Books

About the Book: The study of holy places and pilgrimages to them is treated in the Hindu tradition as a sub-field, called tirtha, of the Dharmasastra. The Tristhalisetu or "Bridge to the Three Holy Cities" of Narayana Bhatta, written in Varanasi in the 16th century A.D. is recognized as the standard and most authoritative text of the voluminous tirtha literature. The text is in four sections, of which only the last three were published in the Anandasrama edition of 1915. The first or 'General' Section, the Samanya-praghattaka, which was not included in that edition, discusses the concept, definition, and characteristic features of tirthas, and prescribes in detail the procedures and practices of a pilgrimage. The present volume consists of a critical edition of the text of the Samanyapraghattaka and an annotated translation. This text contains a wealth of information for the study of the pilgrimage tradition in Hinduism.

About the Author: Richard Salomon was born in New York City in 1948. He is presently Assistant Professor of Sanskrit at the University of Washington, USA. He studied Sanskrit at Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania, receiving the Degree of Ph. D. with Distinction from the latter institution in 1975. He has taught Sanskrit at the University of Pennyslvania, Minnesota, and Washington, and conducted research at Calcutta University, the University of Chicago, and Visvabharati (Santiniketan). He has published various papers and monographs on Sanskrit and Prakrit language and literature, Indian epigraphy, Paleography, and numismatics, and ancient Indian history.

The Cult of Jagannatha: Myths and Rituals offers a new approach to Orissan ethnography. In sharp contrast with dominant explanations, centred on tribal influences and the history of aryanisation, this book provides extensive evidence on the importance of religious orthodoxy. The transition from the coastal to the inland regions of Orissa is characterised by sharp demographic and sociological discontinuities. Such regional differences are probably a reflection of aryanisation. Ethnological accounts have most commonly relied on the historical reconstruction of this process. It has been assumed that native communities exercised a decisive influence on the traditions that flourished in the delta plain, especially those related to its vital centres-the city of Puri and the temple of Jagannatha. Myths and rituals show that sacrificial symbolism is at the core of Puri's religious system. Explicitly associated with an inaugural asvamedha (the Vedic horse sacrifice), the building of the great temple is still seen as a transformation of the brick-fire altar. These correlations are further supported by an impressive web of orthodox representations, both Vedic and Hindu. This acknowledgement of orthodoxy takes us back to the so-called singularities of local traditions. How to interpret the iconographic "specificity" of Puri's deities? What status should be attributed to the Sudra ritualists of the great temple? The present book provides new answers to these old questions. Puzzling as it may appear, the "strangeness" of Orissan ethnography is a particular-yet extremely coherent-expression of Indian traditions.

These two Brahmanas are actually Suresvara`s exposition of Sankara`s Bhasya on the first chapter of the Brhadaranyakopanisad. They form a sequal to his almost independent treatise, The Sambandhavartika, wherein he has dwelt upon the doctrine that ritual is also useful to one in one`s effort to attain lineration for it purifies first the intellect and then the individual self, thereby paving way to the rise of the knowledge about the reality to liberation.

About the Author: Dr. K.P. Jog (M.A., Ph.D., Bombay) is a renowned Vedic scholar. He has retired as Professor of Vedic Sanskrit and General Editor of Sanskrit Dictionary Project of Deccan College of Pune. A National Lecturer in Sanskrit for the year 1984-85, he is now Director of M.M. P.V. Kane Research of the Asiatic Society of Bombay. He has edited Jayantaswamin's Vimalodayamala, a Grhya text of Asvalayana School; translated into Marathi (prose) the Meghaduta, the Virataparvan and edited Lokamanya Tilak's notes on the Brahmasutra (for Kesari Publication: Samagra Tilak). He has contributed many articles on Vedic, Vedantic, Poetical and literary topics.

SRI RAMACARITAMANASA of Tulasidasa is the single most popular book of the Hindus, which, for over four centuries, has greatly appealed equally to the rich and the poor, the educated and the illiterate, the old and the young, and the scholar and the common man. Keeping in mind people's ever-increasing quest for the epic, this unique edition of the Ramacaritamanasa with verse to verse Hindi and English translation along with Tulasidasa's original text has been prepared. The translation rendered by an accomplished scholar maintains the intrinsic richness of the original. Special care has been taken for making it useful to the Indian brethren living abroad to whom the dialect of Tulasidasa's original may be somewhat incomprehensible. There has been a long-standing demand from the vast Indian community settled abroad for a standard and authentic edition of the Ramacaritamanasa. The present edition has been designed to meet their requirement by using the most modern printing and processing techniques to make it a work of international standard. A special feature of this edition is the inclusion of Lavakushakanda, Shri Hanumanchalisa and Shri Ramashalaka Prashnavali. The mode of its recitation is given as a separate appendix. Adding to its uniqueness is the inclusion of important section containing Indian, European and American scholars' criticisms on Tulasidasa's Ramacaritamanasa. A glossary of important proper nouns and epithets is given at the end.

About the Author: DR. R. C. PRASAD was University Professor of English in Patna University where he taught for about three decades. He was an eminent author, translator and editor. He had a good number of books to his credit.

These relations are analysed in the context of Yajna dominated Vedism and Puja dominated Hinduism of the author discovers the semantics and structure of the Natyasastra's rites, reconstructs the logic and symbolic meaning of the ritual events. He gives a detailed review of the ancient dramatic forms described in the Natyasastra. He traces the original links between theatrical tradition and the cult of Puja. The book proposes a new conception of the origin of Hindu culture.

The Astavakra Gita is a unique text among the world's contemplative classics dealing systematically with the mystical experiences of the Self on its way to transcendence, peace and bliss. There are few ancient treatises in East or West which evince such profound and lively concern with the Supreme Self as the ultimate reality, embodied in mystical insight and experience, and written with such spiritual imagination and poetic fervour. Astavakra Gita (The Song of the Self Supreme) contains the Sanskrit text of Astavakra Gita (both in Nagari and Roman script), its English translation, Exegesis and Glossarial Index. It presents in twenty chapters the substance of Astavakra's teaching in respect of the Cosmic Self in the form of his dialogue with Janaka, the magnificent king of Videha. The teaching is based on the Upanisadic creed of Absolute monism (Advaitavada) that identifies the Self with the non-dual Ultimate Reality. But the contribution of Astavakra is also immense, for he has introduced the element of emotional experience or the mystical feeling as the means for realizing the non-dual nature of the Self. Written in a lucid style and dealing systematically with the subject matter, the book, it is hoped, will hold a unique position among the contemplative classics of the world.

This book has identified ''the good of all'' as the single most important criterion of excellence of any socio-spiritual approach to life's problems-particularly in the context of the conflict-ridden society of today. The comprehensive coverage of this criterion, as presented in this study, has strong links with (like Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati) three life-sustaining streams of thought. The first stream refers to the lokasamgraha-message of the Gita which has been formulated in that scripture from ten different but inter-connected angles. The second stream refers to the jagmangal-message of the Manas which is simpler to grasp and which can also be explained from the same ten angles as are applicable to the Gita. The third stream refers to the repeated expressions of the concern for ''the good of all'' which began with the Vedas and which continued as an integral part of the Indian tradition--a steady source which strengthened the calls of the Gita and Manas also. By putting all these ideas together and by maintaining the interest of the readers, this book has opened the door to a new field of study and research, viz. the Indian contribution to the theory and practice of ''the good of all.''

The present work is a collection of selected poems written by the 13th cent. poet-saint Sri Jnanesvara. His devotional Lyrics are called 'Abhangas'. Herein one hundred and ten devotional poems of his called abhangas, have been selected for translation and study.

This book is a landmark in the wide panorama of Gita literature, the universal nature of which is reflected in the use-in the form of prose as well as poetry-of an increasing number of the world's languages. As the first book to utilize original verses in modern Sanskrit to convey the social message of the Gita, it not only fills a significant linguistic gap but also focuses attention on social issues which call for urgent action by karmayogins. Part one explains that Lokasamgraha or the holding together of the society and the world-exemplified by Janaka in the Gita-is the correct ideal for all human beings, particularly in times of social crisis. Part two summarizes how selected leaders-Roy, Vivekananda, Tilak, Aurobindo, Gandhi-applied the Lokasamgraha approach to tackle social, religious and political problems during the last two hundred years. Part three offers suggestions as to how the same karma yoga spirit can be not only kept alive but also further invigorated by evolving newer and newer forms of Lokasamgraha, the need for which is no less compelling now then than what was in the past.

About the Author : Dr. Satya P. Agarwal is a Social Scientist with a brilliant academic record as well as notable professional achievement as notable professional achievement, in India, United States and United Nations. His academic honours include five gold medals and numerous merit scholarships and research fellowships at various universities.

ABOUT THE BOOK: In Hindu theology Divine Power is conceived as a divine woman-the Goddess. Sometimes she is wholly autonomous and sometimes she is the divine spouse of the creator God, Siva or Visnu. She is also held to be the evolving material source of every created phenomenon. Religious texts like Puranas and Tantras have thoroughly investigated the mysterious nature of the Cosmic Goddess. Tantra as a religious practice endeavoured to show how through ritual and Yoga one may achieve realization of the mystery of the Supreme Goddess. Authors in Sanskrit and modern Indian languages, have poured out their ecstatic devotion to the Goddess. She is close to the heart of the passionate devotee, who adores her as mother or daughter - a mortal emotional bond with the divine so peculiar to Hindus. She is also sovereign Power a little part of which reigning royalties covet to possess in order to be good rulers. AS the divine woman she is represented in all women. Therefore women should be holding a high position amongst Hindus. But the question is, do they? In spite of the obvious contrary evidence, women do succeed in carving out a very important position in Hindu religious practices by having their alternative religious rituals highly valued by Hindu women have a very complex interrelationship. The book focuses on the great cosmic Goddess and her ritual worship, Tantric theology and praxis in a wider sense, the attitude of her devotees towards her authority and the social character of the Tantric practitioners, and the position of Bhakti. It also figures out the position of women inside the Tantric and non-Tantric Hindu religious milieu. The Goddess symbolizes the supreme divine authority that activates the creation, protection and governance and necessary dissolution of the world in accordance with the ancient Indian concept of cyclical Time. But She also discharges the divine sovereign privilege of punishing evil-doers and rewarding true devotees. Finally, the relevant forms of the Cosmic Goddess in this book are Sri/Tripurasundari/ Lalita; Goddess Kali and Her various emanations; and Laksmi and Her powers in the Pancaratra canonical texts.

Saptavidha-anupapatti represents a live-debate in the traditions of Vedanta initiated by Ramanujacarya. The central issue of this debate is to examine whether maya-avidya, postulated by Advaita-vedant, is philosophically sustainable, logically viable, and experientially reliable. While Sankara builds up the superstructure of Advaita on the basis of this concept, Ramanuja vociferously reacts to its philosophical ingenuity. This dispute between the Advaita and Visistadvaita schools with seven objections, which forms the manor theme of this book, has been going on for more than a millennium and is alive even today among Vedanta scholars. The volume contains, besides historical as well as philosophical explorations of the concept of maya-avidya, the arguments and counter arguments, formulation and counter-formulation to accommodate and reject the corresponding philosophical predilections of both the above schools by some of the preeminent philosophical minds of Indian philosophy of our times.

About the Author   Godabarisha Mishra is the Chairman of the School of Philosophy and Religious Thought at the University of Madras. Formerly worked as an Editor at the Kuppuswami Sastri Research Institute, Chennai, he also served as the Member Secretary of Indian Council of Philosophical Research, New Delhi.

The Indian mystic Ramakrishna (1836-1886) profoundly influenced not only Hinduism in India but also Western interpretations of Hinduism. Ramakrishna has played a critical role in Indiaís religious revival and the growing influence of Hinduism in the West. While he has generally been viewed in the past century as an exemplar who taught interreligious harmony and individual spiritual striving, this view was shaken with the publication of Kali's Child, with its provocative assertions of Ramakrishna's alleged "troubled" past and homoerotic proclivities. Was Ramakrishna a troubled mystic and homoerotic Tantrik, whose secrets have been hidden from public view? This book offers both a spirited critique of Kali's Child as well as an indepth examination of Ramakrishna scholarship over the course of the past century, identifying how Ramakrishna has been viewed according to the changing tenor of the times. Providing a thoughtful examination of the problematics inherent in translation and interpretation, it presents a new model for interpreting historical religious figures that is consistent with rigorous scholarship while maintaining its roots in indigenous paradigms. Interpreting Ramakrishna is, according to Harvard professor Francis X. Clooney, "the best resource we have for understanding Sri Ramakrishna today."

No river has kindled Man`s imagination like the Ganges. From its icy origins high in the Himalayas, this sacred river flows through the holy cities and the great plains of northern India to the Bay of Bengal. In a country where the red heat of summer inspires prayer for the coming monsoon, the life-giving waters of the Ganges have assumed legendary powers in the form of the Hindu goddess Ganga, the source of creation and abundance. Pilgrims flock to her shores to cleanse and purify themselves, to cure ailments, and to die that much closer to paradise. Steven Darian writes of the human experience and the legendary myths that surround the Ganges. While collecting material for this book, Dr. Darian lived by the Ganges, explored her shores, and was a pilgrim to the Ganga Sagar festival at Sagar Island off Calcutta where the sacred river and the ocean merge.

About the book: An initiate of the late Swami Venkatesananda, Durga Rahasya builds on the insights vouchsafed by him. It brings out the cosmological, anthropolo- gical and existential meaning of the text via the three tales. The Introduc- tion unravels the stories syntactically together with the lauds in a relaxed semiotic rhythm, supplementing with a commentary cultural and trans- cultural in five brief chapters enabling insights on the Eternal Feminine to the contemporary reader. The transcreation in a class by itself done by a poet steeped in Durga symbology as a sabridaya reader rounds off the Durga Rahasya.

The book should interest any intelligent reader in addition to indologists and psychologists and the initiates. It is a handmade book, free from needless jargon. It stands apart from any other book on the subject by virtue of its freshness and interdisciplinary rangings. Som Ranchan born in 1932 in Lahore, had education (M.A., Ph.D.) in India and USA was Professor of English in USA and India with a brief stint as editor. Authored over fifty books: twenty-two of poetry, others in religion, psychology, myth, folklore, ete. An authority on Sri Aurobirido, Vivekananda. Former Fulbrighter, Hazen Fellow, HRD, Himachal Academy'S Fellow, recently was an lIAS Fellow.

About the Author : Som Ranchan born in 1932 in Lahore, had education (M.A., Ph.D.) in India and USA was Professor of English in USA and India with a brief stint as editor. Authored over fifty books: twenty-two of poetry,' others in religion, psychology, myth, folklore, etc. An authority on Sri Aurobindo, Viveka- nanda. Former Fulbrighter, Hazen Fellow, HRD, Himachal Academy's Fellow, recently was an lIAS Fellow

Maya in Radhakrishnan's Thought: Six Meanings other than ''Illusion''

The monkey-god Hanuman, one of contemporary Hinduism's most popular deities, has a long history in Indian art and literature. This study traces Hanuman's gradual evolution from his role as helper and messenger of Rama in the Valmiki Ramayana in the 3rd century B.C.E. to his more dominant function in Tulasi Dasa's Ramacaritamanasa, written circa 1575 C.E. The study begins with a concentrated overview of Hanuman's non-Aryan origins and later associations. It then illustrates and elucidated the growth of his character from Valmiki to Tulasi Dasa through several intermediary stages. The greater part of the book comprises a careful scene-by-scene comparative textual analysis of the Sanskrit and the Avadhi versions of the Rama legend which has been so immensely influential in Hindu culture. In the course of time, Hanuman changes from a perfect messenger to the ideal devotee who becomes an embodiment of his master in his complete surrender to Raghupati.

This treatise is an early attempt for a diligent search into the origin, descriptions, symbols, mythological background, meaning and moral aims of Hindu images.

The book is in two volumes, each volume again in two parts. Vol. I, Part I contains a long Introduction discussing among other things the origin of Hindu image worship in India, explanatory description of the terms employed in the work, Ganapati, Visnu and his major and minor avataras and manifestations, Garuda and Ayudha-Purushas or personified images of the weapons and emblems held by gods. Vol. I, Part II deals with Aditya and Nava Grahas (nine planets) and their symbolic features and images worshipped, Devi (Goddesses), Parivara-devatas, and measurement of proportions in images. Vol. II, Part I begins with an Introduction discussing the cult of Siva which is followed by such important topics as Siva, Lingas, Lingodbhavamurti, Chandrasekharamurti, Pasupatamurti and Raudrapasupatamurti, other Ugra forms of Siva, Dakshinamurti, Kankalamurti and Bhikshatanamurti, and other important aspects of Siva. Vol. II, Part II contains descriptions of Subrahmanya, Nandikesvara and Adhikaranandi, Chandesvara, Bhaktas, Arya or Hariharaputra, Kshetrapalas, Brahma, the Dikpalakas, and demi-gods.

In addition the book contains 5 Appendices including Sanskrit texts of Parivaradevatah, Uttamadasatalavidhih and Pratimalaksanani.

The treatment has been made interesting by profuse illustrations, the two volumes containing as many as 282 photographs of sacred images.

The compilation of articles is a glaring example of the multidimensional talent of Ananda K. Coomaraswamy (1877-1947), who was not only a pioneer historian of Indian art, a master-interpreter, one of the most versatile of this century whose scholarship and knowledge knew no bounds, but a universal man at the same time, the one who urged the Indians to be conscious of their glorious heritage. Coomaraswamy was the harbinger of Indian nationalism but his outlook was neither parochial nor chauvinistic. It had a universal appeal. The present volume is a rich collection of his thirteen important articles embedded in a single thread. These are: Art and Swadeshi; Swadeshi, True and False; Domestic Handicrafts and Culture; The International Congress of Applied Chemistry 1901 and Aniline Dyes; The Function of Schools of Art in India-A reply to Mr. Cecil Burns; On the Study of Indian Art; Facial Expression in Indian Sculpture; On Mughal and Rajput Paintings; Night Effects in Indian Pictures; Song-words of a Panjabi Singer; Poems of Rabindranath Tagore; The Modern School of Indian Painting; and Education in Ceylon. Diverse they are in contents, but they all convey a single message-the churned outcome of a master-mind visualizing things and events in their true perspective.

Particular significance attaches to Yaksas in Indian mythology, religion and art. Their almost universal presence in the earlier Indian religions, Hindu, Buddhist and Jaina, wherein they are invested with peculiar traits and powers, indicates their importance.

Ananda Coomaraswamy's Yaksas is an attempt at bringing together the mass of information from literary and monumental sources about Yaksas and Yaksis, their origin, and development from the conceptual, mythological and iconographical points of view. Coomaraswamy has shown how this non-and pre-Aryan "animistic" concept originated and, in the historical times, dovetailed with the Hindu, Buddhist and Jaina religious systems to the extent that the concept of Yaksattva got closely bound up with the idea of reincarnation.

In the preparation of this monograph, Coomaraswamy has extensively drawn upon the sectarian and semi-secular literature and has shown unmistakable evidences of the Yaksas' once honourable status, their benevolence toward men and the affection felt by men toward them. Coomaraswamy begins by tracing the origin of the word yaksa which is first found in Jaiminiya Brahmana, where it means nothing more than 'a wondrous thing.' In course of time Yaksas and Yaksis are often mentioned and their names are found in the Epics, Buddhist and Jaina works and even in sculpture. In Jaina books Yakkhas are often called Devas, where, as Sasana Devatas they are usually guardian angels. In Buddhist works they are sometimes represented as teachers of good morals and as guardian spirits.

Of equal importance are the Yaksas and Yaksis in early Indian art and in the early examples (Bharhut, Sanci, Gandhara, etc.) they are frequently represented as Atlantes, supporters of buildings and superstructures. The early iconography of Yaksas, again, seems to have formed the foundation of later Hindu and Buddhist iconography. Coomaraswamy has traced a kind of Bhakti cult centering round the worship of Yaksas on the basis of the Yaksa caityas, the offerings to the Yaksas and has tried to show that the facts of Yaksa worship correspond almost exactly with those of other Bhakti religions.

"Coming as it does from the pen of Ananda Coomaraswamy, this brilliant monograph is the acme of scholarship and brilliance and provides a mass of well-documented information. The work is divided into the two parts, an Appendix giving Tale of a Yaksa found in the Divyavadana, alongwith 73 plates.

The Arthasamgraha is profound in contents, scholarly in treatment and simple and lucid in style and language. It condenses great amount of matter in pregnant language. The author, Laugaksi Bhaskara, about whose personal life sufficient information is not available, probably belonged to the South and Flourished in the 14th-15th century. He wrote the text for beginners and so the language is characterized by simplicity and brevity which are maintained even in the treatment of difficult problems. The work has gained popularity among scholars and beginners both and serves well as a gateway to the system of Purva Mimamsa.

The full name of the work as given by the author in the colophon is Purvamimamsarthasamgraha which means a compendium dealing with the topics of Purva Mimamsa.

The present edition comprises the Sanskrit text in Devanagari script and translation into English with profuse notes, explanatory and critical, by Professor Gajendragadkar and Karmarkar, which has proved the best on account of its merits. A new and very useful feature of this reprint is the addition of a detailed and very useful feature of this reprint is the addition of a detailed and very useful feature of this reprint is the addition of a detailed and very informative Introduction by Dr. Shiv Kumar.

"In the oldest scriptures of Theravada Buddhism much attention is given to the jhanas, high levels of meditative attainment distinguished by powerful concentration and purity of mind. Ven. Dr. Gunaratana examines these jhanas within the context of Buddhist teaching as a whole and particularly within the meditation disciplines taught by the Buddha. Beginning with the ethical foundation for meditation, the role of the teacher, the classical subjects of meditation, and the appropriateness of these subjects to individual practitioners, the author traces the practice of meditation to the higher reaches of realization. The eight stages of jhana are individually analyzed and explained in terms of their relation to one another and to the ultimate goal of the teaching. The author makes the critical distinction between the mundane jhanas and supermundane jhanas, pointing out that the lower four, while leading to various mental powers and psychic attainments, are not necessary to full enlightenment and may be developed or bypassed as the medita-tor wishes.

The author goes on to explain the place of the jhanas among the accomplishments of an arahat and elucidate their usefulness for a dedicated meditator.

Review:

...This is a work which combines sound scholarship with considerable practical experience.
Amadeo Sole-Leris
Buddhist Studies Review, 5.1 (1988)

...This should be a useful book for those interested in well-documented, traditional analysis of the cons

....For a long time in my experience newcomers to Buddhism have been confused about the position of the jhanas (absorptions) in Buddhist meditation practice. This is the first book... which deals clearly and exhaustively with the subject. -PHILIP M. EDEN, Middle Way"

About the Book

Fraught with feelings of self-doubt and hopelessness, a great warrior collapses in self-defeat, posing questions for his charioteer, just before the immense battle begins on the plain of Kuruksetra. It is as if there was an interruption of the epic story of the Mahabharata, which pauses dramatically for the dialogue between teacher, Sri Krsna, and his disciple, Arjuna, which is known as the Bhagavadgita. This dialogue has been handed down as part of the oral Vedic tradition in an unbroken line of knowledge for more than 5000 years. And despite such antiquity, Arjuna's questions remain just as relevant today, because the human sense of insufficiency and desire for fulfilment are timeless. Fortunately for Arjuna – and for all of us – the solution is also timeless. Sri Krsa teaches him the knowledge about the ultimate truth of the Self, the essential nature of the human being covering the topics of dharma (appropriate action to fulfil what must be done) and yoga (to do so unmoved by the results of such action), while keeping a vision of Isvara (the Cause and the Order that is the Universe) in order to attain moksa, final liberation from the human sense of limitation. With an unwavering dedication to the original Sanskrit and to the tradition of Advaita Vedanta, Gloria Arieira unfolds the beauty and clarity of the message that is the Bhagavadgita, the very knowledge of the Self that removed Arjuna's confusion, allowing him to rise to his feet once again.

About the Author

Gloria Arieira studied Vedanta. Sanskrit, Vedic chanting, and meditation in India between 1974 and 1978, under the guidance of Swami Dayananda Saraswati, at the Sansipani Sadhanalaya ashram in Mumbai, and Uttarkashi. Her pilgrimage has led her throughout the years to several temples and holy sites around India, including Gomukh, Gangotri, Badrinath – the cavern where Vyasa wrote the Mahabharata – and Jyoshimath, the center for study by none other than Sri Sankaa himself. For more than 30 years, she has taught Vedanta and Sanskrit regularly at her center for Vedic studies, Vidya Mandir, in Rio de Janeiro, as well as at other institutes throughout her native Brazil and in Portugal. She has translated and published many books on Vedanta into Portuguese.

The sacred in the Indian tradition is more an experience than a concept and goes much beyond the narrow confines of an organised temple or even a shrine. The gods of this tradition, as well as those who hold them sacred, are simple and unpretentious yet dignified and self-assured. Whether it is a tree that is held sacred or a naturally occurring stone that is reverred, a river that is the embodiment of divinity itself, an ancestor that is the embodiment of divinity itself, an ancestor that is worshipped, a fabric that is simply draped, a road side shrine on a busy street or a votive terracota horse that is lovingly made and offered, a narrative scroll that holds its audience spell-bound; here is religion at work that is as spontaneous as it is intense, charged with faith, fervor and commitment; now private and now shared, that forms an integral part of the lived lives of these common people, be they rural or urban, tribal or traditional. The rituals and practices for these deities are neither scripted nor canonized, but what they may lack in grandeur, erudition and ceremony, they more than make up in the faith and feeling that they generate. In a civilisation which has encountered majestic truths and erected grand temples, these sacred manifestations and expressions of the ordinary people tend to be sidelined or dismissed by scholars as well as the world at large, as minor or lesser gods worthy of curiosity but not of serious study, but it is important to remember that they have a beauty and presence of their own in the pluralistic Indian tradition.