Introducing Hinduism
A Graphic Guide
Published on 1. December 2014
176 pages
978-1-84831-880-9 (ISBN)
Description
Introducing Hinduism offers a guide to the key philosophical, literary, mythological and cultural traditions of this extraordinarily diverse faith. It untangles the complexities of Hinduism's gods and goddesses, its caste system and its views on sex, everyday life and asceticism. It answers questions including: Why do Hindus revere the cow? Must Hindus be vegetarian? And much more...
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02/2010
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Persons
Vinay Lal teaches at UCLA. He writes widely on Indian history, contemporary politics, Bollywood and the Indian diaspora. Recent books include The History of History: Politics and Scholarship in Modern India (Oxford University Press, 2003).
Borin Van Loon has worked on numerous 'Introducing' titles. He is a freelance illustrator, surrealist painter and collagist who produces the comic strip 'The Severed Head' for The Chap magazine
Content
- Intro
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Contents
- What is Hinduism?
- Elusive Hinduism
- Uncertain Origins in India
- The Indus Valley Civilization
- Aryans and Hinduism's Origins
- An Early Mix of Elements
- Sanskrit: Language of the Gods
- Hindu Religious Literature
- The Cosmological World of the Vedas
- Gayatri Mantra
- Hymn to Creation
- The Caste System
- Varnashrama Dharma
- Brahmin Superiority
- Pollution and Purity
- Sudra Pollution
- Dalits: Are They Hindus?
- Gandhi and Ambedkar
- Is Caste Intrinsic to Hinduism?
- Four Stages of Life
- Values at Each Stage
- Sannyasa
- The Upanishads
- Transmission of Knowledge
- Esoteric Teachings?
- On Being a Brahmin
- Brahman and Atman
- Svetaketu's Story
- Union of Brahman and Atman
- Doctrine of Mayo
- The Illusion of Ignorance
- Revolt against Brahminism
- Buddhism
- Mahavira and Jainism
- Ahimsa or Non-Violence?
- Lokayata: Indian Materialism
- Affirmation of Life
- Artha: the Pursuit of Wealth
- Karma: The Life Of Desire (Pleasure)
- Dharma: Completing the Triad
- Dharma in the Mahabharata
- The Great War
- The Story of Aswatthama
- Dharma and Hindu Ethics
- Dharma and Freedom of Action
- Mahabharata Hinduism
- The Ramayana
- Rama's Story
- Rama's Doubt
- The Ideal Hindu Couple
- Versions of the Ramayana
- Puranic Hinduism
- Puranas
- Puranic (Ludic) Lore
- The Hindu Trinity
- Shiva
- Aspects of Shiva
- Shiva Lingam
- Lingayats: A Shaivite Community
- The Personal Lingam
- Shiva as Ardhanarisvara
- Shiva and Parvati
- Shakti: The Feminine Principle
- Traditions of the Devi
- Durga: The Ferocious Aspect of Parvati
- Kali, "The Black One"
- Festivals of Durga and Kali
- The Darshan
- Little Goddesses: Sitala
- River Goddesses
- Are Goddesses Autonomous?
- Matriarchal Resistance
- Vishnu: The Trinity Completed
- The Doctrine of Avatars
- Ten Avatars
- The Revenge of Hiranyakashipu
- Narasimha: Uses of Ambiguity
- Buddha: Vishnu's Incarnation
- Kalki: Avatar for the Kali Yuga
- The Traditions of Krishna
- Krishna the Charioteer
- The Bhagavad Gita
- The Three Yogas
- Bhakti yoga
- The Other Krishna
- The Child Krishna
- Krishna and the Gopis
- Erotic Allegory?
- The Bhakti Movement
- Characteristics of the Bhakti Movement
- Caste and Bhakti
- Women and Bhakti
- The Voice of Bhakti
- Hinduism in Islamic India
- Guru Nanak
- Bauls: Singing Bards
- Reform Movements in Hinduism
- Rammohun Roy and Hindu Monotheism
- Brahmo Samaj
- Arya Samaj
- Nationalistic Hinduism
- Sri Ramakrishna
- Swami Vivekananda
- Mohandas Gandhi*
- Hinduism in the Modern World
- Women in Hindu Society
- Hindu Scriptures on Women
- The Practice of Sati
- Hinduism and Bollywood
- Mythologicals
- The Gods in Film
- Jai Santoshi Maa
- Gods and Humans
- Hindu Culture and Hindi Cinema
- Bollywood's Hindu Inspiration
- Hinduism and the Cow
- Vegetarianism in Hindia
- The Doctrine of Ahimsa
- The Sacred Cow
- Muslims and the Cow
- Cows in the Colonial Period
- The Cow in Contemporary Hinduism
- Hinduism and Ecology
- Chipko: Ecological Resistance
- Bishnoi: Ecologically Aware Hinduism
- The Future of Hinduism
- Hinduism in the Television Age
- The Internet and Hinduism
- New Hindu Histories
- In the United States
- The Hindu Diasporic Vanguard
- The Softer Hindu Diaspora
- Hinduism and Hindutva
- Gandhi' Ashram
- Hinduism and Politics
- Gandhi's Hinduism and Hindutva
- A Proper Religion for a Proper Nation-State
- Bajrang Dal: Debasing Hinduism
- The Babri Masjid Episode
- History and Mythos
- Further Reading
- Acknowledgements
- About the Author
- About the Illustrator
- Index
