti, as a pan-Indian phenomenon, predates Sanskritic influences of every kind. Combining his extensive fieldwork with diverse published and unpublished sources: archaeological, historical and religious, Francesco Brighentis study traces its presence in Orissa. Which, perhaps, provides the best paradigm of an age-old Goddess cult, deeply rooted in the autochthonous religious traditions of Eastern India. It is the first, all-encompassing study, in an ethono-historical perspective, exploring the multilinear evolution of Shakti worship in Orissa: from the pre-/proto- historical times to the late medieval epoch, and even its continuity into the modern period with contextual focus on its probable genesis, historical development, festivals, ritualistic patterns, and cultural sources including myths, legends and folklore. The book also incorporates, besides a description of important Shakta centres in Orissa, a study of the Divine Mothers iconographic features in Her multifarious manifestations. Together with around hundred illustrations highlighting the varied representations of Shakti in sculpture, this study will interest not only the scholars of archaeology, history and religion, but historians of art as well.
This book tries to look at samnyasins and the samnyasashrama in their long existence from the times of Shankara to the present day and also throws light on how scholars, common people, as well as the samnyasins themselves view their roles, both as individual personalities and as persons living in an institution relating to society as a whole.
The present book, Samnyasins in the Hindu Tradition: Changing Perspectives, covers a wide territory, trying to look at the samnyasins and the samnyasashrama in their long existence from the times of Shankara to the present day. This book traverses a slightly different trajectory from the usual book on samnyasins as it attempts an overview of the samnyasin and the institution over a long period from Vedic to post-Independence times and speculates on the future of the institution as well. Samnyasins and scholars not only from India, but from countries as diverse as Canada, South Africa, UK and USA also figure in this collection. The samnyasashramas covered also range from the traditional Advaita, Vishishthadvaita and Dvaita to include many more later ashrams such as the Vira Shaiva (Lingayat), Dharmapuram Adheenam, Arya Samaj, Shivananda Ashram, Ramakrishna Mission, Swami Narayan and many others. Another departure from other books on the subject is that it also compares institutions like the Ramakrishna Mission for instance, as they function in India and in foreign countries where they have established ashrams. In the midst of varied opinions regarding the samnyasin and the samnyasashrama this book will throw light on how scholars, common people, as well as the samnyasins themselves view their roles, both as individual personalities and as persons living in an institution relating to society as a whole.
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