About the Book:

Yoga is one of the striking products of Indian mind and character. It has claims both as a system of practical discipline and a system of philosophical thought. The present book Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, with the Samkhya Pravacana commentary of Vachaspati Misra, with English translation by Rama Prasada and an introduction from Rai Bahadur Srisa Chandra Vasu, forms one of the six Darsanas of ancient Indian philosophy. The main purpose of this book is to disclose the secret doctrines of Yoga, give the practical knowledge to the aspirant and guide him to the realization of the Individual Self to the realization of the Supreme Self.

Cover: Paperback
Edition : 2014
Publisher : Munshiram Manoharlal Publication Pvt.Ltd
ISBN : 9788121509640
Language : English
Pages : 334

Hindu Iconography reflects fully the Hindu mind in its religious and social aspects. Its study enables one to understand the mysterious India in the varied facets of her life and culture. Iconography means not merely the mechanical description and identification of an image, but also a study of the various processes, mental and social, which lead to the growth of a cult or of a particular iconic type. The present book by a reputed Indian specialist views the subject of the Hindu Iconography from the evolutionary standpoint and can claim to be a pioneer and authoritative work in this respect.

The author has carefully marshaled all kinds of data - literary, epigraphic, numismatic, glyphic and sculptural - and presents his materials and different problems in a systematic manner so as to build up a logical and coherent picture of Hindu Iconography in its wide and varied scope. A special feature of the book lies in a discussion of early iconographic types even before the systematization of this branch of knowledge in the ancient Hindu texts. First published in 1941, the present edition has been completely revised and enlarged so as to serve as the most authoritative guide and reference work on this interesting subject.

Cover: Hard Cover
Edition : 3rd (2002)
Publisher : Munshiram Manoharlal Publication Pvt.Ltd
ISBN : 978-8121500692
Language : English
Pages : 692

About the Book:-

This book, Siva Sutras: The Supreme Awakening, isrevealed by the twentieth centurys great philosopher saint Swami Lakshmanjoo. This spiritual treasure, gifted by God to the sage Vasugupta for the upliftment of humankind, is considered to be one of Kashmir Shaivisms most important scriptures. Here, Swami Lakshmanjoo gives the reader a penetrating vision of the glorious journey of the Supreme Awakening: the traveling from limited individuality to absolute oneness with God. This secret teaching, contained with these pages, is revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo or the first time. Drawing on his own experience Swami Lakshmanjoo, basing his rendering on the esoteric commentary of Abhinavaguptas chief disciple Kshemaraja, shows us the way home.

Swami Lakshmanjoo was born in Srinagar, Kashmir on May 9, 1907. He was the last and the greatest of the saints and masters of the tradition of Kashmir Shaivism. Having a deep understanding of the philosophy and practices of Kashmir Shaivism, he was like a splendid and rare jewel. Beginning from childhood he spent his whole life studying and practicing the teachings of this unique sacred tradition. Because of his intellectual power and strength of awareness, he realized both spiritually and intellectually the reality of its thought.

Cover: Hard Cover
Edition : 2010
Publisher : Munshiram Manoharlal Publication Pvt.Ltd
ISBN : 978-8121511841
Language : English
Pages : 348

From The Jacket :-

Hinduism is the term now used to summarize the religious aspirations of the majority of Indians. It includes a variety of highly intellectual, metaphysical and philosophical systems, as well as the naive demonology and magico-religious beliefs of the masses. Hinduism is also a synthesis of three, originally separate religious traditions: the Dravidian, the Aryan and the aboriginal.

Although many westerns regard Hinduism as polytheistic, this view does not take into consideration the sophisticated basis of the tradition as seen in the ancient Rgveda where a transcendental Oneness is perceived that manifests Itself only partially in this world to "create" apparent forces which appear to human beings as separate deities, thus there are as many gods as there are aspects of creation.

Many deities are depicted with a multiplicity of arms, heads, and emblems, so distinguishing them from ordinary mortals as well as pointing to the immense potentiality of the Divine that is forever beyond the comprehension of human beings.

About The Author :- Margaret Stutley has studied Buddhism and Hinduism for over fifty years, and has formed a large library of Indological works on which Hindu Deities: A Mythological Dictionary with Illustrations is based. Among her publications are: a Dictionary of Hinduism with her late husband, Ancient Indian Magic and Folklore, and the Illustrated Dictionary of Hindu Iconography. She is a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society.

Cover: Hard Cover
Edition : 2006
Publisher : Munshiram Manoharlal Publication Pvt.Ltd
ISBN : 9788121511643
Language : English
Pages : 206

About the Book:

Mira Bai belonged to the royal family of the Ranas of Mewara and was a staunch devotee of Krishna, worshipping him in the madhurya bhava of Vaishnavism. In the earlier part of her life she was ill-treated by her brother-in-law who even tried various means to kill her, but Krishna was ever her protector. Fed up, she went away to Merata, her maternal home and from there to Vrindavana and then to Dvaraka, where, according to traditional belief, she merged with the image of Krishna.

Miras verses have a musical ring and a number of them have been recorded on discs and cassettes. There have been many recensions of her padas. This English verse translation of eighty-one of them aims at giving the best of these.

It is hoped that Miras verses, along with the detailed introduction giving her life and times and her art, will create renewed interest in this renowned saint-poet.

About the Author:

Krishna P. Bahadur was born in 1924 at Allahabad and took his Master's degree in English from the Allahabad University. He served in the Indian Administrative Service in various assignments and retired in 1982 with the rant of a Commissioner.
A prolific writer, Bahadur has authored over fifty books covering various subjects including philosophy, history, biography, sociology, fiction, humour, and juveniles. His writings include the Wisdom of India Series, 7 vols., History of Indian Civilization, 7 Vols., History of the Indian Freedom Movement, 5 Vols., Tribes and Cultures of India, 7 Vols., A Source Book of Indian Philosophy, and The Definitive Gita. He took part in the World Seminar on the Gita and contributed to Major World Writers.
He is a biographer of various prestigious publications published in USA, Great Britain and Italy, and has received several honorary awards including Vidya Visharada and Vidya Ratnakara. He has published also six translations in the UNESCO Collection of Representative Works.

Cover: Hard Cover
Edition : 2002
Publisher : Munshiram Manoharlal Publication Pvt.Ltd
ISBN : 81-215-0786-3
Language : English
Pages : 135

From the Jacket:-

The Dasam Granth connotes "The Book of the Tenth Guru" of the Sikhs, Sri Guru Gobind Singh, a great reformer, litterateur, spiritual leader and unparalleled warrior, who traced his lineage to Lord Rama. After the compilation of the Dasam Granth by the Tenth Guru, it was called Chhotta Granth (the Younger Book) as compared to the Adi Granth (Guru Granth Sahib) which was called Wadda Granth (The Elder Book). Dasam Granth consists of religious compositions in the first part and the other part mostly comprises of mythological compositions. The work has an original, forceful and fearless expression and a social and political consciousness as the Guru wants to instill such noble qualities in man, which can make him individually great and also a very healthy constituent of the society.

About the Author:-

Dr. Surindar Singh Kohli (1920-2003) was the very first Professor of Punjabi literature in the world. He became Professor and Head of the Department of Punjabi at Punjab University, Chandigarh in 1962 and retired in 1979. During this period the created forty-nine successful Ph.D. research scholars under his guidance. He has not only made a significant contribution to the field of Punjabi literature, research and guidance, but has done an outstanding service in the realm of comparative religion in general and Sikh religion in particular. He was an authority on Sikh scriptures and has made their analytical and thorough study in a dispassionate and scholarly manner. His works are marked by clarity, brevity and profound scholarship.

Cover: Hard Cover
Edition : 2005
Publisher : Munshiram Manoharlal Publication Pvt.Ltd
ISBN : 8121510449
Language : English
Pages : 643

About the Book:-

Sakti’s Revolution: Origins and Historiography of Indic Fierce Goddesses chronicles the historical evolution of Hindu and Buddhist fierce, Kali-like goddesses and their devotees, from the Indus Valley civilization, c. third millennium BCE, to the present. The author or documents and analyzes the undercurrents of misogyny, greed, and violence-the demonic forces against which Sakti wages warfare-that have formed the historiography of fierce goddesses in India.

About the Author :-

Donna Jordan is an independent writer/researcher and organic gardener in Northern California. Despite her advanced academic degrees in religion, literature, and biomedical sciences [Ph D, Philosophy and Religion, California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco; Masters (MA), English literature, University of California, Los Angeles; Masters (MPH), Public Health, University of California, Berkeley], she remains an open-minded free-thinker.

Cover: Hard Cover
Edition : 2012
Publisher : Munshiram Manoharlal Publication Pvt.Ltd
ISBN : 9788121511956
Language : English
Pages : 515 (11 color and B/W Illustrations)

Preface to the Third Revised Edition:- The second edition of this book went out of print in 2007. Taking into consideration this heavy demand of this book by students and research scholars, and availability of funds made by the UGC to subsidize its publication, it was decided to bring out the third edition, revised. In this third edition, the map has been divided into two parts making it more rational. The portion of the map covering Majjhimadesa, where the Buddha was active, has been given separately as part two. The first part covers the rest of Jambudipa.

I am grateful to Prof. Bhikshu Satyapala and Prof. Anita Sharma for taking keen interest in the publication of this paperback edition. I am also grateful to Dr S.M. Haldhar, Dr A.K. Singh, Dr Krishna Murari, Dr Sanjay Kumar Singh, and Shri Anmol Jha for doing various odd jobs relating to the publication of this edition. I owe thanks to the University Grants commission for a grant which partly defrayed the publication cost. In the end, I am immensely grateful to Shri Ashok Jain of Munshiram Manoharlal
Publications for bringing out this edition in a record time.

Preface to the Second Edition:- The first edition of this book was published in 1990 and has been out of print for about ten years. During the last fifteen years, I had the
opportunity of doing some work on a couple of the settlements which had remained unidentified so far. As a result, I have added Kammasadhamma and Thullakotthita to the list of identified settlements in this edition, besides, an extra appendix (no. III) has also been added. Now better fonts as well as programs to print letters with diacritical marks have become available on the computers. This has helped in removing many of the printer’s devils that had crept into the first edition.
Dr Anita Sharma helped with the updating of the bibliography. In the preparation of the index as well as the map, I have received help from Dr S.M. Haldhar, Dr A.K. ingh, Dr Krishna Murari, Dr Sanjay Kumar Singh, Mr A.K. Jha, Mr Dilip Kumar Thakur, and Mr Saurabh Jha. Mr B.N. Tiwari of Vidyanidhi Prakashan helped in brining out this edition in the shortest possible time. I extend my sincere thanks to all of them.

Preface to the First Edition:- In 1985, I was awarded the Commonwealth Scholarship to do PhD in Oriental Studies at University of Cambridge. This book represents about two – thirds of my doctoral dissertation that I submitted to the University of Cambridge in May 1989 through Clare hall, Churchill College, and the Faculty of Oriental Studies. I wish to express my deep sense of gratitude to Prof. F.R. Allchin, my supervisor, for his valuable guidance and constructive criticism. I would also like to thank Dr B.R. Allchin for her encouragement from time to time. I am grateful to the members of the faculty of oriental studies in

particular Prof. K.R. Norman for many acts of kindness and Dr J.D. Smith for lending me a program on diacritical marks. I should like to express my deep gratitude to my former teachers Dr D.K. Chakrabarti (Dhaka), Prof. Sanghasena Singh (Delhi), and the late Prof. D. Devahuti (Delhi), who took special interest in my work. My special thanks are due to Prof. B.G. Gokhale (Winston – Salem), Dr Makkhan Lal (Aligarh), Prof. Amalia Pezzali (Bologna), and Dr George Erdosy (Cambridge) for valuable criticism of various portions of the rough draft.

I am indebted to the staff of the oriental faculty library, University Library, Haddon Library, and the Ancient India and Iran Trust Library, and the India House Library (all at London) for lending me books and other assistance. I am very considerably indebted to Dr N.S. Pradhan, Principal, K.M. College (Delhi University) for granting me three – year study leave. I am most grateful to the commonwealth commission (London), the Association of commonwealth Universities (London), and the Ministry of Education (Government of India) for the award of Commonwealth Scholarship, which mainly financed my study and stay in the United Kingdom. I am also grateful to the Ancient India and Iran Trust (Cambridge), the Charles Wallace Trust, the Leche Trust, the British Council, and the Association of Commonwealth Universities (all at London) for partly contributing towards the expenses of a field – trip in India and attendance at conferences at Hamburg (W. Germany), Berkeley (USA), and Leiden (Holland).

I am also indebted to Sunita, Neha, and Nidhi for constant source of strength and encouragement during the study. I also wish to thank all my professional friends especially Anita Sharma (Delhi University), Anamika Roy, Gyanesh Kudaisya, Indivar Kamtekar, and Medha Malik (all of Churchill College, Cambridge) for various kinds of support.

Cover: Paperback
Publisher : Munshiram Manoharlal Publication Pvt.Ltd
ISBN : 9788121512237
Language : English
Pages : 256

About the Book : This is the first comprehensive survey of the sculpture of the Gupta period in India (4th, 5th and 6th centuries). The Gupta age is the classical period of Indian civilization, still regarded as a golden age, when many of the elements of Indian civilization which have endured to this day assumed their present form. More than 140 examples of Gupta sculpture, in both stone and terracotta, are illustrated. These include well known masterpieces like the Sarnath Buddhas as well as numerous work discovered in the past thirty years before its publication, both Hindu and Jain. Terracottas, in which the Gupta modelers reached heights rarely if ever surpassed and which have been hither-to grossly neglected, are here for the first time given proper attention.

An introduction briefly describes the historical and social background of Gupta art, and its development, and suggests some of its most salient characteristics. While Gupta is remarkably homogeneous in style, the Gupta dominion stretched across the whole of north India, and separate sections are devoted to the various regions. More detailed description of individual pieces, with other relevant information and bibliographical reference, are contained in the notes to the plates.

About the Author : Dr. James C. Harle, who was trained as a historian and a Sanskritist, has been a visitor to India over the past forty years. He was the keeper of the Department of Eastern Art, Ashmolean Museum, for most of this period and lectured for the faculty of Oriental Studies, Oxford University, on Indian Art and Architecture. He teaches Indian Art History at Oxford University. In 1990 the University awarded him the degree of D. Litt. For his published works which include along with many articles, Temple Gateways in South India (New Delhi, 1995), and The Art and Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent (New Haven and London, 1994), the standard text, also now in its second edition. The author recently retired after five years as President of the Society for South Asian Studies (British Academy).

Cover : Hard Cover
Edition : 1996
Publisher : Munshiram Manoharlal Publication Pvt.Ltd
ISBN : 8121506417
Language : English
Pages : 79 (B&W Illus: 149, Maps: 1)

From the Jacket: This volume is an attempt at a connected history of Indian Sculpture setting forth in clear terms the varied trends and traditions that constitute an artistic whole. The learned scholar has traced the history of Indian sculpture from the beginning to the medieval times bringing within his scope a vast field of study. Special emphasis is laid on the origin and development of the basic strains as well as the fundamental characteristics of Indian plastic art in a historical perspective. Plastic art of the subcontinent found expression in many important schools and distinctive styles. It has been the endeavour of the author to interpret the changes of form through the ages as a logical, orderly and organic evolution.

About the Author: Professor S.K.Saraswati is an internationally known art historian of India with highly conspicuous contributions in the fields of Indian history, art and archaeology. Besides his many publications and valued collaboration in a number of scholarly schemes in the country, he has recently completed the Unesco project on the study of Buddhist Tantrayana Art, now awaiting publication in two sumptuously illustrated volumes. He is also the Editor of Cultural Heritage of India, Vol. III, Fine Arts, sponsored by the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Calcutta. Professor Saraswati has held many high and responsible position including professorships in Calcutta and Banaras Hindu Universities. For sometime he was also the Secretary and Curator of the Victoria Memorial, Calcutta. He has travelled widely in Europe, America and USSR on lecture tours by invitation. He now holds the office of the President of the Asiatic Society, Calcutta.

Cover : Hard Cover
Edition : 1975
Publisher : Munshiram Manoharlal Publication Pvt.Ltd
ISBN : 8121502888 / 9788121502887
Language : English
Pages : 239

About the Book:- With growing interest in North Indian classical music both in India and abroad and inspite of several book on specific topics which have appeared in recent ties there was a need for a comprehensive reference book in English which would give adequate and precise information on various aspects of North Indian or Hindustani classical music at one place. For general readers student and practicing musicians the companion to North Indian classical Music has served to fill this gap with more than 1200 entire this book gives in an intelligible and straightforward manner information about various ragas of Hindustani classical music and their structure and ethos nomenclature and terms in currency historical background and development of form and various genres and gharans: biographical notes about outstanding artists and performers both vocalists and instrumentalists of the twentieth century along with performers ascending with the twenty first century. It also includes musicologists of note and information about various musical instruments and their evolution. Some notations used in this book have been revised. The appendices include a comprehensive list of ragas and their scales etc. and the discography gives deals of cassettes and CDs to facilitate listening to good music and performances by maestros. Beside correcting some errors and providing for omission this second revised edition of the companion included new material.


About the Author:- Satyendra K. Sen Chib (b. 1926 at Ferozepur Punjab) studied at Govt. college, Ludhiana and Govt. College, Lahore and has a master degree in English literature from a young age he had an active interst in classical music and was trained as a practicing violinist. His violin recitals were broadcasted from the Lahore and Lucknow stations of the All India Radio (AIR) in the administrative services and held senior positions in the Madhya Pradesh and central governments. His position include those of Principal secretary of several department, his position include those principal secretary of several department in the government of Madhya Pradesh; Commissioner of Rewa division: Joint secretary in the Ministry of information and Broadcasting where he was in charge of AIR and Doordarshan; Joint secretary department of Mines Ministry of steel and mines managing director food corporation of India; and vice chairman central administrative tribunal at Jabalpur form where he retired in 1991.

Cover : Hard Cover
Edition : 2013
Publisher : Munshiram Manoharlal Publication Pvt.Ltd
ISBN : 9788121510905
Language : English
Pages : 542

About the Book :-

Thirteenth century Sufi Poet mystic, and legal scholar Muhyi al-Din ibn al-Arabi gave deep and sustained attention to gender as integral to questions of human existence and moral personhood. Reading his work through a critical feminist lens, Sa’diyya Shaikh open fertile spaces in which new and creative encounters with gender justice in Islam can take place. Grounding her work in Islamic epistemology Shaikh attends to the ways in which in which Sufi metaphysics and theology might allow for fundamental shifts in Islamic gender ethics and legal formulation addressing wide ranging contemporary challenges including question of women right in marriage and divorce the politics of velling and women leadership of ritual prayers.

Sheikh deftly deconstructed traditional binaries between the spiritual and the political private conceptions of spiritual development and public notions of social justice, and the realms of inner refinement and those of communal virtue. Drawing on the treasured works of suffism, sheikh raises a number of critical question about the nature of selfhood subjectivity spirituality and society to contribte richly to the prospects of Islamic feminism as well as feminist ethics more broadly.
Sa'diyya sheikh is senior lecturer of religious studies at the university of cape Town.

Cover : Hard Cover
Edition : 2013
Publisher : Munshiram Manoharlal Publication Pvt.Ltd
ISBN : 9788121512558
Language : English
Pages : 297

About the Book :-

The present book contains the history of Indian medicine from the earliest ages to the present time, and was awarded the Griffith Memorial Prize for the encouragement of advanced study of Science and Letters by the Calcutta University in 1909. this is pioneer work of its kind and traces in detail the steady growth of the ancient science of medicine (Ayurveda) from the Vedic times upto the advent of the British rule. To make it complete the learned author has given the account of the prominent sages who promulgated this science. To know the history of medicine in ancient India is to know the entire domain of Indology, as the teachers of medicine were sages who were seers of the Vedic hymns, elaborated the philosophical systems, speculated on the existence of God, and were, in fact, concerned in the intellectual history of ancient India.

Cover : Hard Cover
Edition : 2003
Publisher : Munshiram Manoharlal Publication Pvt.Ltd
ISBN : 8121506603
Language : English
Pages : 1325

About the Book :-

This book is primarily intended to be an investigation into the meaning and religious significance of the important Vedic term dhi, which has been variously and often inadequately translated. The author has tried to determine its central meaning or semantic nucleus from which the various contextual connotations were derived. This central meaning is vision, not only in the literal sense (faculty of seeing), but in the Vedic texts mainly in the sense of mental vision, supranormal vision establishing the contact with the transcendent sphere or world of the divine powers from which the poets obtained their inspiration and their insight into the higher supersensuous truth and reality which they endeavoured to express and formulate in their poems. The author elaborately describes the relevant processes and the activity of the poets and adds chapters on related subjects, e.g., the heart as the organ of these mental processes, poetical inspiration in post-Vedic literature, contemplation and meditation, the Buddhist ideas on vision as well as the term pratibha "flash of intuition.

About the Author :- Jan Gonda, born 1905, was professor of Sanskrit and Indology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands 1932-1976. He is the author of many books and articles on Sanskrit, Indian religion and literature, among them Aspects of early Visnuism, Sanskrit in Indonesia, Die Religionen Indiens, The Dual Deities in the Religion of the Veda, Triads in the Veda, Vedic Literature, The Ritual Sutras, Medieval Religious Literature in Sanskrit. He is honorary member of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute and other Indian Academies and Institutes of the Royal Asiatic Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences etc.

Cover : Hard Cover
Edition : 1985
Publisher : Munshiram Manoharlal Publication Pvt.Ltd
ISBN : 81-215-0076-1
Language : English
Pages : 372

From the Jacket :- In the present volume which deals with the studies on the religious systems of ancient India the term historiography has been used to denote the history of researches on various system both in its heuristic and interpretative aspects. It is against the background of the academic activities of the last 200 years that Prof.

Bhattacharyya has dealt with the contents of the major works of every decade, the perspectives and theorizations of their authors, their methodolology, assessment, criticism and interpretation, the dominant outlook of various ages by which the approaches of the authors are conditioned and many allied features: It is a stock-taking of the earliest work on Indian religion, of the varied developments in the study of the description of its formal structure and also in that of the methodological principles of interpretation and of the canons of assessment put forward by modern schools of academic disciplines necessary for the purpose of a better understanding of the multi-dimensional character of Indian religious systems.

About the Author :- Narendra Nath Bhattacharyya does not require any special introduction in the field of Indological studies. Through religious history in his forte he walks in equal ease in diverse branches of ancient Indian history and civilization.

His important publications include Indian Puberty Rites; Indian Mother Goddess; History of Indian Cosmogonical Ideas; Ancient Indian Rituals and Their Social Contents; History of Sakta Religion; History of Indian Erotic Literature; Jain Philosophy; Historical Outline; History of Researches on Indian Buddhism; History of Tantric Religion; Geographical Dictionary of Ancient and Early Medieval India; Ancient Indian history and Civilization; Trends and Perspective, Glossary of Indian Religious Terms and Concepts; and Buddhism in the History of Indian Ideas.

He has edited R. P. Chandas Indo-Aryan Races and N. C. Bandyopadhyaya's Development of Hindu Polity. He has also edited Medieval Bhakti Movement in India, a collection of papers by eminent scholars published on the occasion of Sri Caitanyas Quincentenary and Prakrit and Jain Studies, a collection of essays in honour of Prof. J. C. Jain.

Bhattacharyya teaches in the Department of Ancient Indian History and Culture, University of Calcutta. He presided over the Ancient Indian Section of the Indian History Congress in the 52nd session held at Delhi in 1992.

Cover : Hard Cover
Edition : 1996
Publisher : Munshiram Manoharlal Publication Pvt.Ltd
ISBN : 8121506389
Language : English
Pages : 418

Preface :- The intimate connexion which has fo long fubfifted between this country and the con- tinent of India, naturally renders every Englifh- man deeply interefted in all that relates to a quarter of the globe which has been the theatre of fcenes highly important to his country; and which, per- haps, at the moment when he perufes the defcrip- tion of it, may be the refidence or the grave of fome of his dearefl friends.

It is only matter of furprize, that, of a country fo nearly allied to us, fo little fhould be known. The public is, indeed, greatly indebted to the learned labours of gentlemen, who have refided there, for the information which they have afford- ed concerning the Laws and the Religion of the Hindoo tribes; as well as for correct and well di- gefied details of the tranlactions of the Mogul go- vernment. But of the face of the country, of its arts, and natural prod uctions, little has yet been faid. Gentlemen who have refided long in India lofe the idea of the hrft impreffion which that very curious country makes upon an entire ftanger: the novelty is foon effaced, and the mind, by a common and natural operation, directs its views to more abftract fpeculation ; reafoning affumes the place of obfervation, and the traveller is loft in the philofopher.

To fupply, in fome :flight degree, this hiatus in the topographical department of literature, is the immediate object of the following pages. It will, I flatter myfelf, not be difagreeable to my readers to be informed, that they conlift of a few plain reprefentations of what I obferved on the fpot, ex- preifed in the fimple garb of truth, without the fmalleft embellifhment from fiction, or from fancy. They were chiefly intended for my own amufe- ment, and to enable me to explain to my friends a number of drawings which I had made during my rcfidence in India, fome or which accompany the prefent publication. The apology is trite; but in this cafe its truth, and the refpectability of the name to which I refer, muft plead my excufe-it was owing entirely to the influence and perfuafion of my moft juftly efieemed friend, Henry James Pye, Efq. Poet Laureat, that thefe obfervations have been fubmitted to a tribunal, which I have ever regarded with awful refpect-THE PUBLIC.

Cover : Hard Cover
Edition : 1999
Publisher : Munshiram Manoharlal Publication Pvt.Ltd
ISBN : 8121505682
Language : English
Pages : 163 (with engravings and maps)

From the Jacket :-

Not a few of the specialists in the field of the history of Indian philosophy are of the opinion that the philosophical significance of the Bhagavadgita has often been overestimated. But even they cannot deny that it classes among the most important Sanskrit texts in terms of the history of ideas and the influence exercised by it even on outstanding intellectual figures of pre-independent and modern India and that it is perhaps the most frequently read work of the whole of Sanskrit literature, in India as well abroad. Therefore the necessity of making again available Prahlad C. Divanjis Critical Word-Index to the Bhagavadgita hardly needs justification, all the more as it is based on a number of different editions of the Gita. There is no tool like this index, of equal importance both to the professional Sanskritist as well as to all those interested in this text and wishing to read and understand the original itself.

Cover : Hard Cover
Edition : 1993
Publisher : Munshiram Manoharlal Publication Pvt.Ltd
ISBN : 8121505453
Language : English
Pages : 406

From the Jacket:

The Vedantasutra of Badarayana is one of the great philosophical works of India. It deals with those fundamental questions concerning mans existence, that still remain an enigma despite all attempts of eminent philosophers and religious leaders both past and present, of this world at unravelling its mysteries. The teachings of the Vedas, the doctrines of contemporary philosophers and the purport of important passages from Upanisads are its subject-matter. It is at once a repository of all earlier knowledge, a genesis for further philosophical speculation and an evaluating scale for new metaphysical ideas. Its scope being universal and timeless, Badarayana resorted to a terse and aphoristic style for compressing a vast body of knowledge into such brief statements that could easily be memorized. The sutras are something more than an aphorism; for each, though brief to the point of being obscure, is so pregnant with meaning that interpretation has become difficult and resulted in the growth of an unending line of commentators, both Indian and foreign, spanning centuries from Sankara the earliest, passing through Bhaskara, Ramanuja, Madhva, Srikantha, Nimbarka, Sripati, Vallabha, Suka, Baladeva to Radhakrishnan the latest.

This book, known as the Govinda Bhasya, is the commentary of Baladeva, who was a disciple of Sri Caitanya (AD 1485-1533) the famous Vaisnavite saint of Bengal. Its approach is theistic and based on the teachings of Madhva and Caitanya. The English translation is faithful to the original.

Cover : Hard Cover
Edition : 2002
Publisher : Munshiram Manoharlal Publication Pvt.Ltd
ISBN : 9788121510585
Language : English
Pages : 900

About the Book:- History of Indian Literature is a classic work covering the entire gamut of Indian secular and religious literature including epic, Iyric, dramatic and didactic poetry, as well as narrative and scientific prose. It includes not only the large number of works of religious literature - hymns, sacrificial songs, incantations, myths and legends, sermons, theological treatises, polemical writings, manuals of instruction on ritual and religious discipline but also the Iyrical and dramatic works, including the two great epics, the fairy-tales, fables, prose-narratives, the belles-lettres and works on various sciences.

The inclusion of this vast material, covering almost three thousand years of literary activity, could not be compressed into a single volume. Hence this was divided into two volumes by the author. Volume I includes, besides an introductory chapter, the Vedas, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, the Puranas and the Tantras, while volume II deals with the Buddhist and the Jaina literature with an Index at the end of each volume.

From the Jacket

Brahmasutras and Their Principal Commentaries is a vigorous, animate and thought-provoking treatise on the interpretation of the Vedantasutras of Badarayana. Dr. Sharma has delved deeply into the three principal traditions of their interpretation established by acaryas: Sankara, Ramanuja, and Madhva.

This is the first work on the Sutras to give parity of treatment to all the three principal traditions of interpretation by placing them in their own milieu and bringing them into close thematic relation with one another, allowing full scope for each one to speak in its authentic voice. The exegetical, the expository and the analytic aspects of the interpretations have been given the fullest attention in a coordinated form, for the first time.

Besides the bhasyas of the acaryas, we are here treated to a sumptuous feast of the niceties and nuances of their exposition and reinforcement by their distinguished subcommentators like Vacaspati Misra, Amalananda, Sudarsana Suri, Jayatirtha, Vyasatirtha, Vadiraja, Raghuttama, Raghunatha, Raghaendra Swamin, and others whose works are not available to us in English translations. The disquisitions from these unexplored classics of the Vedanta system are sure to regale the tarkarasikas among students of philosophy in the East, in the West, and in the Far East.

It is only such a thoroughgoing study of the Sutras and their classical commentaries that can help us in our voyage of discovery to where the Sutras of Badarayana intend to lead us.

Dr. B.N.K. Sharma was a distinguished Sanskrit scholar and retired as Professor and Head of the Department of Sanskrit and Ardhamagadhi, Ruparel College, Mumbai. His other important works are: Madhva’s Teachings in His Own Worlds; Philosophy of Madhvacarya; and History of Dvaita School of Vedanta and its Literature.

Cover: Hard Cover
Edition : 2008
Publisher : Munshiram Manoharlal Publication Pvt.Ltd
ISBN : 9788121500357
Language : English
Pages : 1835

It is a faithful presentation of personal experiences of a devoted man who has been throughout his life of 76 years searching for receiving an answer, an understandable logic behind those mystic events before which logic stands spell bound. This personal records-secret, mind-boggling, enigmatic-none the less reserve for the reader an unfailing touch of reliance. Man stands here face to face with the mystery, which takes the mind above matter, and wonderment gasps although the Hamlet like assurance comes in time to point out confidently to more things between heaven and earth. Chapter by chapter, the author unfolds layer after layer the secrets of the Tantra world, as he has found himself in, at times to satisfy his quest, at times as just a beam of blessing.

The personal note of these pages, together with the lessons in Tantric practices, some sweet and startling, some horrid and blood curdling, make this book an addition to the authentic report of this much maligned but equally intimate world. Those who want to profit and learn of and about what could be held in store by Tantra will find The World of Tantra a secret mind of relevant information at first hand.

About the Author : B. Bhattacharya, born in 1910 in Varanasi, received his first education in traditional toles in Sanskrit and further did M.A. (English) from Allahabad University. He spent the best period of his life as an educationist in Guyana and Trinidad (West Indies). His other works, Saivism and the Phallic World, 2 vols. (1993) and Varanasi Rediscovered (1999), both published by us are well known. The present work shows the range of his reach in the mystic sphere of Tantra. Preface

Cover : Paperback
Edition : 2014
Publisher : Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
ISBN : 9788121509688
Size : 8.5 x 5.5
Page : 476
Weight : 580 gm.

Ananda Coomaraswamys Hinduism and Buddhism, like all his writings, is a masterpiece. In this work he sets forth his ideas with his usual depth and insight to discard the wrong notions about the divergence in the basic philosophies of these two major religions that have been propounded by European scholars and by Indians trained in our modern skeptical and evolutionary modes of thought. In Hinduism and Buddhism Coomaraswamy has tried to show that the essentials of these religions are the same and form what may be called as the Philosophia Perennis or the Eternal Philosophy. His contention is that Hinduism and Buddhism are not contradictory but the one is a development out of the massive foundation of the other. It is only to those who have made a superficial study that Buddhism seems different from Brahmanism; the more profound is the study, the more difficult it becomes to distinguish Buddhism from Brahmanism.
Hinduism and Buddhism is divided into two parts with copious notes added to each part. In the first part, dealing with Hinduism, Coomaraswamy has examined in detail the fundamental concepts like karma, maya, reincarnation, the darsanas, the sacrifice, social order, etc., and in the second part, dealing with Buddhism, he shows that in essentials it was the same as Hinduism and that Buddha did not strive to establish a new order to restore an older form. In sum, the basic philosophy of great religions is drawn from a common fount and the new religions are but the recognition of the common thought manifested under different forms.

Cover:Hard Cover
Edition : 1996
Publisher : Munshiram Manoharlal Publication Pvt.Ltd
ISBN : 9788121500371
Language : English
Pages : 96

Yogasutrabhasyavivarana of Sankara Vivarana Text With English Translation and Critical Notes Along with Text and English Translation of Patanjali's Yogasutras and Vyasabhasya (2 Volume Set)

If you are looking at the literal translation of the yoga sutras. this is a good translation and thesis. But the title by Sankara is misleading and the author denies this is the authorship of Sankaracharya, though many commentators seem to think this is Sankaracharyas (Adi Sankara). So if you are interested in Adi Sankara's commentary you will be disappointed. This is not an advaitic text, rather a commentary on yoga sutras.

Cover: Hard Cover
Edition : 2001
Publisher : Munshiram Manoharlal Publication Pvt.Ltd
ISBN : 978-8121509084
Language : English
Pages : 619

From the Jacket:

The Srimad Devi Bhagavatam, on the basis of its order, style and theme belongs to the genre of Mahapuranas, in spite of its exclusion from the original list of the Mahapuranas. It is to the Saktas what Srimad Devi Bhagavatam is to Vailavas. Opinions about the date of its composition vary; however it can be safely said that it attained its present shape sometime during the eleventh century AD. Its ideas trace source from all the major works of ancient India-the Vedas, the Epics and the Puranas. The translation of the voluminous text of the Srimad Devi Bhagavatam by Swami Vijnanananda is a landmark in the translation of ancient texts. This shall prove to be an invaluable boon to the students of ancient Indian history and to those interested in the study of Saktism and Tantrism in particular.