Introducing Hinduism,9780415392686

Introducing Hinduism

by ;
Edition: 1st
ISBN13: 9780415392686
ISBN10: 0415392683
Format: Hardcover
Pub. Date: 2006-09-06
Publisher(s): Routledge
Availability: This title is currently not available.
List Price: $140.46

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Summary

Hinduismdescribes the array of beliefs and practices of the majority of the people of South Asia, particularly those of India and Nepal. Hinduism is the ideal starting point for students wishing to undertake a comprehensive study of this fascinating religion. This lively introduction explores the complexities of Hinduism, including its social structures, especially its caste system, its rituals and many scriptures, its vast mythology and varieties of deities and its religious philosophies. Hillary Rodrigues, an experienced teacher of the Hindu tradition, emphasizes the importance of Hindu rituals and practice, subjects of particular interest in contemporary scholarship. Illustrated throughout, the book also includes a glossary and a list of further reading.

Table of Contents

Illustrations
xi
Acknowledgements xiii
Preface xvi
A note on transliteration xx
Preliminary guidelines on pronunciation xxi
Introduction 1(1)
Preamble
1(3)
``Hinduism,'' ``Hindu,'' and ``India'' defined
4(1)
The geographical distribution of Hindus
5(1)
The Indian subcontinent
5(3)
The Indus Valley Civilization
8(2)
Indus Valley religion
10(2)
The Aryans
12(2)
Aryan and non-Aryan influences
14(3)
A brief history of Hinduism
17(7)
Vedic religion
24(21)
The Vedic Samhitas
25(1)
Vedic Deities
26(1)
Rta and cosmic order
27(1)
The Brahmanas
28(1)
Vedic rituals (yajna)
28(5)
Soma
33(1)
The Aranyakas
33(1)
The Upanisads
34(2)
Atman and Brahman
36(1)
Sruti and Smrti
37(1)
Other Vedic literature
38(1)
Astrology
39(1)
Ayurveda
40(5)
Karma and cosmology
45(10)
The Hindu conception of time
45(2)
The Hindu Calendar
47(1)
The Hindu universe
48(2)
Karma, Samsara, and Reincarnation
50(2)
Moksa
52(3)
Hindu social organization and values
55(21)
Dharma and the Dharma Sastras
55(2)
The four classes of Hindu society
57(3)
The caste system
60(5)
The Untouchables
65(1)
Purity and pollution
66(4)
Auspiciousness and inauspiciousness
70(6)
Dharma and the individual
76(29)
Hindu rites of passage (samskara)
77(1)
Investiture with the Sacred Thread (upanayana)
78(2)
Marriage (vivaha)
80(4)
Householder's samskaras
84(2)
Final Sacrifice (antyesti)
86(3)
The four goals / aims and the four stages of life
89(5)
Women in Hinduism
94(2)
Vowed ascetic observances (vrata) and auspiciousness (saubhagya)
96(1)
Marriage and pativrata
97(2)
Sati and the status of widows
99(6)
The Sanskrit language
105(10)
Panini and the Astadhyayi
109(1)
The sphota theory of language
109(1)
Structure of the Sanskrit alphabet
110(1)
Mantra and the theology of sound
111(4)
Indian philosophical schools
115(21)
The wandering philosophers
119(1)
Orthodox versus heterodox schools
120(1)
The heterodox philosophies
121(2)
The six orthodox systems
123(13)
The Epics (Itihasa)
136(18)
The Ramayana
137(7)
The Mahabharata
144(10)
The Bhagavad Gita and the rise of bhakti
154(18)
The Bhagavad Gita
154(3)
The householder versus the renouncer
157(1)
The Bhagavad Gita's three yogas
158(1)
Jnana yoga
158(2)
Karma yoga
160(2)
Bhakti yoga
162(3)
South Indian Hinduism and the rise of devotionalism
165(1)
The Alvars and the Nayanars
166(6)
Major Hindu theistic sects
172(16)
Saivism
172(5)
Vaisnavism
177(3)
Saktism
180(8)
Hindu deities and Puranic mythology
188(34)
The Puranas
188(2)
The decline of the Vedic deities
190(2)
Saiva deities: iconography, myths, and festivals
192(7)
Vaisnava deities: iconography, myths, and festivals
199(6)
Sakta deities: iconography, myths, and festivals
205(8)
Other deities
213(9)
Hindu art and worship rituals
222(27)
A note on orthodoxy
225(2)
Domestic worship and puja
227(3)
Darsana and temple worship
230(4)
The Hindu temple
234(2)
Some noteworthy temples
236(3)
Sacred specialists
239(3)
Hindu pilgrimage
242(7)
Vedanta
249(8)
Sankara's radical non-dualism
250(2)
Ramanuja's qualified non-dualism
252(1)
Madhva's dualism
253(4)
Tantra
257(16)
The origins of Tantra
257(1)
Characteristic elements of Hindu Tantra
258(2)
Saivism in Kashmir
260(1)
Non-dualistic tantric philosophy
261(2)
Kundalini yoga
263(2)
The Left Hand Path
265(1)
Goddesses and women in tantra
266(1)
Symbolism of tantric mantras and yantras
266(7)
Reform and revitalization
273(28)
Some early critiques of Hinduism and its responses
274(1)
Islam in India (a brief history)
275(1)
Hinduism under Islam
276(1)
Religious syncretism (e.g. bhakti, Sufism, tantra) in North India
277(3)
The British in India (A brief history)
280(2)
Hindu responses to Christianity
282(3)
Related developments
285(1)
Hinduism in universalistic religion
286(2)
Hinduism and humanism
288(2)
Hinduism and politics
290(11)
Hinduism beyond India
301(13)
Hinduism in Nepal
306(2)
Hinduism in South-east Asia
308(1)
Hinduism in Indonesia
309(5)
Hinduism and the West
314(15)
Diaspora Hinduism
315(1)
Hinduism for the West
316(7)
Some contemporary teachers of Hinduism to Westerners
323(6)
Select themes in Hinduism
329(12)
Hinduism and ecology
329(3)
Some noteworthy figures in contemporary Hinduism
332(1)
Hinduism and modernity
333(8)
Appendix I
341(5)
A timeline of Hinduism
341(5)
Appendix II
346(34)
Pronunciation guide and general glossary
346(15)
Pronunciation guide and glossary of people's names
361(7)
Pronunciation guide and glossary of place names
368(6)
Pronunciation guide and glossary of texts
374(6)
Further reading 380(2)
Index 382

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