| Description |
xiii, 613 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm |
| Series |
Cambridge studies in religious traditions ; 4 |
|
Cambridge studies in religious traditions ; 4
|
| Contents |
Pt. 1. Power - the challenges of the external world. 1. Consulting the oracle once again. 2. Oceans of milk and treacle. 3. Navigating the sea of earthly existence. 4. Safe havens. 5. Violence, aggression and heroism. 6. Manipulating space, time and matter. 7. Entering forbidden realms. 8. Unleashing the powers of the self -- Pt. 2. Love - the rhythms of the interior world. 9. The missing colour. 10. The landscape of the heart. 11. The deadly weapons of Mara. 12. Beyond the fleeting moment. 13. Cosmic desire. 14. Love abiding in stone. 15. The melting of the heart. 16. Return to the world -- Pt. 3. Wisdom - commuting within one world. 17. All the valleys filled with corpses. 18. Strategic initiatives. 19. Encompassing the galaxies. 20. The all-pervasive mind. 21. Striking a balance. 22. Beyond prosaic words. 23. Irreducible particulars. 24. The head in the world |
| Summary |
While professional Indian studies become increasingly specialized, and popular interest in the subject loses itself in a mystical maze, this book presents a view of the whole culture from which has arisen the huge diversity of Indian religion in a manner that is both authoritative and accessible |
|
This is a fresh and innovative exploration of traditional Indian religion and culture - an area that has fascinated and puzzled the West for centuries. Making use of his own original research, conducted over twenty-five years, Friedhelm Hardy aims at presenting the widest possible range of themes that have preoccupied Indian culture. He draws on a variety of sources, in various languages, and listens not only to what the philosopher or theologian in the classical Sanskrit texts has to say, but also to what folk and regional cults and cultures express in stories, myths and poetry. In an often humorous and always entertaining manner he reveals the colourful world of India to the non-specialist by making the three primary human drives of power, love and wisdom his focal points. Individual themes are frequently also illustrated from relevant Occidental sources. The book is based on public lectures delivered at the University of Oxford |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 554-598) and index |
| SUBJECT |
India -- Religion.
http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85064947
|
| LC no. |
93012492 |
| ISBN |
0521441811 (hardback) |
|
