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Paramhamsa...
Paramhamsa
A Vedantic Tale by: R. SubramonyThis book is a tale centred on the theme of the philosophic ideals and teachings of Vedanta. The story is an interesting account that is not only philosophical but also touches the emotions of the heart. It conveys the deeply founded truths of Vedanta in a simple manner.
$20.00
ISBN: 9788124605660
Year Of Publication: 2011
Edition: 1st
Pages : xiv, 202
Bibliographic Details : Bibliography; Index
Language : English
Binding : Paperback
Publisher: D.K. Printworld Pvt. Ltd.
Size: 22
Weight: 300
This book is a tale centred on the theme of the philosophic ideals and teachings of Vedanta. With a first-person narrative style, it begins with the narrator’s decision to spend the third of the four asramas, the vanaprastha stage of life, in Madurai, the abode of Goddess Meenakshi which has inspired devout scholars and poets for centuries. The tale is an account of the narrator’s study of the philosophy of non-dualism or Advaita, as propounded by masters such as Sri Sankara and Ramana Maharshi, under the guidance of his guru Sankara Shastri. It reveals the nature of the Vedanta philosophy and its significance in understanding the meaning of life and the strange nature of human condition, in attaining peace and bliss in one’s own being and in contributing to harmony and integration in the country. It discusses aspects of creation of the universe and of life, the world and nature around us and the sufferings and pleasures as experienced by humans from a Vedantic perspective.
The story is an interesting account that is not only profoundly philosophical but also touches the emotions of the heart. Readers will be fascinated by this interesting and profound story that conveys the deeply founded truths of Vedanta in a simple manner.
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Visistadvaita’s Critique of the Advaita Hermenqutics $20.00
Vedānta is the very heart of Indian philosophy. The various schools of Vedānta have been explored under diverse categories including ontological and epistemological, but they are a storehouse of so much more. “Hermeneutics” in simple words can be the theory of interpretation and this book has studied the critique of the Advaita hermeneutics by Rāmānujācārya based on Vedic statements like tat tvam asi, tadaikāta bahu syāma, neha nānāsti kiñcana and many others in his book Vedārthasaṁgraha which mirrors a complete vision of the Upaniṣads. Rāmānujācārya has shown how the Śruti statements can be seen in a coherent manner resolving the conflicts of bheda and abheda. The nature of a word and its various śaktis, followed by how successful are words in describing the concepts of sat, cit and ānanda, are also discussed here.
This book is an initial effort in the hermeneutic studies of Indian texts, which have been kept limited to the scope of philosophy, theology or religion alone. Many more linguistic treasures can be found here. -
Kalikrama and Abhinavagupta $24.00
The Krama School of the Trika Saivism of Kashmir, more familiar as Kalikrama in the contemporary parlance, has turned out to be the most crucial among the monistic Saiva traditions of medieval Kashmir after the Pratyabhijna school, a scenario people could hardly envisage six decades back when it first came to the notice of modern scholarship. The doctrine of Kalikrama, lit. sequential order of consciousness deities called Kalis, constitutes the most pivotal aspect of this school marked by a synchronous resonance between the esoteric/Tantric and cognitive/metaphysical undercurrents of the system.
In order to delve deeper into the doctrine of Kalikrama the present monograph does some loud thinking in three important areas: (a) the role of cognitivization in the ultimate realization; (b) the theoretical background of the mystical experience built around the consciousness deity(ies); and (c) the inconclusiveness of the hidden meaning posing an epistemological barrier in the study of an esoteric Tantric tradition. In all these areas one cannot miss the imprints of Abhinavagupta’s profound contribution. As such, the present study journeys into three directions: (1) a short genealogy of modern Krama studies; (2) the epistemology of the esoteric internalization embodied in the doctrine of Kalikrama; and (3) the role played by Abhinavagupta as its foremost architect. As such, the present study needs be construed as a small step towards discovering the intrinsic epistemological ethos of an esoteric Tantric tradition. -
Vedanta for the Western World $57.00
Vedanta for the Western World is a collection of sixty-eight articles appeared in a magazine having the same title during 1938-45 by eminent scholars of international repute such as Aldous Huxley, Allan Hunter, Gerald Heard and Swami Prabhavananda reflecting on the varied aspects and universal reflections of Vedanta, with an Introduction by Christopher Isherwood. Vedanta, the Vedic philosophy per se, and not time-specific, focuses on three fundamental propositions that man’s real nature is divine; aim of human life is to realize this divine nature; and all religions are essentially in agreement as far as this divine concept is concerned. The essays featured in this volume imbibe and exude the same philosophy being best suited to the understanding of new generation audience, especially the one that belongs to the Western world. This unique volume stands out in its genera of works due to a wide gamut of topics featured in it under the umbrella banner Vedanta. It enables every student of Vedanta know the essence of the Vedic philosophies from the perspectives of both Indian and Western scholars and men of merit.
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Akbar, The Aesthete $120.00
Mughal miniatures are a vivid account of the cultural, sociopolitical scenario of the Mughal era. Jalal-ud-Din Muhammad Akbar, the most powerful Mughal emperor, was a great aesthete and promoter of arts. Eminent Persian and Indian artists thronged his Royal Studio and were encouraged to paint numerous emotive miniatures of style and substance, communicating highly complex narratives. These miniatures are a beautiful manifestation of human expressions, vividly encapsulating moments of history for posterity.
This book combines the sources and methodology of history and art history of the Mughal era, and is an analysis of a select group of paintings of Akbar’s reign. The miniature paintings incorporate a wide variety of rich, vibrant and varied themes, ranging from durbar scenes, depicting Akbar in different moods and forms, the princes and nobles in their finery, hunting and battle scenes, elaborate scenes of royal births, construction scenes, ascetics, common man, and countryside scenes, to the flora and fauna. Individual analyses of these miniatures, shows the manner of their composition and the inherent value of their sociocultural content in a lively manner. These paintings became a passion and a diversion for Akbar, who had an innate aesthetic sense.
However, there are hardly any true-to-life paintings of women of the royal seraglio. This book thus attempts to cover some images of femininity, whether it is of Queen Alanquwa, Akbar’s mother, or of Madonna as sacred mothers, and women, per se, in different roles. These miniatures make one wonder how much these women contributed to the life of Mughal India.
This unique volume, having given transliteration and translation of the original Persian text of the miniatures, provides an insight into Akbar as an aesthete, and will help academics and laymen alike in appreciating the beauty and history of Akbar’s period. -
Absence of the Buddha Image in Early Buddhist Art $50.00
It is next to impossible today to even think of Buddhism without the presence of the Buddha image! The image of the Buddha, in truth, has not only come to symbolise the essence of Buddhism but is also a brilliant expression of the cultural/artistic achievements of the Buddhists since ancient times. Surprisingly, the Buddha image developed at a later stage of the evolutionary process; after the parinirvana of the Buddha, the Buddhists for a considerable time beheld the Buddha and experienced him in their own minds without taking recourse to the Buddha image itself. In Absence of the Buddha Image in Early Buddhist Art, Dr. Tanaka, a well-versed scholar, has for the first time ever explored the absence of the Buddha image in Buddhist art particularly in the period from third century bc to late first century ad in order to rediscover the significance of this phenomenon. Dr. Tanaka observes Bharhut and Sanchi sculptures to point out the most essential motifs and elements of stupa-art design the visible facts pertaining to the absence of the Buddha image. The author studies the religious, philosophical, artistic and political significance of the visible facts, highlighting the concept of the empty throne as the motif representative of that absence. She applies the empty throne concept to the sanctuaries of monotheistic religions, and thus undertakes a comparative study of Buddhism and other religions, particularly, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Sikhism to suggest that present-day discussions on the linkage between religions can centre on this theme. The dexterous handling of the topic combined with the authors use of first-hand research material makes this an erudite study. The directness in the authors approach and the unwavering eye on the theme sustains the interest throughout. An abundance of visual material, i.e., drawings and photographs, and tables immensely aid in analysis of the visible facts. This intense work on a rich theme offers well-researched and interesting material that will be useful to scholars of religious studies, fine arts and even philosophy.
