The Artful Universe: An Introduction to the Vedic Religious Imagination

by Mahony, William K.

• ISBN13: 9780791435809
• ISBN10: 0791435806
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1998-02-01
• Publisher: State Univ of New York Pr

Summary

The Artful Universe introduces the Vedic religion, a rich and densely textured tradition that has influenced the religious sensibilities of India for 3500 years or more. Engagingly written and based on traditional as well as modern Vedic scholarship, the book introduces Vedic ideas regarding the nature of divinity, the structure of the sacred universe, the process of revelation, the function of ritual as hallowed activity, and the realizations lying behind the practice of meditation. As a way to link these diverse aspects of Vedic religion, Mahony identifies and highlights the important role of the divine and human imagination in the formation, revelation, and reformation of a meaningful world.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii	(4)
Pronunciation of Sanskrit Words	xi
Introduction	1	(16)
1. The Gods as Artists: The Formative Power of the Divine Imagination	17	(24)
2. Reality Veiled and Revealed: On the Artistic Order of the Universe	41	(18)
3. The Poet as Visionary: The Artistry of the Verbal Imagination	59	(45)
4. The Priest as Artist: Universal Drama and the Liturgical Imagination	104	(48)
5. The Inward Seer: The Liberating Power of the Contemplative Imagination	152	(48)
6. Religious Functions of the Imagination	200	(33)
Notes	233	(54)
Bibliography	287	(22)
Index and Glossary	309