Logo

Synopsis This collection of four highly acclaimed works explores the myriad dimensions of the world religion that is Hinduism. Although South Asia is the original homeland of Hinduism, its adherents, counted in millions, are today found in many parts of the world. For centuries, the religion has attracted the attention of scholars both at home in South Asia and abroad and has inspired a wide spectrum of approaches. The four books brought together in this omnibus consider Hinduism from various angles: as a personal experience, as a rich textual tradition, and as a body of belief and practice. Nirad C. Chaudhuri’s Hinduism: A Religion to Live By is a wholly original exposition of Hinduism, focusing on Hindu religious psychology and behaviour. Rejecting familiar assumptions about early Hinduism, Chaudhuri examines temple and image worship, as well as the three major cults of Shiva, Krishna, and the Mother Goddess. Madeleine Biardeau’s Hinduism: The Anthropology of a Civilization offers interpretations of the epics, traditional customs, and social norms. Using evidence from archaeological monuments and literary texts, the book brings to light the underlying unity beneath the bewildering diversity of this living tradition. Mind, Body and Wealth: Belief and Practice in an Indian Village by D.F. Pocock examines Hinduism as a body of belief and practice. Based on fieldwork in Gujarat, the study is distinguished by an eye for detail and a capacity for empathy, as well as by literary felicity. Finally, T.N. Madan’s Non-Renunciation: Themes and Interpretations of Hindu Culture presents religion as inseparable from secular life. Focusing on the householder’s life in Hindu society, Madan deals with asceticism, eroticism, altruism, and death as elaborations of the main theme. The book constitutes a reading of Hindu tradition as a rich and sensible philosophy of life in this world. T.N. Madan’s introduction, written specially for this edition, discusses Hinduism in the context of recent issues and questions. It acquaints the reader with the ways in which the religion has been traditionally viewed and understood, and looks at how it continues to evolve, acquiring new layers of richness and texture.