Over the last decade traditional Indian temple towns have transformed into centres for urban lifestyles and tourist activities. One of these is the historic temple town Vrindavan in North India, on which this study focuses. Exploring the multiple socio-cultural realities present in the town, the author engages with the narratives of the residents as they respond to the socio-environmental changes against the backdrop of national and regional modernisation processes. Here the imaginaries of a mythic Vrindavan, with its pristine and sacred environment, are evoked in narrations on contemporary modernity.
This is a book about a deeply beloved place—many call it the spiritual capital of India. Located at a dramatic bend in the River Yamuna, a hundred miles from the center of Delhi, Vrindavan is the spot where the god Krishna is believed to have spent his childhood and youth. For Hindus it has always stood for youth writ large—a realm of love and beauty that enables one to retreat from the weight and harshness of the world. Now, though, the world is gobbling up Vrindavan. Delhi’s megalopolitan sprawl inches closer day by day—half the town is a vast real-estate development—and the waters of the Yamuna are too polluted to drink or even bathe in. Temples now style themselves as theme parks, and the world’s tallest religious building is under construction in Krishna’s pastoral paradise. What happens when the Anthropocene Age makes everything virtual? What happens when heaven gets plowed under? Like our age as a whole, Vrindavan throbs with feisty energy, but is it the religious canary in our collective coal mine?
This book draws together leaders in science, the health sciences, the humanities, and the social sciences to investigate the role of religion, its meaning and relevance, for their area of specialization. It provides a much-needed fresh perspective on the way in which religion operates within the modern, neo-liberal world. The book approaches the topic by way of a critical engagement between religion, broadly defined, and the individual disciplines in which each of the contributors is expert. Rather than simply taking the dogmatic position that religion offers something to every possible discipline, each of the chapters in this collection addresses the question: is there something that religion can offer to the discipline in question? That is the value of the book – it takes a truly critical stance on the place of religion in contemporary society.
In today's fast-paced world, the travel industry faces the dual challenge of mitigating its environmental impact while promoting the mental and emotional well-being of travelers. Traditional travel practices often lead to significant carbon footprints and can contribute to the degradation of local communities and ecosystems. Additionally, the hurried nature of modern travel can leave tourists feeling stressed and disconnected, rather than rejuvenated. Promoting Sustainability in Psychosocial Travel Techniques addresses these pressing issues by offering a comprehensive exploration of sustainable travel practices that also enhance psychological health. This book provides valuable insights into how mindful travel practices, community engagement, and cultural sensitivity can create enriching travel experiences that benefit both the environment and the traveler. It emphasizes the importance of integrating psychosocial approaches into travel to foster deeper connections with nature and local cultures, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable and fulfilling travel experience.
The remarkable growth in religious tourism across the world has generated considerable interest in the impacts of this type of tourism. Focusing here on environmental issues, this book moves beyond the documentation of environmental impacts to examine in greater depth the intersections between religious tourism and the environment. Beginning with an in-depth introduction that highlights the intersections between religion, tourism, and the environment, the book then focuses on the environment as a resource or generator for religious tourism and as a recipient of the impacts of religious tourism. Chapters included discuss such important areas as theological views, environmental responsibility, and host perspectives.
Bhaktivinode is presented from the perspective of his own times and in his own words. His writings, theology, and religious practices are thoroughly and systematically examined from a nonhagiographic viewpoint and the entire work is carefully annotated. Bhaktivinode's life straddled contemporary British society and ancestral Hindu culture. One was a modern, analytical world which demanded rational thought. The other was a traditional world of Hindu faith and piety, which seemingly allowed little room for critical analysis. Could he play a meaningful role in modern society and at the same time maintain integrity as a Hindu? This book systematically examines his reinterpretation and application of Hinduism in the context of rational thought. In this well-researched, comprehensive, and objective study Dr. Shukavak begins with a discussion of the "crisis of faith" many Hindus experienced during British rule in India. This is followed by a biographic narration of the life of Kedarnath Dutta concentrating primarily on his devotional development and struggle with the problems of tradition and modernity. Shukavak identifies the inner logic of Bhaktivinode's approach as it points backward to Caitanya and the Goswamis and forward to the challenges of rationalism and universalism. Kedarnath Dutta Bhaktivinode (1838-1914) was an English-educated member of the Bengali bhadralok in 19th century British India. He was an associate of such noteworthy men as: Kashiprasad Ghosh, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Keshub Chandra Sen, Michael Madhusudan Datta, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Sisir Kumar Ghosh and the Tagore family. In his late twenties he discovered his "Eastern Savior", Caitanya Mahaprabhu (1486-1533) and became a leader of the Caitanya Vaishnava movement in Bengal. He made a lifelong study of Vaishnava philosophy, theology, and literature; and he wrote or edited almost a hundred books in Bengali, Sanskrit, and English. Bhaktivinode's spiritual insights which divide religion into two constituent parts, the phenomenal and the transcendent allowed him to combine critical rational analysis with the best of Hindu mysticism, Krishna lila. This created a unique synthesis of tradition and modernity. Instead of relinquishing modernity, he utilized it in his writings; instead of rejecting the Hindu tradition in the presence of rational thought, he strengthened it.
This work explores the life and work of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati (1874-1937), a guru of the Chaitanya (1486-1534) school of Vaishnavism who, at a time when various interpretations of nondualistic Hindu thought were most prominent, managed to establish a pan-Indian movement for the modern revival of personalist bhakti - a movement that today encompasses both Indian and non-Indian populations throughout the world.
This book explores the future of liberalism in India. It moves away from traditional approaches and draws upon resources from other disciplines – those subjects which some might think don’t strictly fall under political science or theory – like anthropology, literature, philosophy — to critically engage with the condition of late capitalist modernity in India. The essays in the volume trace liberalism's journey through modern Indian history to give us a new standpoint to understand current debates and also point to some internal contradictions of Indian liberalism. The volume will be of importance to scholars and researchers of political science, especially political theory, and South Asian studies.
From the author of what has become the standard edition of The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali, an exploration of probably the most significant tradition in Hinduism, along with a rendering of key texts and parables from that tradition Bhakti Yoga explores one of the eight “limbs” of yoga. In the simplest terms, bhakti yoga is the practice of devotion, which is the essential heart of yoga and of Hinduism in general. In recent times, the term has come to be used in a rather simplistic way to refer to the increasingly popular practice of kirtan, or chanting in a group or at large gatherings. But bhakti yoga is far more complex and ancient than today’s growing kirtan audiences are aware, and embraces many strands and practices. Edwin F. Bryant focuses on one famous and important school of bhakti and explores it in depth to show what bhakti is and how it is expressed. And he supplies his own renderings of central texts from that tradition in the form of “tales and teachings” from an important work called the Bhagavata Purana, or “The Beautiful Legend of God.” This clarifying work establishes a baseline for understanding, and will be welcomed by all serious students of the spiritual heritage of India.
Sanathana Dharma: Navigating Modernity with Ancient Wisdom A systematic Informative book on Sanathana Dharma (Hinduism) compiled as per the 21st century Human requirement Chapter 1: Introduction to Sanathana Dharma in Modern Society Chapter 2: Technological Advancements and Sanathana Dharma Chapter 3: Management Principles in Sanathana Dharma for the Modern World Chapter 4: Social Harmony and Justice Chapter 5: Environmental Sustainability and Sanathana Dharma Chapter 6: Spiritual Wellness in the Digital Age Chapter 7: Family Values and Relationships Chapter 8: Art, Culture, and Aesthetics Chapter 9: Global Ethics and Moral Values Chapter 10: Education for Holistic Development Chapter 11: Gender Equality and Women Empowerment Chapter 12: Building a Dharmic Society: Challenges and Opportunities Chapter 13: Relevance Sanathana Dharma for the 21st Century Chapter 14: Embracing the Eternal Wisdom in a Changing World The vibrant structure of this book with 14 Chapters and 41 Sessions focuses on the multifaceted aspects of Sanathana Dharma, offering insights into its technological, management, spiritual, and social dimensions, and how they can be applied to address the challenges of modern society. This book is a continuation of our other open book “Sanathana Dharma: The Eternal Quest for Truth”.
