Introducing Hinduism

by Rodrigues; Hillary

• ISBN13: 9780415392686
• ISBN10: 0415392683
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-09-06
• Publisher: Routledge

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