Hinduism and Its Sources

The Sacred Mountain: The Complete Guide to Tibet’s Mount Kailas

Mount Kailas-the most sacred mountain in the world. Uncannily symmetrical, this remote and remarkable peak located in the forbidden land of Tibet might have been built by superhuman hands. It stands out of a primordial hands. It stands out of a primordial landscape: a horizontally stratified plinth thousands of feet high, crowned with a perfect cone of pure snow.

To Hindus it is the Throne of the great god Shiva. Buddhists associate it with Chakrasamvara, a powerful Tantric deity, and with the sage Milarepa, who fought a magic duel there with a shaman priest in ancient times. To the Bonpo, the followers of the indigenous religion of Tibet, it is the giant crystal on which their founder, Thonpa Shenrab, descended to earth from the skies.

For more than a millennium, Buddhist, Hindu and Bonpo pilgrims have been visiting this Throne of the Gods and performing pious cirumabulation around it. John Snelling recounts their difficult and dangerous pilgrimages and analyzes the spiritual significance of Kailas-and of sacred mountains in general. He also retells the tales of the handful of Western travellers who reached Kailas between 1715 and 1949-an exclusive club of intrepid explorers, mountaineers, big game hunters and officials. Then in 1984 the Chinese authorities allowed Westerners freer access; so the tales of a new wave of contemporary travellers have in this completely revised and enlarged edition been added to those of their great precursors.

The new edition of this acclaimed travel book is particularly indispensible for all those wishing to visit Mount Kailas, for it contains a comprehensive Guide for Travellers as well as up-to-date maps. For the armchair traveller there is much to absorb and thrill too-not least the lavish array of photographs, many in colour…

The Religion of the Veda: Die Religion des Veda

The Vedic Literature, which is the oldest product of the Aryan mind and is held in the highest esteem and is regarded as the most sacred by Hindus, presents a panorama of the life of the ancient population of India in all of its facets. Vedic Literature is the oldest product of the Aryan mind and is held in the highest esteem. Herman Oldenberg was the professor who pioneered the first critical examination of frightening literature in the last several centuries, and European academics, mostly Germans, were the ones who conducted the research. His masterpiece, titled Die Religion des Vedas, was published for the first time in 1894, and a revised version was released in 1916. In his thorough and in-depth research on the Vedic religion, he took use of linguistic approaches, as well as those from the fields of ethnology and folklore. This work has had a significant influence on subsequent Vedic studies and has an enduring interest to the student of the Veda, as is amply evident from the fact that even after nearly a century has passed since its first publication, it continues to attract the attention of Vedic researchers and is very frequently sought for guidance and consultation by them, and here is the first ever English translation of these four classic texts.

The book is divided into four chapters, each of which is preceded by an introduction that provides a comprehensive discussion of the source material, which includes the Vedas, Brahmanas, and sutra. The first chapter discusses the gods and demons of the Vedic tradition in general, while the second chapter delves into the specific gods of the Vedic tradition, including Agni, Indra, Vruna Mitra, and others, as well as the bad demons, the beginning of the universe, and the divine and moral realms. The third chapter discusses in depth the religion of sacrifice, which includes topics such as magic observances, festivals, prayer, and priests. The fourth chapter discusses animism, the dead, soul heaven, and ell, as well as ghosts, fathers, and burial ceremonies.

Author

HERMANN OLDENBERG

Pingal Devayan (Vol. 1): Brahma Kalpa (Vol. 1)

The first volume contains coverage of five different mandalas (books). Pingal Devayan (Vol. 1): Brahma Kalpa (Vol. 1) The Book of the Gods (the Book of the Deva), the Book of the Sages (the Book of the Rishi), the Book of Sacrifice (the Book of Yagna), the Book of Divine Powers (the Book of Biti), and the Book of Pragatha (son of Rishi Kanwa). In Deva Mandala, the manifestation of the epic, the beginning of creation, the births of gods and demons, their battles, the birth of Satyadev, the God of Truth, and the formation of the Time Wheel are all described. In the Rishi Mandala, the life of the sage Vashishta and the devastation caused by the sage Vishwamitra are both recounted in detail. It also discusses the activities of the shadowy powers of the night, known as Nakta, as well as the formation of the psychic entity known as Bitihotra. The Yagna Mandala tells the story of how the wise people asked Agni, the god of fire, for assistance in initiating a sacred sacrifice to call forth Satyadev, the god of truth, who had vanished from the world because of the influence of evil forces. These chants are hymns to the mystic fire, and their purpose is to restore truth to the process of creation. The Biti Mandala is a narrative that describes the capabilities of the celestial deities as well as the cleansing that the Bitihotra provides (psychic being). Following the completion of the cleansing process, the psychic being will identify with the Truth. This takes place in the presence of the holy trinity, which consists of Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwara, as well as other godheads, sages, and the four divine energies, which are known as Maheshwari, Mahakali, Mahalakshmi, and Saraswati. The Pragatha Mandala provides an account of Kanwa rishi’s family as well as the union of Pragatha, Kanwa’s son, and Gathini. They are Kali, the goddess of the Iron Age, who sprang from their offspring. The book goes into great depth about Kali’s upbringing and the events that lead to his becoming an anti-god. The tale of the birth of Trita and Dwita, sons of Rishi Aptya, who would limit the impact of Kali in Satyadev’s absence is also featured. Trita and Dwita would do this during.

Author

Dr. Hazari

The Krsna Cycle in the Puranas: Themes and Motifs in a Heroic Saga

Krsna is often regarded as one of the most beloved personalities in Indian literature and religion. The accounts of his life and the actions he performed continue to play an important role in the literary traditions of India right up to the present day. The primary ideas and recurrent images that can be seen throughout the Krsna mythology up to the 10th century are the focus of this book. In the first chapter, the antecedents of the figure of Krsna that may be found in the Vedas are investigated, as are some of the viewpoints that suggest that Krsna can be found in the hymns of the Vedas. An exhaustive survey is made of all of the archaeological and literary evidences, along with their interpretations and discussions by modern scholars, and the second chapter deals with the first historical evidence on Krsna up to the beginning of the Christian Era. This chapter covers the time period from the beginning of the Christian Era to the beginning of the Christian Era. In the third and fourth chapters, an examination of the motifs and themes found in the Krsna saga is presented using a folk-comparative methodology. Particular focus is placed on the parallels between the Krsna saga and the mythology surrounding Hercules. The last chapter provides an overview of the Krsna tales as they were shown in iconography up to the 10th century. In addition to this, there is a collection of images that depict the majority of the iconographical evidence that has been addressed; several of these photographs are being released for the first first time here.

Author

DR. BENJAMIN PRECIADO-SOLIS

Ganesa: Unravelling an Enigma

The reverence shown to Ganesa is unrivalled among the many indigenous religious systems.
as well as subgroups within the Jainas, Buddhists, and Hindus. He is a deity who stands alone in terms of   in a variety of ways, including his unusual physiognomy and his dual nature as a vighnakarta.  (the one who causes difficulties), as well as a vighnaharta (remover of obstacles). He is  worshipped first in order to guarantee the success of all subsequent religious and secular activities  and enterprieses. GAnesa is also worshipped as the deity of music and dancing. The religion that the worship of Ganesa became widespread across Asia.  The ascent of Ganesa to the position of preeminence in the canon of traditional Hinduism, as one of the, which is absolutely extraordinary, is comprised of the panca devatas. This is an older form of the phrase.  The boring tale of how the White House was built from a log cabin.  In recent years, there have been various research conducted on this deity; this one is the most current.  textual and linguistically most extensive, completely documented from all original sources, and  creative, and packed with beautiful illustrations throughout. It tracks the beginning as well as the progression  of pauranika Ganesa, from pre-pauranika Vinayaka, a vighnakarta, into  pauranika Ganesa, a vighnaharta, dissects his particular traits and attributes his success to  researches how he is portrayed in art not just in India but also in other nations  pertaining to Asia. It attempts to solve the riddle of a non-Vedic, non-epic, and a non-historical text  a deity of non-Aryan origins being elevated to a prominent position in the Hindu pantheon. The  tactics used by devotees of Ganesa to advertise and spread the word about his religion and  status and the long-lasting consequences obtained make for an interesting case study in public relations work.

Author

Yuvraj Krishan