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    Lifestyle of the Ved...

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Lifestyle of the Vedic People

by: Pranati Ghosal

The book deals with aspects of everyday life of the Vedic people — seers and the elite as well as that of the common people — their housing, mode of production and occupations, social organisation, education, food and drink, entertainment, dress and cosmetics, etc.

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Details

ISBN: 9788124603444
Year Of Publication: 2006
Edition: 1st
Pages : xxiii, 264
Bibliographic Details : Bibliography; Index
Language : English
Binding : Hardcover
Publisher: D.K. Printworld Pvt. Ltd.
Size: 23 cm.
Weight: 625

Overview

Based on a deep analysis of the Vedic literature, the book deals with aspects of everyday life of the Vedic people: their housing, mode of production and occupations, social organisation, education, food and drink, entertainment, dress and cosmetics, etc. Tracing the influence of Vedic learning on Upanishads and Såtra literature which have also been referred to here for details on the Vedic people and their traditions, this study focuses on the lifestyle of seers and the elite as well as that of the common people and stresses the importance of the ritualistic context in discussing aspects of daily life like preparing of food and food-eating habits, style of dressing, building of houses and so on. It deals with the Vedic people’s approach to life, covering points such as their attitude towards knowledge and their quest for Brahman, their view of death and their yearning for heaven. This publication also examines the growth of the Vedic tradition from one based on the minimum requirements of life to a tradition involving refinement of things — a system of writing and a complex religion based on deep philosophical study and explanations of cosmology. The book will be useful to all students and scholars of ancient Indian religion and culture.

Contents

Foreword by R.C. Sharma
Preface
Key to Transliteration
Abbreviations
Introduction
1. Food Habit
Grains
Milk
Fruits and Vegetables
Meat
Fish
Preparation of Food
Use of Cooking Spices
Utensils/Implements
Drinks
Food Prescribed on Sacrificial Occasions
First Food to the Child
Manners Concerning Food
Restrictions and Prohibitions on the Use of Food
2. Dress Arrangement
Dress: As a General Term
Varieties of Dress
Variety of Materials Used for Dress
Use of Different Dresses on Different Occasions
Ornaments
Variety of Materials Used for Ornaments
Hair-dressing
Cosmetics
3. Housing System
Lay-out of the House/Building Plan
Construction of the House
House hold Furniture
4. Mode of Production and Other Occupations
Agriculture
Cattle Rearing
Trade & Commerce
Other Modes of Production
Vocations Related to Cottage Industries
Miscellaneous Vocations
Forbidden Professions
5. Entertainment
Dicing
Racing
Contests of Skill/Pre-eminence
Plays/Games
Lottery Contest
Hunting
Cultivation of Fine Arts
Music and Dance
6. Education
Students: Brahmacarin
Holidays
Teachers
System of Free Education
Method of Study and Teaching
Variety of Institutions
Women’s Education
Education for Common People
7. Social Life
Classification of Society Based on Four Classes
Origin of Four Castes
Characteristic Features and Occupations
Right to the Vedic Studies
Four Orders of Life
Studenthood
Domestic Life (Garhasthya)
Vanaprastha and Samnyasa
8. View of Life
Srauta Sacrifices
Grihya Rites
Death as Viewed by People
Desire for Heaven
Quest for Supreme Knowledge
Bibliography
Index

Meet the Author
avatar-author
1956
Dr. Pranati Ghosal (1956- ) is a promising scholar in the field of Sanskrit, and in Vedic Studies in particular, and is presently working with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, Varanasi. She is the co-editor of the Annual Bulletin and Proceedings of a number of seminars organised at Jnana-Pravaha. She has co-edited the recently published volume on Buddhism and Gandhara Art, Interaction Between Brahmanical and Buddhist Art, and Sakta Contribution to Varanasi. Dr. Ghosal has authored Jada-Bharata’s Prasnavali: A Text on Advaita Vedanta, and several research papers which have been highly rated for their academic value and have appeared in reputed journals and bulletins.