You may have to Search all our reviewed books and magazines, click the sign up button below to create a free account.
The work appears in five volumes. Vol. I comprises Buddhist and Jaina Philosophy and the six systems of Hindu thought, viz.., Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisesika, Mimamsa and Vedanta. It also contains the philosophy of the Yogavasistha, the Bhagavadgita and speculations in the medical schools. Vol. III contains an elaborate account of the Principal Dualistic and Pluralistic Systems such as the philosophy of the Pancaratra, Bhaskara, Yamuna, Ramanuja, Nimbarka, Vijnanabhiksu and philosophical speculations of some of the selected Puranas. Vol. IV deals with the Bhagavata Purana, Madhva and his School, Vallabha, Caitanya, Jiva Gosvami and Baladeva Vidyabhusana. Vol. V treats the Southern Schools of Saivism, viz., Saiva Siddhanta, Vira Saivism, philosophy of Srikantha. Saiva Philosophy in the Puranas and in some important texts. In the words of the Oxford Journal 'the collection of data, editing and the interpretation of every school of thought is a feat unparalleled in the field of history of philosophy.'
One of the most fascinating episode in the religious history of Southern India is the rise of the Virasaiva movement. These heroic followers of Siva-also called Lingayatas-are characterized by a unique combination of intense devotion and social reformation. The movement arose in the twelfth century under the charismatic leadership of Basava. Men and women from every backgroud, highcaste as well as untouchable, joined the experimental community of the Virasaivas. They has their own sacred literature in the form of short poems in the vernacular language of the region: Kannada.
Siddhanta means doctrine, and Shikhamani means crest-jewel. Siddhanta Shikhamani is said to be the crest-jewel of all the doctrines. It is considered to be one of the scriptures, if not the main scripture, of the Veerashaivas, the main scripture being the Shunya Sampadane. Siddhanta Shikhamani is said to be the foremost authority on the religion and philosophy of Veerashaivism. The primitive traits of Veerashaivism in the Vedas and the Upanishads find a complete and comprehensive exposition in Siddhanta Shikhamani. It is a teaching of the doctrine of 101 sthalas/stages. It harmonizes the concepts of duality and non-duality (oneness). The original was composed in Sanskrit by Shri Shivayogi Shivacharya. It has been edited with introduction, translation and notes in English by Dr. M. Sivakumara Swamy, M. A., Ph. D., and published in 2007 by Shaiva Bharati Shodha Pratisthan, Jangamwadi Math, Varanasi-221 001, India. Almost all of what is in this concise composition of the present book is taken from Dr. Sivakumara Swamy's reference book.
This collection of articles, written by distinguished scholars in the field, addresses these and other important pre-and post-independence developments impinging on the notion of Untouchability and the Hindu caste system. By putting these developments in a wider temporal perspective-covering pre-colonial textual material as well as recent debates over the rights and identity of the Untouchables - this volume can be seen as a significant contribution to an understanding of why caste continues to play an important role in contemporary India. --Book Jacket.
None
Premanand Gajvee tells the story of a little-known sect of brahmans known as kirwants whose religious duty is to perform the last rites at cremations. Marginalized by the entire community in general, and the brahmans in particular, kirwants are treated like polluting outcastes. Based on personal experience that occurred as recently as the 1980s, this play, which deals savagely with a subject carefully kept under wraps, is a severe indictment of an inhuman social system. Kirwant created a sensation in Marathi theatre scene when it was first produced. One of the greatest actors of our theatre, Sreeram Lagoo, taking up the cudgels for a relatively unknown playwright, offered to perform the lead...
Seminar papers.