Books

Dr. Arora's present book is indeed a most welcome addition to the growing field of comparative mythological studies. The work is a very thorough investigation into some of the major themes and motifs in Indian mythology in a much wider and comparative perspective. He has carefully selected them from Indian, Greek, West-Asian, and other sources. The result obtained by him provides an amazing story of interaction between various cultural traditions through space and time. This is a painstaking work of research and a substantial contribution not only to the History of Indian Civilization but also to that of the ancient world. Dr. Arora has approached his question with an open mind with result that his findings do not betray pre-suppositions and prejudices one often finds in such studies. Printed Pages: 268.

Comparative mythology is, indeed, a very absorbing and exciting subject. But it is also a tricky subject. Any investigation pertaining to this discipline involves some obvious risks. For instance, on the one hand, one is often tempted to read much in apparent-and even superficial-similarities of ideas in the mythologies of different cultures and then to fit in those ideas into a pre-conceived ideological framework; and, on The other hand, there is the tendency towards puritanical isolationism which rejects any suggestion of borrowing or external influence. I would like to congratulate Dr. Arora, the author of this interesting monograph, on having taken care to see that in avoiding Scylla he has not fallen into Chary bdis. He has tried to strike a commendable balance between various ramifications of the two extreme positions. Verily, judicious restraint may generally be said to be the keynote of his entire writing.

Dr. Arora has wisely chosen for comparative study only a few important topics in Indian mythology, such as the creation of the world, the four ages, the great flood, births and deaths of mythical personalities, metamorphoses, and supernatural maidens. And one hardly fails to notice that Le has assiduously brought an impressive array of literature, primary and secondary, to bear upon his treatment of these topics. But what has struck me most agreeably in this book is that Dr. Arora has not indulged in any unwarranted theorisation. He has left the facts so meticulously brought forth by him to speak for themselves—of course throwing out, off and on, intelligent suggestions which would certainly serve as helpful signposts.

Altogether we have here a valuable source-book in the field of Hindu mythology, and I welcome it as holding out sure promise of greater things to come.

About the Book: In this book, the author has provided a free rendering of Upanisads in a simple and forceful style. He has presented their main ideas of which he displays a firm grasp, in an intelligent and easily assimilable manner. This is not a mere translation, but as author has explained and commented on them, are also provided an interpretation of their philosophy.

About the Author: Dr. V. H. Date (1900 - 1987) was Professor and Head of the Department of Philosophy, Rajasthan University and Founder-Director of Adhyatma Sahitva Vikas Sanstha, Jodhpur. He has published several books and articles.

About the Book : The Budhacarita is a well-planned work written in Sanskrit by Asvaghosa who was a contemporary of Kusana emperor Kaniska. It is one of the few biographies of Buddha that is complete commencing with his birth and ending with his nirvana. This work is composed in the style of ornate court poetry or Kaavya. Unlike the Mahavastu and the Lalitavistara, it is a systematic treatment of the subject matter. The poet is not only moderate in language and style, but he also uses restraint in the presentation of miracles in the Buddha ledend, keeping himself far removed from exaggeration.

Unfortunately only half of the work, i.e. 14 or 28 cantos survive in its original Sanskrit, providing us the story upto the Maravijaya; Tibetan and Chinese translations consist of the entire cantos.

The present edition contains the Sanskrit text of cantos I-XIV; translation of cantos I-XIV; and, the translation of remaining cantos XV-XXVIII based on available Tibetan and Chinese versions.

About the Author : Edward Hamilton Johnston (26 March 1885- 24 October 1942) was a British oriental scholar who was Boden Professor of Sanskrit at the University of Oxford from 1937 until his death. Edward Hamilton Johnston was born on 26 March 1885. He was educated at Eton College before studying at New College, Oxford. He joined the Indian Civil Service, winning the Boden Sanskrit Scholarship during his probation, and worked in India from 1909 onwards in various capacities.

Although Johnston seems only to have published one article in India (on a group of medieval statues), his later works show that he had noted local Indian practices in agriculture and other areas, since he made reference to these in his analy.

The book was originally submitted to Banaras Hindu University in 2012 for the award of Doctor in Philosophy. R.C. Pradhan, Professor of Philosophy from University of Hyderabad, after examining this thesis, writes "... this is an excellent study of the recent interpretations of Nagarjuna's philosophy. This study bears the stamp of deep scholarship in Buddhism, especially in the Madhyamaka philosophy of Nagarjuna. This work covers the vast literature on Nagarjuna's Philosophy and its interpretations by the scholars both Indian and Western and has critically examined all sorts of interpretations from the nihilistic to the absolutistic, logico-linguistic and deconstructionistic. Mr Joy rejects all interpretations with critical and detailed examinations of their viewpoints. His wide survey of literature and deep understanding of the problems posed by them has made him understand Nagarjuna without an intermediary. Nagarjuna's sayings quoted from original sources have put his philosophy in clearer light.... Mr Joy's arguments are convincing and based on wide scholarship. His excellent bibliography is a standing testimony to his wide reading and reflections. He has organized the chapters well with detailed footnotes. He has, on the whole, developed an original approach to the understanding of Nagarjuna's Philosophy of Sunyata...."

One of the central concepts in Buddhism is the idea of kamma. Although the importance of karma in Buddhist thought is regularly recognized, the question remains whether the Buddhist understanding of the principle of karma has been inalterably fixed, or whether it has undergone a process of development and modification during the course of Buddhist history. If, indeed, the Buddhist understanding of karma has not been static, what kinds of development has it undergone? It is of these questions that this study addresses itself. The approach taken in this study has been text-critical and historical. The initial Buddhist formulation of the principle of kamma as it is depicted in the Vinaya and the Sutta Pitakas is analyzed as a base for the study. Modifications are noted as already present in the later strata of this literature. The problem is then examined in the Abhidhamma Pitaka, where certain abstract developments in the definition and categorization of kamma are discovered. In order to provide a greater chronological scope, the text then turns to an analysis of kamma in the Milindapanha. Finally, the Abhidharmakosa of Vasubandhu is considered. A new concern with the mechanism of karmic retribution becomes evident in the Abhidharmakosa. The modification which the concept of karma is found to have undergone roughly speaking are of two broad types. First, there were popular folk developments which were accepted only reluctantly, if at all, in more scholarly circles. Then there were the more scholastic developments in the direction of greater perceptions of definition and refinement of categories. In the same vein, a growing scholarly concern for specific implications of the more general principle of karma is also noted.

About the Author : James P. McDermott is Professor of Religious Studies, Canisius College, Buffalo, New York. He was educated at Wesleyan University, Yale University, and holds a Ph.D. in History of Religions from Princeton University. A specialist in Indian Buddhism, he had published articles in the Journal of the American Oriental Society, Numen. the Indo-Iranian Journal, and Karma and Rebirth in Classical Indian Traditions, edited by Wendy O' Flaherty. He is a contributor to the Abingdon Dictionary of the Living Religions and Funk and Wagnalls New Encyclopedia.

About the Book : Sakya or Buddhist Origins by Mrs. Rhys Davids is as relevant today as it was in 1928, the year of its first publication. Time has added to its value. The remarkable progress in the realm of Science has not abated man's yearning for the call of the quest.

As the title implies, its aim is to unravel the genuine message of Gotama, the Buddha, from the accretions in the Pali scriptures, by adopting the techniques of archaeologist. It is divided into two parts. Part one treats of "the discovery, the reconstruction, the rehabilitation of that which, at its birth, was a new and true word from very man to very man, true always and everywhere." Part two tells how this gospel came to be dressed "to suit a monastic set of ideals." An appendix dealing with Pali Pitakas is added.

Over the years, in spite of a large number of books, the horizons of knowledge about Buddhism have remained stationary. This book takes a further step in widening that Knowledge and thus provides an impetus for further research.

About the Author : Mrs. Rhys Davids (27 September 1857 - 26 June 1942), a well-known authority on Buddhism, undertook the difficult task of translating from original Pali a number of Buddhist works which justifiably earned her a place among the foremost scholars of Buddhism. She was a pupil of Prof. T.W. Rhys Davids whom she later married. Besides her translation of the Dhamma-Sangani undertook the translation and interpretation of a number of works on Abhidhamma. As the editor of the Pali Text Society, a number of other works were published under her guidance. She was also the author of a number of books and articles: the more well-known are: Buddhist Psychology, translation of Thera-T

The Vedas-Rg, Yajur and Sama-have enjoined on the Hindus a number of rites that are to be performed during the succeeding hours of the day. Every moment of one's waking hours, from dawn to dusk, is so taken care of that even if one wishes, there is not a minute to spare for frivolous pursuits. These daily practices have taken cognizance of man's nature-that unless he is compelled by injunction, inducement, circumstances or ambition, he would fritter away his energy and time in chasing transient success-and aim to awaken the mental, moral and spiritual powers lying dormant in him.

Rai Bahadur Srisa Chandra Vasu's The Daily Practice of Hindu describes in detail all the Vedic rites connected with the morning and midday duties. The Sanskrit text, its transliteration, work-meaning, translation and grammatical notes provide the assistance for the understanding of Vedic mantras. The chapters on Tantric and Universal Sandhya liberates the use of this book from its sectarian confinement.

Everyone, irrespective of his creed, shall find this book invaluable; for it caters to everybody's physical and spiritual well-being.

About the Book :This book is a step-by-step practical guide to North Indian music. With the help of this book, the reader can understand the basic aspects of North Indian music and learn to appreciate it better. It describes the ten basic ra.gs of North Indian classical music. It also gives instructions on how to sing and how to play the musical instruments. This book describes the tonal patterns and the tonal embellishments. By following the practical exercises given in this book, you can train your voice, sing notes correctly, develop you own ability to improvise, and make your own tonal patterns. This book is your guide to creating and singing your own ra.g.

About the Author : Dr. Indurama Srivastava did M.A. in Sanskrit from Allahabad University, obtained Master of Music from Banaras Hindu University, and PhD. In Musicology from the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands. Her earlier book was on Dhrupad. She lives in The Netherlands and is actively involved in Indian music.

Specific Principle of Kashmir Saivism throws a clear light on the aspects of Trika Saiva philosophy that remain either untouched or not well-clarified in other schools. Starting with discussion of the theistic absolutism of the Trika system, B.N. Pandit guides us through abhinavagupta's critique of the primary cosmogonic theories of his time - the materialist realism of Samkhya, the momentary-idealism of Vijnanavadas, and the vivarta theory of Advaita Vedanta -en route to establishing the Kashmir Saiva theory of theistic reflectional manifestation as a unique and supremely logical cosmogonic system. Like the topic of cosmogony, several other important principles are unique developments of the Trika system. These topic include: Spanda, Saktipata, the classification of beings, aesthetics, the notion of Sabdabrahman, the relation of the five purana to the four states of consciousness, and Trika yoga. This book illuminates these topics on the basis of the writing of the primary masters of the school, including Vasugupta, Kallata Bhatta, Somananda, Utpaladeva, and Abhinavagupta.

In addition, the author has include a chapter on the vilasa principle as expounded in the Neo-Saiva philosophy (Abhinava-Saivadarsana) of Acarya Amrtavagbhava. This work also includes an index, extensive glossary, and appendix of Sanskrit quotations, making it an invaluable source-book for beginners and scholars alike.

About the Author B.N. Pandit is an eminent Sanskrit scholar, holding a Certificate of Honour, awarded by the President of India. A retired professor of Sanskrit form Himachal University. Dr. Pandit is an internationally respected authority on the Trika Saivism of Kashmir with numerous publications in Sanskrit (8), Hindi (4), and English (4). His Svatantrya Darpana (Mirror of Self-Supremacy) and translation of Abhinavagupta's Paramarthasara (The Essence of the Exact Reality) are also published by us.

This important study presents a comprehensive and critical survey of Vaisnava-Bhakti movements through the ages; its vedic origin, medieval evolution and modern trends in India. The learned author acquaints readers with numerous hidden, symbolic meanings behind anthropomorphic form of Vishnu, his incarnations, Radha, devotee, methods of worship and the siddhis a devotee secures through Bhakti-yoga.

It brings into light the philosophies of Ramanuja (Visistadavaitavada), Vallabha (Suddhadvaitavada), Nimbarka (Dvaitadvaitavada), Namadeva, Tukaram, Kabir, Chaitanyadeva, Tulsidasa, Mirabai, Sankaradeva, Mahadeva and his successors. This monotheistic research on Vishnu is based on ancient Sanskrit scriptures and throws a search light on obscure, hidden, symbolic, philosophical, psychological and historical meanings behind Vedic and Puranic stories and legends.

About the Author : Late Shri Rabindra Kumar Siddhantashastree (1911-1983) had all along an extraordinary brilliant academic career. Besides being a Premchand Roychand scholar (Calcutta, 1955) he is a holder of five Tirtha and seven Shastree titles and was lecturer in the department of Ancient Indian History and Culture, Calcutta University before his sad demise. He is an author of a number of valuable and thought-provoking books which will keep his name alive in the word of scholars of Indian religions. His contributions to human knowledge are Saivism Through the Ages (1975) History of Pre-Kaliyuga India (1978).

Erotic sculpture around places of worship of any society would require an explanation. Its unignorable presence outside Hindu temples when the religion itself has been known for its other-worldly ideals and spiritual aspirations has both astonished and puzzled visitors. The Brahmin panda (guide) accompanying the inquisitive tourist at sites like Bhubaneswar or Konarak as well as the scholarly Hindu steeped in a less free later day morality find the anomaly embarrassing and proffer idealistic explanations in which sexual expression is interpreted either as a symbolic representation of Eternal Bliss or as the overt manifestation of kama, the third purusartha. Such explanations fail to account for themes like orgies and bestiality and the vast upsurge in sexual depiction in sculpture between AD 900 and 1400. What is the rationale of erotic depictions in religious art? What is their thematic content? Is erotic sculpture confined to temples of particular religious cults? Could esoteric Tantrikas display their own secret practices? This inquiry is concerned as much with the question of religious sanction as with the sociological factors generating the permissive atmosphere and mood for the depiction of sexual motifs. The proliferation of feudal chiefs and rulers, their interest in temple-building, the feudalization of temple institution and its growing wealth and power, the degeneration of devadasi (sacred, prostitution) system are found to be some of the medieval developments responsible for the profuse display of eroticism. Eroticism in sculpture is compared with the dominant themes in the other modes of art prevalent during the period. The present study examines practically the entire corpus of the empirical material on erotic motives and action over the period from the third century BC to the fifteenth century AD. In the course of the examination the author brings to light a wide variety of themes in the erotic sculpture of India. The illustrations represent prominently the lesser known sites like Bavka, Modhera, Bagali, etc., along with familiar sites like Khajuraho, Konarak and Bhubaneswar and are not merely illustrative; they throw up questions for examination to begin with, and serve also as supporting evidence for the argument advanced. In the present edition the bibliography is upto dated and new illustrations added with notes. Printed Pages: 287 with 157 b/w illustrations and 26 line drawings.

About the Author

Dr. Devangana Desai was born in 1937 in Bombay. An academic training both in Philosophy and Sociology roused in her a keen interest in the Sociology of Art and Religion. Her Ph.D. dissertation submitted in 1970 to the University of Bombay forms the basis of the present book. She has to her credit a large number of papers on Ancient Indian Terracottas, Temple Art and Architecture, and Ramayana scenes in Indian sculpture. Dr. Desai was awarded the Silver Medal of the Asiatic Society of Bombay (1977) for her contribution to oriental research. She received the Homi Bhabha Fellowship in 1978-1980 and worked on "Narration in Indian Sculpture (upto AD 1300)". She has participated in several national and international seminars of Art History including the "Discourses on Siva" Symposium convened by the University of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia in 1981, and the "Destiny of Man" Seminar held during the Festival of India in Britain in 1982.

She was awarded the prestigious Dadabhai Naoroji Memorial Prize in 1983 for her research in Indian Art. Dr. Desai is the Editor of the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bombay and Chairman of the Museum Society of Bombay.

The first part of the book traces the history of Indian music and the continuity of its theory and practice for more than two thousand years. It is based on many years' research into the vast ancient Sanskrit literature of music. These valuable technical treatises, which lie in the form of scarcely catalogued manuscripts throughout the public and private libraries of India, had hitherto remained unemplored. Part Two transcribes and studies in detail 50 typical Raga-s. Each is preceded by a Sanskrit poem in translation which depicts the atmosphere; then follows an analysis of the scale, covering its intervals and expression, a study of the theme with its characteristic motives and finally a typical development. The present work is based on the author's two-volume Northern Indian Music published in London (but not America) some ten years ago, but long out of print and much sought after by students. It was described by Colin Mason in the Manchester Guardian as "of immense value to any practical musician" and "an invaluable addition to the very scanty literature of fascinating and neglected subject". This new version contains a number of additional Raga-s; the earlier text has been extensively revised and many music examples redrawn for greater clarity and accuracy. Some abridgement has taken place, but only of material which appeared originally for the benefit of Indian readers unfamiliar with Western staff notation, those able to read Sanskrit, and specialists in Sanskrit literature. The book provides modern composers outside India with a source of new inspiration and enables practising musicians to play and study some of the endlessly variegated modes for which Indian music is unique.

Considered the work of the Sage Bharatha, the Natyasastra speaks about many aspects of theatre. India has always treated theatre in a unique way, pairing music, classical Indian dance, and literature into its fold. It speaks of stages, their design and aspects of the play such as makeup and dance forms. It is the foundation of all the fine arts in India, and in over 6000 verses, it touches upon the ancient Gandharva Veda, an ancient lost text considered to give its readers the knowledge of the Apsaras of the God Indra s court. Learn how Indian artforms consider the mandapa a part of the play itself, and discover how the Rasas evolved. This authoritative translation and commentary gives readers comprehensive notes about the work, and teaches them its importance in the stage of life.

About the Book : Indian music despite its limited popularity is not a spent force, but has still a great role to play in the firmament of world music is the siren song of this book, The Music of India by Atiya begum Fyzee-Rahamin. Its hoary origin, gradual evolution, the impact of foreign influences, the two principal schools - the Karnataka (southern) and the Hindustani (northern) - and the glorious periods, when some of its illustrious exponents enriched it with their immortal compositions and elevated it to dizzy heights of perfection are brought into sharp focus. The mysteries and misconceptions engulfing it are dispelled by an elucidation of four important parts (angas): Sur Adhaya (Law of tones), Tala Adhaya (law of Rhythm), Ast Adhaya (law of Musical Instruments) and Raga Adhaya (Law of Tunes). Its connexion with astrology and the exploits of some of its legendary masters are narrated to reveal the power of the Ragas and Raginis to transport the listeners to that haven of enchantment where nature and time stand still. The illustrations serve as foils to the text. All those interested in Indian Music will find this book an excellent introduction for further study.

About the Book In 1963, Lionel Abel's book, Metatheatre: A New of Dramatic Form, was published. The basic idea of metatheater is that of multiple layerof illusion. The prefix meta- here, suggets beyond, above &within. Metatheater, in one of its senses, can be viewed as one make-believe (dramatic) world superimposed upon another make-believe (dramatic) world. Or as one dramatic world framed within another dramatic world. The most easily relationship is theplay-within-the-play.

The question might be asked what relevance such a recent topic of literary criticism in the West would have to a study of ancient Sanskrit drama. Each of the six essays in Part One of this book provides an effective answer.

In the sixth essay, a translation is given of the passage in the Abhinavabharati, wherein Abhinavagupta comments on the term of natyayita. Remarkably, this ancient Sanskrit term is most appropriately translated by the freshly minted English word metatheater. And it is through an understanding of this 30-year-old English term (metatheater) that one is able to obtain a revealing insight into what Abhinava was saying one thousand year ago about natyayita term used in the Natya-Sastra, in the section on Sarira Abhinaya, and illustrated by Abhinava with a reference to Subandhu's play, Vasavadatta Natyadhara The first five essays illustrate how profoundly a knowledge of the metadramatic structure of Sanskrit plays will affect the way in which they are to be understood and translated.

This ediition of Samaveda is based on the exposition of Swami Dayanand. The translator has furnished references in the footnotes to different intrepretations of Indian and foreign scholars. An introduction and glossary-cum-index are added for the benefit of those not acquainted with Samaveda.

The Eleven-Headed Avalokitevara is a study of the many origins that may have played a part in arriving at this number of heads, based on forms and powers: male and female forms; origins based on name; in scriptural evidence and images, as well as Hindu deities, and finally origin seen in Rock-cut litanies in caves of India.

Manifold as the sources are, they led to consideration of this Bodhisattva as the highest form of compassion in the widest sense of the word, the savior for humanity of eight to ten dreads, which assail and defeat humankind, especially for exposed travelers, be they pilgrims going to visit and pray at Buddhist shrines, or monks seeking new temples or to find new masters to teach them.

This essay weaves together a panorama in South Asia, moving up to Central Asian and Chinese cultures who contributed their own examples from caves in China (Tun Huang) that also held depositories of paintings brought back to modern cultures for study in Paris and London; long scrolls such as the Yunan Tali Kingdom’s treasure from the late Sung period, all told tales of Buddhist iconography and styles that most often harked back to earlier Indian models.

Korea found influence from China and Japan had the Eleven-Headed in metal and also of lacquer and wood in splendid examples from seventh and eighth centuries on. Still, most astounding is a theory weaving the thread back to the Indian cave litanies, showing how the Bodhisattva as savior caused in practice of art to furnish the model for how the ten scenes of dreads plus the great Avalokitevara’s own face led to an eleven-headed” giants” seen in Indian Gupta styles.

Tove E. Neville is a Buddhist scholar who has spent nine years in research of Eleven-Headed Avalokitevara in Asia. After traveling in more than 30 countries, visiting important sites of both occidental and oriental art, she settled for fifteen years in Japan. While living in the Orient, she examined especially Chinese and Japanese examples of Buddhist art but also made repeated study trips to India and Southeast Asia, and to special oriental art collections and sites in Taiwan, Korea, France, England and Switzerland Intermittently she pursued her graduate studies in oriental art history at the University of Hawaii.

Ms Neville has received initiation in Theravada Buddhism in Thailand, in Tibetan Buddhism in India and in Shingon (Esoteric) Buddhism in Japan, and has practiced these and Zen meditation over a period of twenty-five years.

From the Jacket:

The lesser known and explored of the two pillars of Hinduism, varna and asrama, asrama is a system of four distinct and legitimate ways of leading a religious life: as a celibate student, a married house-holder, a forest hermit, and a world renounce.

In this, the first full-length study of the asrama system, Patrick Olivelle uncovers its origin and traces its subsequent history. He examines in depth its relation ship to other institutional and doctrinal aspects of the Brahmanical world and its position within Brahmanical theology, and assesses its significance within the history of Indian religion. Throughout, the author argues that the asrama system is primarily a theological construct and that the system and its history should be carefully distinguished from the socio-religious institutions comprehended by the system and from their respective histories.

Olivelle pays special attention to how the system was theologically reappropriated in diverse ways at different historical periods through the hermeneutic labors of exegetes and theologians. The Asrama System thus represents a major study not only of Hindu religious history, but also of the tradition of Indian hermeneutics.

In 1994 The Asrama System was the winner of the American Academy of Religion's Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion in the Historical category.

About the Author:

Patrick Olivelle is the Chair, Department of Asian Studies, at the University of Texas at Austin, where he is the Professor of Sanskrit and Indian Religions. Among his recent publications are: The Samnyasa Upanisads (Oxford, 1992); Rules and Regulations of Brahmanical Asceticism (Albany, 1994); The Early Upanisads: Annotated Text and Translation (Oxford, 1998); Dharmasutras: Annotated Text and Translation (Delhi, 2000); and Manu's Code of Law: A Critical Edition and translation of the Manava-Dharmasastra (Oxford, 2004). His translations of Upanisads, Pancatantra, Dharmasutras, and The Law Code of Manu were published in Oxford World's Classics in 1996, 1997, 1999, and 2004.

About the Book : Besides its gigantic size and encyclopaedic and eclectic nature of its content the Puranic corpus stands apart from, the earlier Brah-manical literature in many significant ways; not the least of them being the fact that whereas the Vedas and the Dharmasastras had been meant for self study and were for the exclusive religious edification of the members of the upper stratum the puranas were required to be recited in popular gatherings and were generally projected as the scriptures of the masses. Their popular base and mass appeal can be judged from the fact that Puranic lore like that of the Epics has over the centuries become deeply ingrained in popular psyche. But what is really intriguing is the extraordinary nature of exigency which compelled the Brahmanical leaders to give up their former elitist and almost inflexible stance and not only take notice of the substratum of society but also seek to win them over through a genre of literature specially composed for them. Perhaps what is even more surprising is that though so much has been made provide as written about the Puranas in the past century and a half yet no serious attempt has been made to provide as completely convincing and wholly viable rationale for their composition and subsequent proliferation. The present work aims at removing this lacuna and establishing the purposive nature of the Puranic texts. It also seeks to underline the dialectical nature of relationship that existed between the processes of their composition and the forces of acculturation that became activated and more visible during Gupta/Post – Gupta times due to the amounting demands and pressures of an emergent socio economic order based on agricultural expansion.

About the Author : Dr. Vijay Nath is a Reader in Jankidevi College Delhi University. She secured her Master's and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Delhi. Her articles focusing on socio economic and religious history of ancient India have appeared in a number of well known journals. She is the author of the book Dana; Gift System in Ancient India: A Socio economic Perspective. She has been elected president of ancient Indian History section of the sixty first session of India History Congress.

From the Jacket

The volumes of the Project of the history of science philosophy and culture in Indian Civilization aim at discovering the main aspects of India’s heritage and present them in an interrelated way. In spite of their unitary look these volumes recognize the difference between the areas of material civilization and those of ideational culture. The project is not being executed by a single group of thinkers and writers who are methodically uniform or ideologically identical in their commitments. The project is marked by what may be called methodological pluralism. Inspite of its primarily historical character this project both in its conceptualization and execution has been shaped by scholars drawn form different disciplines. It is for the first time that an endeavour of such a unique to study critically a major world civilization.

History of Yoga is an attempt to trace the contours of origin and development of the discipline of yoga in all its possible ramification beginning from the Veda up till modern Times. Long before Patanjali stood our as the greatest systematize of the discipline yoga gad its origin in the aspiration austerity and tapas of the Vedic seers undertaken to understand the mystery of creation of the universe and the individual both in their essence. In contravention of the Aryan Invasion Theory dominating the process of investigation into the history of ancient India the volumes traces the louse of the Yogic sadhana of the earliest Vedic seers in the high Himalayas getting percolated throughout the rest of the country gradually and leaving its remnants also in the Indus seals of the third millennium B.C Being a product of total involvement of the personality of the Vedic Seers in the task of investigation into the mystery of creation the discipline has evolved into diverse path such as bhakti Jnana, karma and mediation ranging form pure spiritual to the anatomical as is obvious in its Hathayogic manifestation. This has exposition of stalwarts of the modern age such as Sri Ramakrishna Swami Vivekananda Sri Aurobindo Raman Maharishi and the rest as a follow up of the works of seers and sages. This development in the discipline has been possible through the works of a number of great yogins of the intervening period such as several others. The volume is a product of the cumulative effort of some of the best mind in the field available in India at present.

About the Author

D.P Chattopadhyaya, M.A, LL.B, PH.D (Calcutta and London Scholl of Economic) D. Litt. (Honoris Causa), studied research on law philosophy and history and taught at various Universities in India, Asia Europe and USA From 1954 to 1994, founder Chairman of the Indian Council of Philosophical Research (1981-1990) and President cum chairman of the Indian Institute of Advanced study Shimla (1984-1991) Chattopadhyaya is currently the project Director of the Multidisciplinary 96 volume PHIDPC and chairman of the CSC. Among his 37 publication authored 19 and edited or co edited 18 are Individuals and Societies (1967) Individuals and worlds (1976) Sri Aurobindo and Karl Marx (1988) anthropology and historiography of science (1990) induction probability and Skepticism (1991), sociology ideology and Utopia 919970 Societies Cultures and Ideologies (2000) interdisciplinary studies in science society value and civilization dialogue (2002) philosophy of science phenomenology and other essays 92003) Philosophical consciousness and scientific knowledge conceptual Linkages and civilizational Background (2004) Religion Philosophy and science (2006) Aesthetic theories and forms in Indian tradition (2008) and love life and (2010). He has also held high public offices namely of union cabinet minister and state governor he is a life member of the Russian Academy of sciences and a member of the international institute of philosophy Paris he was awarded Padma Bhusan in 1998 and Padmavibhushan in 2009 by the government of India.

Satya Prakash Singh has received his B.A, M.A and Ph. D from the Banaras Hindu University Varanasi. He has served the Aligarh Muslim university form 1962 to 1994 in various capacities such as lecturer professor and dean faculty of arts. He has received several awards including Dr. Ganga Nath Jha award of Uttar Pradesh Sanskrit Academy Lucknow Rajaji Literary award of Vidya Bhavan Bombay Pranvananda best book of the year in psychology of the science congress Bangalore Banabhatta puraskara of Uttar Pradesh Sanskrit santhana Lucknow and Rashrapati certificate of honor of the government of India. He has been governor’s nominee in the state universities of Bihar west Bangal and Sri Venkateshvara Vedic University tirupati. He has served as director of Vraja academy vrindavan Dharma hinduja international centre of Indic Research Delco and Vedic Research center New Delhi he has worked as an editorial fellow of the center for studies in civilization at New Delhi for tow terms. His publications included about 100 research papers and the following books. Sri Aurobindo and whitehead on the nature of god; Sri Aurobindo and Jung; from confusion to clarity.

From The Jacket

This book is about numbers and so many questions relating to them. What is the nature of numbers are they discovered or invented? What is mystical about them? Mathematicians develop a hierarchy of numbers in which mysterious dichotomies appear. For example, the integer 5 is not the same as the rational 5 which in turn is different from the real 5. The author explains how this conceptual maze does not affect the laypersons' arithmetic. He also discusses such fascinating topics as primes, perfect numbers, inaccessible numbers and many other unsolved problems relating to the treacherous terrain of infinity, which have baffled mathematicians and philosophers alike.

Jayant Burde has academic/professional qualifications in mathematics, physics, haw and banking. His published papers contain mathematical models in finance and organizational structure. He is also the author of the book Rituals, Mantras and Science.

From The Jacket

Significantly this book shows, by using a triangulation of methods (historical, phenomenological, and structural), what it is to live in a universe of meaning centered by the idea that the Ultimate Reality is grounded in a Female Prin- ciple. It provides a framework for uniting Hindu goddess-worship in all its sacred manifestations. The work uses the name Durga-Kali (via Mircea Eliade) as a vital focus for linking together tribal, popular (bhakti) and Brahmanic (Tantric) tradi- tions. The author's approach also allows for the integration of the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of human life into a whole,-indeed-a unique type of balance. Though many sub- sequent highly specialized studies have enlarged upon aspects of its basic theme, this is the work that by and large launched a host of recent studies in the West aimed at helping those outside of the world of Sakta Hinduism to appreciate the wonder of its mythic cosmologies, cultic practices, and symbolic expressions.

About the Author

Dr. Wendell Charles Beane is Professor Emeritus of the History of Religions at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and does comparative researches in his approach to the study of major world religious traditions. He is also the editor (with W.G. Doty) of Myths, Rites, Symbols: A Mircea Eliade Reader, 2 vols. (Harper and Row) and The Truth Within You: Faith, Gnostic Visions, and Christ Consciousness (A.R.E. Press).

From the Jacket

The present work outlines the history of Krishna Chaitanya, the founder, and also the religious and social conditions which led to its emergence. It also discusses the teachings of the Sect and its literature, which has been potent ever since in the literary life of Bengal. It talks about the sect as it is today, the classes, the sub-sects, its orders and its cults. Lastly the author compares the Movement to Christianity, and claims that the whole idea of the Movement was to put Krishna in place of Christ and Gita in the place of the Gospel.

Preface

This book is an attempt to accomplish an exceedingly difficult task. It requires considerable temerity at any time for one to write of another's religion, an endeavour calling for so generous a measure of insight, understanding and sympathy. In these days, when race consciousness has become so keen, and national feeling so sensitive to any hint of criticism between East and West, an undertaking such as this book becomes doubly difficult; for it deals with personalities, customs, and ideas, of living rather than academic interest, warm and palpitating, because instinct with the passionate devotion of many hearts. Such a work can hope to succeed only as it is done in absolute sincerity, with scrupulous fairness, and with a constant sense of one's limitation in knowledge. I have tried to write in this spirit. However short of this high standard the book may fall, and in spite of its shortcomings, I trust it will prove useful to all who wish to know more of the religious thought and life of Bengal. To the devout Vaishnava himself it may be of service as a stimulus to fresh valuation of familiar religious usage.

I am indebted to many friends for help in various ways which can hardly be acknowledge here. Of these, I am under special obligation to Dr. Bhagavata Kumara Gosvami, Sastri, of Hugli College, for the unfailing generosity with which he has let me avail myself of his immense knowledge of Vaishnavism. It seems hardly necessary to add that, although he has given freely of information, I am wholly responsible for the use made of the facts, and for the interpretation given of the movement. It is a pleasure, also, to acknowledge, with affectionate gratitude, the information and the help given by many of my students during the past ten years.

The value of Asoka is greatly enhanced when we study and examine Asoka's lie, his reign and the great role played by him to reign the moral standard of his subjects. He himself perceived and visioned several issues which can be collected from a study of his edicts. Based on extensive research, this book presents a comprehensive survey of the life of this great ruler. The author looks at the subject both historically and analytically. It is an important contribution to the world of Buddhism and literature and to the study of Asoka's reign. It can be mentioned as the first major study of his life and it provides a unique body of evidence that throws new light on him. The author has produced it in a thoughtful manner and in a scholarly way and for this reason this book develops an integrated approach to understand him, his life and his services to Buddhism. To know and to study his reign it ought to be widely read and discussed. This clear and stimulating account will prove of absorbing interest to those engaged themselves in the study of his life. Based on edicts, this book challenges accepted idea relating to his reign and it makes an important contribution to ancient India history and culture. It provides a succinct survey of his edicts which are neatly analysed and literature on his reign.

This book brings together in an efficient and unified way virtually all that has been learned about his reign and the author has also gathered together from sources scattered throughout a wide range of the historical literature. This book is based on very sound research materials and it presents, describes and illustrates in a very lucid manner. It contains an interesting theme described in a thought-provoking manner and the author deserves appreciation because he presents before us an exhaustive work on Asoka and he has approached the subject with great care.

Dr. K.L. Hazra received his M.A., LL.B., and Diploma in French language from the University of Calcutta. He obtained his Ph.D. degree at the University of Peradoniya, Sri Lanka. He was a Commonwealth scholar. He is the author of a number of paper published in the noted journals and periodicals in English and Bengali. He is one of India's leading Indologists. He is a versatile scholar and is quite well-known for his contributions to the field of Buddhism. He is a well-known author of South and South-East Asian History and is one of the most influential thinkers of Buddhist history in India. He is the author of several books.