Philosophy Books

In this book the author analyzes the concepts of sunya (zero), void, nothing and other similar notions found in various fields – mysticism, religion, philosophy, science and mathematics. This exploration reveals a strange but fascinating world of nothingness: a weird world with its mind-boggling contradictions and irrationalism conveying the central message of nihil, where one finds prophets and philosophers trying to harmonize contraries, non sequiturs and irreconciliables.

Kalatattvakosa series of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts has endeavoured to evolve an important modern device to grasp the essential thought and knowledge system of the Indian artistic and cultural tradition. Through an indepth investigation into the primary sources of various Indological disciplines, the series aims at facilitating the reader to comprehend the interdisciplinary approach of Indological and arthistorical research. The present volume: Abhasa (Appearance/Symbolic form) is the sixth manifestation of the series devoted to key concepts of Indian art and deals with the abstract or symbolic forms containing closely related eitht terms where the basic concept of abhasa, appearance or seemliness or reflection is inherent. Abhasa helps to realise the structure even in the field of symbolic or invizsible form. This volume contains eight articles on the following concepts abhasa, Sadrsya-sarupya, anukarana/ anukrti/ anukirtana, chaya, bimbapratibimba, linga, pada and vrttiriti.

This series endeavoured to evolve an important modern device to grasp the essential thought and knowledge system of the Indian tradition. Through an indepth investigation into the primary sources of various disciplines, the series aims at facilitating the reader to comprehend the interlocking of different disciplines. The present volume is the fifth in the series. It is the manifestation of the vicaragni (fire of thoughts) kindled by the earlier seers and continued by later thinkers that highlights a number of visual art forms. The form or shape remains the basic element despite its multiple representations and their explanations.

Kalatattvakosa series of the IGNCA has endeavoured to evolve an important modern device to grasp the essential thought and knowledge system of the Indian tradition. Through an in depth investigation into the primary sources of various disciplines the series aims at facilitating the reader to comprehend the interlocking of different disciplines.

This work is a product of the Inscriptions of India Programme of the Indian Council of Historical Research undertaken with a view to making inscriptions dating from circa sixth to fourteenth century a.d. available in handy volumes. Part I studies the inscriptions of the Sarabhapuriyas, Panduvamsins and Somavamsins who played a major role in shaping the destinies of the Chhattisgarh region of Madhya Pradesh (Kosala) and the adjoining region of Orissa from about the sixth to the early twelfth century a.d. It provides a background to the study of the inscriptions by attempting to deal with their formal aspects like the format, palaeography, language, orthography, contents and methods of dating and to trace, for the first time, the evolution of their draft. Dharmasastra injunctions regarding the preparation of deeds of land-grants and their actual epigraphic parallels have also been discussed at length. The work sheds welcome light on the chronology and history of the region during the period in question and offers several original suggestions basing on fresh discoveries and new interpretation of known records. With its many interesting features, the work will surely be found enlightening by students and researchers delving deep into early Indian history and epigraphy.

The theory of humors, vital fluids whose proportions in the human body determine its health and temperament, is far from outdated. And what we sometimes think of as a modern concern with ecology and alternative medicine is really as old as the traditional medical techniques of the classical West of South Asia. It is to the latter that Francis Zimmermann turns his attention, in a remarkable evocation that combines Sanskrit studies and anthropology. He reconstructs and exposes the linkage between humors, persons, and soils in classical Hindu medicine. His work will interested those involved in the areas of medical anthropology, medical anthropology, medical history, philosophy of science, philosophy of language, and South Asian studies. It will also be valued for the vivid and accurate descriptions it offers of a few basic ideas our time has borrowed from Hindu culture: flower power, vegetarianism, non-violence, and the comic dimensions of the human body. In classical Ayurvedic medicine, a comprehensive view of the whole human person included the patient's humoral integration into the surrounding soil. The Jungle was the most crucial environment, and the Jungle was - and is - the dry land of the Punjab and the Delhi Doab, an open vegetation of thorny shrubs. The polarity of dry lands and wet lands framed not only the whole Ayurvedic materia medica but also the more general conception of a comic physiology governed by Agni (the sun) and Soma (the dispenser of rain). Clearing the land and draining the body were two aspects of one and the same art of managing the transactions of all sorts of vital fluids, saps, juices, savors, and humor. Medicine in the context of thought and practice associated with the Jungle was, and still in modern India, a kind of agriculture.

ISBN(Hardbound): 8178223953, 9788178223957
Series: Medicine & Spirituality
Pages: xii, 232
Language: English
Year of Pub.: 2013
Edition: 1st

The first part of the book deals with only that part of the basic anatomy and physiology, which is important in understanding the mechanism of yoga practices. This time a special note, in the form of tips 'from yoga point of view', has been added so as to understand various concepts and aphorisms of yoga clearly. The second part of the book describes the traditional technique of asanas, pranayamas, bandhas, mudras, kriyas (cleansing practices) and their possible mechanism. This book would help the reader: To learn the basic structure and various functions of the body, to understand the yogic concepts, the correct technique and the mechanism of the yogic practices as well as their physiological effects on the human body, to know wheather we can modify the techniques of these yoga practices with the help of the scientific information about them for better application, to understand the principles of yogic therapy, its application, contra-indication and limitations, to know the scientific aspect of the Aum chanting.

Soma is one of the key words in the ancient traditions of India. It stands for all that is gentle, beautiful, delicate, and sweet of temperament. It is also a synonym for the Moon. A person is complimented by calling him/her saumya, moon-like. A saumya face, saumya mien is what one looks for in choosing a friend.

Soma is part of the eternal pair of Agni- Soma. Agni is the fire element; Soma is the water element, moonlike. This pair is the Vedic equivalent of the Taoist yin-yang principle, balancing of the female and the male, energizer (female) and the energized (male).

What is the secret of Soma, the legendary mystic drink of immortality, first lauded by India's ancient Vedic seers? Is Soma a single plant, a type of plants, a way of healing, a special intoxicant, or an inner elixir produced by Yoga and meditation?

Going back to the vision of the Vedic seers, David Frawley reveals the secret of Soma for body, mind and spirit, with its profound implications from diet and herbs to pranayama, mantra and meditation. His new analysis of Soma, reflecting forty years of study of Vedic texts, is practical, comprehensive and deeply insightful so that you can bring the secret power of Soma into all aspects of your life and consciousness, and for the world as a whole.

The book, weaves together the outer and inner search for immortality and transcendence of death and sorrow. It shows that an immortality in consciousness is our very nature-and that it is possible to prolong our outer lives by aligning ourselves to it. The orientation of
the book is practical, presenting comprehensive knowledge and special methods to heal and rejuvenate body and mind ñ and to resurrect
the immortal spirit within us. Yet the book does require that we look at ourselves, examining our nature not simply as human beings, but as immortal souls. The book rests upon a yogic view of who we are, what our greater existence is, the nature of mind and consciousness, and the place of our physical life within the context of many lives and incarnations.

The neti pot is one of the most popular new methods of personal hygiene and health improvement available today. This simple tool for nasal irrigation, coming from the ancient tradition of Yoga and Ayurveda, is a great way to counter nasal congestion, sinus allergies headaches and many other health problems that can otherwise be difficult to treat. By enabling you to breathe better it can give you more energy that can literally transform your life.

Neti: Healing Secrets of Yoga and Ayurveda is the most thorough and practical presentation of how to use the neti pot yet available. Notably the book shows the place of such `nasal therapies` in India`s great healing traditions and their broader relevance for treating common diseases.

Sushrut Samhita is the epic of Shalya Chikitsa. Shalya is the study of imbalance of four humors Vat, Pitta, Kaph and Rakta or disease produced by them, identification of disease or the method of curing the disease.

According to Sushrut an uninterrupted circulation of the living factor Rasa (Chinese call it Qi) is responsible for a good health and any obstacle in the circulation results in disease. The disease appears in its true form in that channel where there is an obstruction. The disease is cured if the path or speed of circulation of Rasa is revived. This Rasa is circulated in the Dhamanis. The four types of siras responsible for the circulation of Vat, Pitta, Kaph and Rakta are almost situated at the Marmas. Stimulation of these Marmas revives the circulation of Rasa in the Dhamanis.

The book is an attempt to present the Sushrut Samhita in its right perspective. It presents the correct meaning of Sira, Dhamani and Marmas so far have been misunderstood as vein, Artery and tissues to be saved during surgery. Sira and Dhamani are not vein or artery instead they are the channels for the circulation of Ras.It revives Sushrut Shalya Chikitsa which is lost to give the right direction to students and researchers of Ayurveda.

Tibetan medicine was probably the first truly integrated system of ancient healing science. Tibetan Ayurveda provides a comprehensive guide to the four levels of traditional Tibetan medicine with a wealth of traditional health practices and teachings.

Much of the contemporary material on Tibetan medicine focuses solely on herbal medicine and acupuncture; Tibetan Ayurveda goes beyond these to look at other important forms of treatment such as Pancha Karma for detoxification and rejuvenation and Kum Nye for integrating mind and body. Using the source text of the Gyud-Zhi, “The Ambrosial Heart Tantra,” Robert Sachs looks at the powerful regenerative therapies that underpin this ancient healing science. He provides clear explanations of their principles and methods and supplies guidelines on nutrition, exercise, relaxation, rejuvenation, detoxification, as well as on meditation and other spiritual practices. A self-profile test is included to allow readers to determine their own health needs and embark on the path toward realizing their full potential for health and well-being.

The primary goal of the series is to explore and study the relationship between spirituality and health in a concise and readable format. It will seek to integrate spirituality into medicine on a scientific basis. It will shed new light on major contemporary issues in this fascinating area of research. It'll bridge the chasm between health and well-being on the one side and religion and spirituality on the other. It'll provide a comprehensive review of the research on the interface between medicine and spirituality. It'll also endeavour to go beyond research by offering clear, concise and helpful recommendations on how to address spiritual and health issues and how to utilize the expertise of all professionals to provide the best and most compassionate care possible.

The ocean of Hindu scriptural wisdom in the form of teachings of ancient masters of the religion is too massive for a single individual. This book presents, however, a compact connected collection of such wisdom from the vast and deep literature on Spiritual Hindu Thought. Presenting the esoteric meanings and significance of numerous names of Gods, through the words of Rishis, it explains the philosophical foundations of Hinduism, rooted in the Upanishads, the Gita and other ancient scriptures. A glimpse of the synthesis of religion and art as exhibited by the Divine Dance in the Nataraja temple of Chidambaram is also provided.

The ABC's of Chakra Therapy is a practical, user-friendly guidebook that leads you on a journey of self-healing and transformation by exploring your energy field - specifically the seven main energy centers, or chakras. Deedre Diemer's unique approach draws on a variety of therapies - visualization, sound, color, aromatherapy, reflexology, crystals and gemstones, along with yoga and other physical exercise. She combines facets of these powerful healing techniques so you can clear energy blocks and open to healing on all levels - physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. By familiarizing yourself with your chakras, you become more aware of your own energy, and will easily recognize energy that belongs to someone or something else. When you can sense your own energy, it is easy to see when you're being influenced by the beliefs, thoughts, and emotiions that belong to other people, that come from childhood programming, or from societal conditioning. By using the tools and methods provided in this book, you will be able to clear your energy so you are better able to see clearly what needs to be done; in short, you are able to take control of your life.Unique to this workbook is the "Where is Your Energy Blocked?" self-diagnostic. This exercise is designed to help you locate where energies may be blocked, and where the chakras are out of balance. Once these are ascertained, you can then choose the techniques and therapies for alleviating these conditions.

The Madhyamika or Middle Way, a school of Buddhist thought that originated in India in the second or third century, was a decisive influence in the subsequent developement of Mahayana Buddhism. In a new approach to its study, The Emptiness of Emptiness reconsiders the central doctrine of emptiness and shows that the Madhyamika critique of all philosophical views is both subtler and more radical than most Western interpretation indicates.

Building on earlier research into Sanskrit and Tibetan sources, the present work also examines the assumptions that have governed the study of Asian soteriological philosophy. In assessing the philosophical significance of the Madhyamika, the author demonstrates that the thrust toward a self-critical awareness of methodological presuppositions lies at the very heart of early Indian Madhyamika.

In this analysis, the self-deconstructing categories of Nagarjuna and his immediate followers emerge as an edifying philosophy that may have a great deal to offer to discussion of the related problems of objectivity and relativism issues crucial to current philosophical conversation in the West.

The volume also contains the first complete English translation of Candrakirti's Madhyamakavatara (The Entry into the Middle Way), with extensive exegetical and text-critical notes.

From Kannada's first Jnanpith award winner, a landmark of modern fiction that documents a vanishing world. When Hoovayya and Ramayya return from their studies in the city to their ancestral home, much has changed, throwing the even tenor of village life out of joint. The entry of Subbamma, the young wife of much-married Chandrayya Gowda into the House of Kanooru, sets in motion an irrevocable chain of events which signify the coming of age of a resolutely traditional society. Acutely conscious of the burden of their education amidst the torpor of manorial life, the brothers are forced to witness the descent into cruelty of Chandrayya Gowda, who breaks old familial ties, and demands an impossible fealty. The petty meanness of the Gowda s old age and the idealistic vitality of youth confront each other when Hoovayya and Ramayya both fall in love with Seethe, their childhood playmate, with disastrous consequences for the manor house of Kanooru. The epic conflicts of a decaying feudal order are seen through a multiplicity of characters, and voices that refuse to be silenced. The first stirrings of change in the lives of the Belas, the highland plantation workers and their labouring women, the proud Shudra landowners, the secretive and predatory Agrahara of the Brahmins, are dramatized by a humane eye sensitive to the slightest nuance. The House of Kanooru is ultimately a moving tribute by one of Kannada s greatest writers to the spirit of modernity. Translated from the Kannada by B.C. Ramachandra Sharma and Padma Ramachandra Sharma.

To enter the world of Rajput Painting is to enter a dream world of fantasy and colour, of heroes and heroines gorgeously attired in brilliant hues, of epic poems and love songs, of courtly majesty and India's romantic past. This beautiful survey conveys the spirit of the great Hindu classical tradition that existed in all the arts, including painting and literature, from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. In this richly illustrated book, Roda Ahluwalia sets Rajput Painting in its historical and art-historical background, looking at local styles in the principalities of Rajasthan, Central India and the Punjab. She explores the themes -- mainly taken from folk tales and epic literature, erotic and religious poems, myths, legends and music - as well as the influence of Mughal painting and the importance of the cult of Krishna. The illustrations, taken mainly from the superb collections of the British Museum and the British Library, include many previously unpublished images, allowing a rare insight into this world of colour and romance.

Table of Contents

Foreword and Acknowledgements
History and Religion
Romance, Divinity and Courtly Portraiture
Early Rajput Painting
Rajasthan: Mewar
Bundi and Kotah
Amber and Jaipur
Marwar
Bikaner
Kishangarh
Central India: Malwa
Bundelkhand
Pahari Painting: Early Pahari painting
Later Pahari painting
The Nineteenth Century
Notes
Bibliography
Illustration References
Index.

The present work is a simpler and shorter account of the author's previously published Outline of Indian Philosophy. Therefore, in accordance with the aim kept in view in writing, it leaves out many of the details included in the previous one. The difference between them, however, does not consist merely in these omissions: There is also variation in the treatment of some topics, as, for instance, in the first two chapters dealing with early Indian thought. At least in two cases, again, there are important additions. In the earlier book, Buddhism was dealt with in reference to two stages of its growth. There is a third phase, representing the doctrine as it was originally taught by Buddha; and a brief resume of it, as it has been reconstructed by scholars in recent years, also finds a place here. Similarly, the account of the Vedanta has been amplified by the inclusion of the Dvaita system of it. In treating of such a subject as Indian Philosophy, it is difficult to avoid the use of Sanskrit terms; but their number appearing in the body of the work has been reduced as far as possible, and a Glossary is provided to help the reader in finding out their meanings readily.

It provides a concise, connected account of Indian philosophy, and interpretation and criticism are provided within the limits of the volume.

The Essentials of Indian Philosophy provides a concise, connected account of Indian philosophy, and interpretation and criticism are provided within the limits of the volume. An introductory chapter summarises Vedic religion and philosophy, and then Indian thought respectively with the early post-Vedic period and the age of the systems. A brief historical survey accompanies each natural division of the subject, in addition to an exposition of its theory of knowledge, ontology and practical teaching. A glossary of Sanskrit terms and a good subject-index are provided.

Kriyas are the constructive actions we contribute to our total wellness and enlightnment, as well as the transformative actions which spontaneously occur within us as the spiritual growth is experienced. Yoga can be defined as " procedure", as "practice" and as the end result of successful practice - "wholeness". Tthe last section of the book provides guidelines to recommended lifestyle regimens and instruction in meditation techniques and practice routines. Biographical information about the guru lineage of Mr. Davis` Kriya Yoga tradition is provided in the appendix. A glossary of primary English and Sanskrit words is included.

This study attempts to determine how the ancient Indian medicinal and sexological texts would answer a non medical question but also social and religious relevance namelyl: what happens in a woman`s body
at the time of conception? To this end, numerous relevant texts were exhausitively analysed, along with several secondary sources and other traditional medicinal systems.

Known as "kundalini", this legendary power is believed to catalyze spiritual evolution. But is kundalini real? And if so, how can we engage this energy to awaken our consciousness? For centuries, the secrets of kundalini have been guarded by masters and buried in esoteric texts around the globe. Kundalini Rising brings together twenty-four illuminating essays by some of today's most prominent voices to demystify this mysterious phenomenon. From personal accounts and yogic practices, to brain research and historical perspectives, this compelling anthology weaves together both the mystical and practical perspectives on the rise of kundalini energy to help support your own spiritual discovery. Reading about kundalini can actually help catalyze the awakening process. It is as if once we understand the energy that lies within us and the pathways through which it can travel in our subtle body, we have an ability to visualize and flow with the process with heightened sensitivity.

Kundalini energy manifests itself in as many ways as the sun has rays. In most people the energy is latent. Like electricity, it is neutral. The gurus stress the need to gain control of any kind of power. For those who have laid the foundation by learning self-mastery, the Kundalini energy, when understood, can be controlled at will.

The first stage in Kundalini Yoga is becoming aware. It presents a well laid-out plan that encompasses more and more aspects of one's
life. Like concentric circles, it is ever expanding. Once the principal idea that moves like a red thread through the levels of consciousness is understood, a marvelous way of life is opened to the individual. There is a vast potential that lies within each of us- the potential of energy, power, heightened perception and awareness. Evolution for humans must now refer to evolution of consciousness, and Kundalini offers a blueprint of the vast mine to be tapped. In summary, the purpose of this book is to give the tools by which those who wish to cooperate with the process of evolution can do so. There is no mystification about the awakening of Kundalini, yet this process leads to the mystical experience.

This is a direct path to higher conciusness. It is the process of concious cooperation with evolution. within each of us there lies a vast Potential of energy and power which, when properly understood and directed, will lead to previously unimagined heights of perception and awareness. This is a book of inspiration, and into life are given for those who wish to cooperate with evolution. Swami Radha has presented clear directions for exercises and practices.

Review:

... clear, comprehensive and full of extremely useful information. - Stanislav Grof, Esalen Institute, Big Sur, California

The book is a treasure chest. It is a welcome relief to read about Kundalini in ways that are clear, detailed, explicit and profound... a genuinely useful text for personal development. - James Fadiman, Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Menlo Park, California

In view of growing interest in the 'inner way' by which we attempt to tune into the forces of evolution, Kundalini Yoga may well mark a break through, long expected and long overdue. - Herbert V. Guenther, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Sask

Kundalini Yoga is full of sound advice and spiritual directions for purifying and developing the physical, emotional and mental being as a foundation for the safe awakening of the Kundalini Power. - Judith Tyberg, East-West Cultural Centre, Los Angeles

This book is destined to become a classic in the literature of altered states of consciousness. - Stanley Krippner, Humanistic Psychology Institute, San Francisco

This book presents the paradigm in a fairly comprehensive and easily understandable manner, steering clear of confusion and controversies. - Prof. S. K. Ramchandra Rao, The Astrological Magazine, Vol.84, No.1, Jan. 1995

In a most comprehensive and thorough analysis, the present work identifies Mithuna or Male-Female theme as a symbol pure and simple that occurs and recurs under many contexts and representational assumptions in different phases of Indian culture, art and thought. The author has brought out an exposition of the Mithuna symbol treating fully its implications in manifold contexts and areas of thought such as One And The Many, Male and Female, As An Idyllic Concept, Dampati, Incomplete Mithuna, Eternal Mithuna And Sahaja. As such this symbol now forms the key to analysing several basic ideals permeating different Indian metaphysical systems and mythical formulations as well as their tangible projection in art and iconography through the ages. The accented expression of Mithuna in Indian art and ritual has ever been a thing of wide interest both to scholars and general readers. Dr. Agrawala's work studies this greatly fascinating subject in a new and comprehensive setting, treating the Indian Male-Female theme for the first time in the widest possible range of its existence from prehistoric ages to pre-modern times and of its multiple presence in religious, social and philosophical ideologies and art. Printed Pages: 140 with 223 b/w and 18 four-colour illustrations.