The Religious Culture of India
Power, Love and Wisdom

A lively and innovative exploration of the traditional Indian religions and cultures, by a leading scholar.

Friedhelm Hardy (Author)

9780521023443, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 8 December 2005

628 pages, 24 b/w illus.
23.5 x 15.8 x 3.6 cm, 0.905 kg

'I think this is an excellent book. There is nothing really like it in scope or presentation, a panoramic view of Indian religion which meets the highest scholarly standards while preserving a distinctive personal tone throughout. It is likely to appeal to virtually anyone who is interested in Hinduism, Buddhism or Jainism at any academic level. It will greatly enrich popular perceptions of the variety of Indian religion, but it manages, I think, not to bewilder the reader with that variety. I commend it with enthusiasm.' Richard Gombrich, University of Oxford

This study conducts a lively and innovative exploration of the traditional Indian religions and cultures - an area that has both fascinated and puzzled the West for centuries. Friedhelm Hardy aims at presenting the widest possible range of themes that have preoccupied traditional Indian culture. He uses a great variety of sources, in various languages, and listens not only to what the learned philosopher or theologian in the classical Sanskrit texts has to say, but also to what folk and regional cults and cultures express in stories, myths and poetry. The result is a personal and entertaining portrayal of the colourful world of India which will have great appeal for the non-specialist. By making the three universal human drives of power, love and wisdom his focal points, Hardy seeks to guide the reader through an alien world which is nevertheless recognizably human. This book will be required reading for all those interested in India and its culture.

Preface
Part I. Power: the Challenges of the External World: 1. Consulting the oracle once again
2. Oceans of milk and treacle
3. Navigating the sea of earthly existence
4. Safe havens
5. Violence, aggression and heroism
6. Manipulating space, time and matter. 7. Entering forbidden realms
8. Unleashing the powers of the self
Part II. Love: the Rhythms of the Interior World: 9. The missing colour
10. The landscape of the heart
11. The deadly weapons of Mara
12. Beyond the fleeting moment
13. Cosmic desire
14. Love abiding in stone
15. The melting of the heart
16. Return to the world
Part III. Wisdom: Commuting within One World
17. All the valleys filled with corpses
18. Strategic initiatives
19. Encompassing the galaxies
20. The all-pervasive mind
21. Striking a balance
22. Beyond prosaic words
23. Irreducible particulars
24. The head in the world
Notes
Index.

Subject Areas: Hinduism [HRG]