Hinduism and Its Sources

Rigvedasukta Vikas

Rigvedasukta Vikas it focuses emphasis on the social importance of this well-known Hindu text, the current study offers a fresh viewpoint on the Bhagavad-Gita, which is backed by research that was carried out in the past. The first section of this book offers a profound investigation of the ways in which reinterpretations of the Gita played a key part in the social history of India throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The illustrative material is comprised of five case studies pertaining to the following individuals: Raja Rammohun Roy, Swami Vivekananda, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Aurobindo Ghose, and Mahatma Gandhi. In Part II, an explanation is given of how the social applications of the Gita are related with its most essential message for the present day, which is known as Loksamgraha and translates to “the good of society.” A contemporary meaning of the lokasamgraha-approach is the inculcation of societal ideals and a feeling of social duty in each person. Lokasamgraha is a Sanskrit phrase that appears in the Gita but not in the Upanishads.

About

H.R. Divakar

The Cult of Jagannatha: Myths and Rituals

Orissan ethnography is presented in a fresh light via the lens of The Cult of Jagannatha: Myths and Rituals. This book gives considerable evidence on the significance of religious orthodoxy, which stands in stark contrast to the mainstream interpretations, which centre on the impacts of tribal groups and the history of aryanization. In Orissa, the shift from the coastal to the interior areas is marked by significant demographic and sociocultural discontinuities. These discontinuities may be seen most clearly while moving from the coastline to the inland regions. These geographical variances are presumably a consequence of aryanization that occurred through time. The historical reconstruction of this process has been the primary pillar on which ethnological narratives have traditionally been built. Traditions that developed in the delta plain are said to have been significantly impacted by the local populations who lived there, particularly those traditions that are connected to the delta plain’s two most important centres: the city of Puri and the temple of Jagannatha. The importance of sacrifice symbolism to Puri’s religious system is shown by a number of myths and rites. In spite of the fact that it is explicitly linked to an initial asvamedha, which refers to the sacrifice of a horse in the Vedic tradition, the construction of the big temple is nevertheless seen as a modification of the brick-fire altar. These relationships are further confirmed by an astonishing network of orthodox representations, both Vedic and Hindu. [Citation needed] [Citation needed] This acknowledgment of orthodoxy brings us back to the alleged differences between regional traditions. How should one understand the “specificity” of Puri’s iconography when it comes to his gods? What kind of respect should be accorded to the Sudras who are in charge of the rituals at the major temple? The current book offers fresh insight into these time-honored inquiries, which are addressed. The “strangeness” of Orissan ethnography is not as baffling as it may seem; rather, it is a specific but exceedingly consistent representation of Indian cultural norms and customs.

Author

Jose Carlos Gomes da Silva

The Agamasastra of Gaudapada

Because the author was dissatisfied with the interpretation provided by Sankara and his followers as well as the interpretation provided by some other teachers, he has made an effort in the following pages to present to the readers his own interpretation of the work based on how he has understood it. On the other hand, he makes no claim whatsoever that his interpretation is the interpretation, in other words, the meaning that Gaudapada himself had in mind. The author of the current book has provided a fresh edition of the text of the Agamasastra based on a number of distinct manuscripts and editions, which is then followed by an English translation of the text. His annotation follows immediately after this. Appendices are included at the conclusion of the book and include the text of the Mandukya Upanisad as well as an English translation of it. Additionally, there are many distinct indexes and versions of the MSS that were used to create the edition of the Agamasastra text.

About the Author(s)

Vidhushekhara Bhattacharya

Shukla-Yajurved-Samhita

The Yajurveda Samhita, also known as the prayer book of the Adhvaryu priest, is said to have had as many as 101 recensions during the time of the grammarian Patanjali. However, only five of these recensions have survived and are available at this time. These recensions are known as Kathaka, Kapisthala, Maitrayani, Taittiriya, and Vajasaneyi. The first four of these recensions belong to what is designated as the The Vajasaneyi Samhita, which gets its name from Yajnavalkya Vajasaneya, the principal instructor of this Veda, has been passed down in two forms that are somewhat different from one another. These versions are known as the Kanva Samhita and the Madhyandina Samhita. The primary distinction between the texts of the ‘Black’ and ‘White’ Yajurveda is that the latter only includes the Mantras, which are the prayers and sacrificial formulae that the priest is required to recite, whereas the former includes, in addition, a presentation of the sacrificial rites that are associated with them as well as the Brahmana, which is a theological discussion on the same topic. This is the most important distinction between the two types

About the Author(s)

Pandit Jagdishlal Shastri

Vaisnavi: Women and the Worship of Krishna

This collection delves into the touchy issue of gender and religion with openness and compassion, with a particular emphasis on Vaishnavism, one of the oldest and most textually rich religious traditions practised by humans. Steven J. Rosen has compiled a collection of eight articles that shed light on the lives of many female saints throughout history as well as the teachings that they left behind. These pieces were written by notable scholars, poets, and practitioners.

Author

Steven J. Rosen

Ramacaritamanasa in South Africa

Through the strong medium of Awadhi, Gosvami Tulsidasa’s Ramacaritamanasa conveyed to the world the message of Ramabhakti and the principles of Ramarajya. Indentured workers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar brought the Ramacaritamanasa all over the world three hundred years after it was written down. This allowed it to be read in every corner of the globe. Between the years 1860 and 1911, many thousands of these labourers made their way to South Africa, bringing with them copies of the Ramacaritamanasa to serve as their central religious text.

This book provides an in-depth analysis of the Ramacaritamanasa’s function in the daily lives of Hindi-speaking indentured labourers, as well as their perspectives on Sri Rama and the Ramacaritamanasa. Additionally, the book discusses the indentured labourers’ progency in South Africa. It is clear that Tulsidasa’s goal of instilling a selfless devotion to Sri Rama as the Supreme Deity is being accomplished via the Ramacaritamanasa until this very day. The social and political message that Tulsidasa conveyed also received a great deal of appreciation at the time.

The Ramacaritamanasa is revered as a sacred text among South African Hindus whose ancestry is from Hindi, and these individuals seek peace and direction by immersing themselves in Sri Rama’s Act as deeply as possible. Its function among Hindi-speaking Hindus as a maintainer of religious and cultural traditions is a clear indication of the significance it will continue to have in the next year.

Author

Usha Devi Shukla

The Asvamedha: The Rite and its Logic

This article explains many specific characteristics of the Vedic sacrificial system by describing the ritual known as “Asvamedha” and the symbolism associated with it. Within the framework of Vedic epistemology, a number of inquiries about the Asvamedha are addressed, along with their respective answers. This rite serves three important purposes: I it presents an equivalence of the naksatra year to the heaven, implying that it is a rite that celebrates the rebirth of the Sun; (ii) it is symbolic of the conquest of Time by the king, in whose name the rite is performed; and (iii) it is a celebration of social harmony that has been achieved by the transcendence of the fundamental conflicts that exist between various sources of The comprehension of numerous of its particulars is aided by the use of numerical concepts taken from another Vedic ritual known as the Agnicayana.

Author

Subhash Kak