Discovering the Vedas
Discovering the Vedas

Author: Frits Staal

Publisher: Penguin Books India

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 476

ISBN-13: 9780143099864

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In this unprecedented guide to the Vedas, Frits Staal, the celebrated author of Agni- The Vedic Ritual of the Fire Altarand Universals- Studies in Indian Logic and Linguisticsexamines almost every aspect of these ancient sources of Indic civilisation. Staal extracts concrete information from the Oral Tradition and Archaeology about Vedic people and their language, what they thought and did, and where they went and when. He provides essential information about the Vedas and includes selections and translations. Staal sheds light on mantras and rituals, that contributed to what came to be known as Hinduism. Significant is a modern analysis of what we can learn from the Vedas today- the original forms of the Vedic sciences, as well as the perceptive wisdom of the composers of the Vedas. The author puts Vedic civilisation in a global perspective through a wide-ranging comparison with other Indic philosophies and religions, primarily Buddhism. For Staal, originally a logician, the voyage of discovering the Vedas is like unpeeling an onion but without the certainty of reaching an end. Even so, his book shows that the Vedas have a logic all their own. Accessible, finely-argued, and with a wealth of information and insight, Discovering the Vedas is for both the scholar and the interested lay reader.

Vedic Voices
Vedic Voices

Author: David M. Knipe

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 369

ISBN-13: 0199397686

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For countless generations families have lived in isolated communities in the Godavari Delta of coastal Andhra Pradesh, learning and reciting their legacy of Vedas, performing daily offerings and occasional sacrifices. They are the virtually unrecognized survivors of a 3,700-year-old heritage, the last in India who perform the ancient animal and soma sacrifices according to Vedic tradition. In Vedic Voices, David M. Knipe offers for the first time, an opportunity for them to speak about their lives, ancestral lineages, personal choices as pandits, wives, children, and ways of coping with an avalanche of changes in modern India. He presents a study of four generations of ten families, from those born at the outset of the twentieth century down to their great-grandsons who are just beginning, at the age of seven, the task of memorizing their Veda, the Taittiriya Samhita, a feat that will require eight to twelve years of daily recitations. After successful examinations these young men will reside with the Veda family girls they married as children years before, take their places in the oral transmission of a three-thousand-year Vedic heritage, teach the Taittiriya collection of texts to their own sons, and undertake with their wives the major and minor sacrifices performed by their ancestors for some three millennia. Coastal Andhra, famed for bountiful rice and coconut plantations, has received scant attention from historians of religion and anthropologists despite a wealth of cultural traditions. Vedic Voices describes in captivating prose the geography, cultural history, pilgrimage traditions, and celebrated persons of the region. Here unfolds a remarkable story of Vedic pandits and their wives, one scarcely known in India and not at all to the outside world.

My Yajna
My Yajna

Author: Bhagirathananda

Publisher: Quills Ink Publishing

Published: 2014-05-06

Total Pages: 1254

ISBN-13: 9384318051

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When Bhagirathananda began his search for truth many years ago, he knew he was ‘thirsty’ but did not know why. He only knew, instinctively, that his quest would lead him to Aananda – bliss. This faith led him to enquiry; within and without. Enquiry prompted him to examine himself and his universe afresh. It led him to the magic world of science and the infinite world of scriptures – Shruti and Smriti - the Vedas, Upanishads, Vedanta, Buddhist Cannon, the Bible, the Qur’an. It led him to travel, in the mountains and by the seas. It led him to good and wise men and women. It led him to wonder, contemplation and total and unconditional prayer. This book is compiled from notes he made along the way; it is the story of his grand quest and offers insight to all who are keenly interested in the nature of reality.

Mātrālakṣaṇam
Mātrālakṣaṇam

Author: Wayne Howard

Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publ.

Published: 1988

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13: 9788120805859

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Sphoristic work, with commentary on the accents and musical structure of chanting Samavedic hymns.

The Vernacular Veda
The Vernacular Veda

Author: Vasudha Narayanan

Publisher: Univ of South Carolina Press

Published: 1994

Total Pages: 298

ISBN-13: 9780872499652

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Compares the religious poem "Tiruvaymoli" alongside the "Vedas."

The Study of Hinduism
The Study of Hinduism

Author: Arvind Sharma

Publisher: Univ of South Carolina Press

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 9781570034497

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In this text, leading scholars from around the world take stock of two centuries of international intellectual investment in Hinduism. Since the early 19th century, when the scholarly investigation of Hinduism began to take shape as a modern academic discipline, Hindu studies has evolved from its concentration on description and analysis to an emphasis on understanding Hindu traditions in the context of the religion's own values, concepts and history. Offering an assessment of the current state of Hindu studies, the contributors to this volume identify past achievements and chart the course for what remains to be accomplished in the field.

The Music and Dance of the World's Religions
The Music and Dance of the World's Religions

Author: E. Rust

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 1996-08-23

Total Pages: 500

ISBN-13: 0313033358

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Despite the world-wide association of music and dance with religion, this is the first full-length study of the subject from a global perspective. The work consists of 3,816 references divided among 37 chapters. It covers tribal, regional, and global religions and such subjects as shamanism, liturgical dance, healing, and the relationship of music, mathematics, and mysticism. The referenced materials display such diverse approaches as analysis of music and dance, description of context, direct experience, observation, and speculation. The references address topics from such disciplines as sociology, anthropology, history, linguistics, musicology, ethnomusicology, theology, medicine, semiotics, and computer technology. Chapter 1 consists of general references to religious music and dance. The remaining 36 chapters are organized according to major geographical areas. Most chapters begin with general reference works and bibliographies, then continue with topics specific to the region or religion. This book will be of use to anyone with an interest in music, dance, religion, or culture.

Window to Ancient India : A Tryst with Ancient Science & Philosophy | Part II : Languages, Linguistic Systems and Indian Logic System vis-a-vis the Greeks
Window to Ancient India : A Tryst with Ancient Science & Philosophy | Part II : Languages, Linguistic Systems and Indian Logic System vis-a-vis the Greeks

Author: Satish S. Joglekar

Publisher: StoryMirror Infotech Pvt Ltd

Published: 2023-06-10

Total Pages: 342

ISBN-13: 9390267919

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About the Book: The canvas of India’s history, literature, science, and culture spans not just centuries, but several millennia. This book provides a bird’s eye view of everything Indian or simply the proverbial ‘omnibus capsule’. For modern readers who have little time to read eclectic sources, the ‘omnibus capsule‘ hopes to provide a comprehensive compendium about India. Part I narrates the fascinating history of Board Games and Martial Arts in India. Race Games like Pachisi, Moksha Patam, and Ashtapada became channels for many popular games like Ludo, Snake & Ladders, and Backgammon. Pachisi was however appropriated by Alfred Collier, who took the game to England and called it ‘Royal Ludo’ and even earned a patent for it. One of the earliest war games was Chaturanga, the precursor of modern Chess. It traces the transmission of Chaturanga to the West via the Persians (Chatrang) and the Arabs (Shatranj), and its evolution into the contemporary form. It describes various kinds of derived chess games, like circular chess, four-handed chess, decimal chess, and chess with dice etc. The relationship between Chitra Kavya, a genre of Sanskrit poetry and the Knights Tour, is fascinating. The earliest mention of hand combat is to be found in the Buddhist text Lotus Sutra. Chua-Fa practised today can be traced to the original 18 Luohan Hands of Boddhidharma. The book covers 14 different forms of martial arts practised in India. Martial Arts to Performance describes how Kalaripayattu continues to influence contemporary dance forms. About the Author: Satish Joglekar is an engineer from IIT Bombay, with a Master’s in computer science. He has worked with several software companies for more than 30 years which included a long stint at Bell Laboratories, USA. Satish is trained in Hindustani classical music and has intense interest in history, non-fiction literature, and travel.