Religions of India in Practice

by Lopez, Donald S.

• ISBN13: 9780691043241
• ISBN10: 0691043248
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1995-04-03
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr

Summary

The inaugural volume of Princeton Readings in Religions brings together the work of thirty scholars of the religions of India in a new anthology designed to reshape the ways in which the religious traditions of India are understood. The book contains translations of forty-five works, most of which have never before been available in a Western language. Many of these highlight types of discourse (especially ritual manuals, folktales, and oral narratives) and voices (vernacular, esoteric, domestic, and female) that have not been sufficiently represented in previous anthologies and standard accounts of Indian religions. The selections are drawn from ancient texts, medieval manuscripts, modern pamphlets, and contemporary fieldwork in rural and urban India. They represent every region in South Asia and include Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Sikh, and Muslim materials. Some are written texts reflecting elite concerns, while others are transcriptions of oral narratives told by nonliterate peasants. Some texts are addressed to a public and pan-Indian audience, others to a limited coterie of initiates in an esoteric sect, and still others are intended for a few women gathered in the courtyard for a household ceremony. The editor has reinforced this diversity by arranging the selections within several overarching themes and categories of discourse (hymns, rituals, narratives, and religious interactions), and encourages us to make our own connections.

Table of Contents

Princeton Readings in Religions
Note on Transliteration
Contents by Traditions
Contributors
Introduction	p. 3
Bengali Songs to Kali	p. 55
Kabir	p. 77
Poems of Tukaram	p. 92
The Litany of Names of Manjusri	p. 104
Sikh Hymns to the Divine Name	p. 126
Devotional Hymns from the Sanskrit	p. 133
Tamil Game Songs to Siva	p. 145
In Praise of Muhammad: Sindhi and Urdu Poems	p. 159
Baul Songs	p. 187
Tamil Songs to God as Child	p. 209
The Power of Mantra: A Story of the Five Protectors	p. 227
Royal Temple Dedications	p. 235
How to Partake in the Love of Krsna	p. 244
Women's Songs for Auspicious Occasions	p. 269
The Ocean of Mercury: An Eleventh-Century Alchemical Text	p. 281
Predicting the Future with Dogs	p. 288
How To Worship at Siva's Temple	p. 304
The Order for Khalsa Initiation	p. 321
The Rite of Veneration of Jina Images	p. 326
The Vaisnava Sahajiya Traditions of Medieval Bengal	p. 333
The Goddess Sasthi Protects Children	p. 352
Women's Celebration of Muhammad's Birth	p. 367
The Rescue of Two Drunkards	p. 375
Encountering the Smallpox Goddess: The Auspicious Song of Sitala	p. 389
The Wonders of Sri Mastnath	p. 399
Jain Stories Inspiring Renunciation	p. 412
A Holy Woman of Calcutta	p. 418
Jain Stories of Miraculous Power	p. 426
Mother Ten's Stories	p. 434
The Life of Guru Nanak	p. 449
The Autobiography of a Female Renouncer	p. 462
The Prince with Six Fingers	p. 473
How a Girl Became a Sacred Plant	p. 487
Lives of Sufi Saints	p. 495
Conversations of Sufi Saints	p. 513
Teachings of Two Punjabi Sufi Poets	p. 518
Ascetic Withdrawal or Social Engagement	p. 533
The Bodhisattva Vajrapani's Subjugation of Siva	p. 547
India as a Sacred Islamic Land	p. 556
The Exemplary Devotion of the "Servant of Hari"	p. 564
Satya Pir: Muslim Holy Man and Hindu God	p. 578
Jain Questions and Answers: Who Is God and How Is He Worshiped?	p. 598
Esoteric Knowledge and the Tradition of the Preceptors	p. 609
The Rebuilding of a Hindu Temple	p. 627
The Origin of Linga Worship	p. 637
Index	p. 649
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