Hinduism: the eBook

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Illustrations Acknowledgements Preface to the Second Edition A Note on Transliteration Preliminary Guidelines on Pronunciation Introduction Preamble “Hinduism,” “Hindu,” and “India” Defined The Geographical Distribution of Hindus The Indian Subcontinent The Indus Valley Civilization The Āryans Āryan and non-Āryan influences A Brief History of Hinduism Chapter 1: Vedic Religion and the Sanskrit Language The Vedic Saṃhitās Vedic Deities Ṛta and the Cosmic Order The Brāhmaṇas Vedic Rituals (yajña) Soma The Āraṇyakas The Upaniṣads Ātman and Brahman Śruti and Smṛti Other Vedic Literature The Sanskrit Language A Brief History of Sanskrit Structure of the Sanskrit Alphabet Pāṇini and the Aṣṭādhyāyī The Sphoṭa Theory of Language Mantra and the Theology of Sound Chapter 2: Karma, Time, and Cosmology Hindu Conceptions of Time and Creation The Hindu Calendar The Hindu Universe Karma, Saṃsāra, and Reincarnation Mokṣa Chapter 3: Hindu Social Organization and Values Dharma and the Dharma Śāstras The Four Classes of Hindu Society The Caste System The Untouchables Purity and Pollution Auspiciousness and Inauspiciousness Chapter 4: Dharma and the Individual Hindu Rites of Passage (Saṃskāra) Women in Hinduism Marriage and Pativrata Satī and the Status of Widows Chapter 5: Indian Philosophical Schools The Wandering Philosophers Orthodox versus Heterodox Schools The Heterodox Philosophies The Six Orthodox Systems Chapter 6: The Epics, Bhagavad Gītā and the Rise of Bhakti The Epics (Itihāsa) The Rāmāyaṇa The Mahābhārata The Householder Versus the Renouncer The Bhagavad Gītā The Bhagavad Gītā’s Three Yogas The Ālvārs and the Nāyanārs Chapter 7: Major Hindu Sects, Deities and Purāṇic Myths The Purāṇas The Decline of the Vedic Deities Śaivism Vaiṣṇavism Śāktism Other Deities Chapter 8: The Hindu Temple and Worship Rituals A Note on Orthodoxy Domestic Worship and Pūjā Darśana and Temple Worship The Hindu Temple Some Noteworthy Temples Sacred Specialists Hindu Pilgrimage Chapter 9: Tantra The Origins of Tantra Characteristic Elements of Hindu Tantra Tantric Śaivism in Kashmir Kuṇḍalinī Yoga The Left Hand Path Goddesses and Women in Tantra Symbolism of Tantric Mantras and Yantras Chapter 10: Colonization and Reform Islam in India (A Brief History) Hinduism under Islam Religious Syncretism in North India The British in India (A Brief History) Hindu Responses to Christianity Hinduism and Politics Chapter 11: Transnational Hinduism in Asia Hinduism in Nepal Hinduism in South East Asia Hinduism in Indonesia Chapter 12: Revitalization and Modernity Hinduism and Humanism Hinduism in Universalistic Religion Hinduism and Modernity Chapter 13: Hinduism and the West Transnational Hinduism Hinduism for the West Appendix I: A Timeline of Hinduism Appendix II: Pronunciation Guide and Glossary Further Reading Introductory Textbooks Sourcebooks and Readers