TRANSLATION WITH AN EXTENSIVE COMMENTARY; A MAJOR UPANISAD, IN THE LIGHT OF THE MODERN MAN'S NEED FOR VALUE AND SPIRITUAL SECURITY.

Kena Upanisad; With the Original Text in Sanskrit and Roman Transliteration

Reference

Muni Narayana Prasad

ANONYMOUS

Foreign Language Study & Reference

D.K. Printworld (P) Ltd.

India has millennia-long tradition of spirituality and metaphysical thought. In its worldview, the Absolute/Supreme Reality defies all verbal descriptions though it is visualizable in countless ways. The Upanishads, accordingly, are diverse expressions of the one vision of this very Reality. The Mundaka, however, holds a special place in the writings of the genre: not because of its emphasis on shraddha (belief) often in ones guru, but primarily for its vehement denunciation of the Vedic ritualism. Which perhaps explains why sannyasins (the renunciate monks) treat this Upanishad as a spiritual authority for the way of life they have chosen to live. Here is a brilliant, critical interpretation in contemporary idiom of the Mundaka Upanishad, showing how a seeker can cogitate/meditate upon the Supreme Reality or, in other words, how one can have the transcendental experience of cosmic Consciousness. The book looks afresh at some of the perpetually puzzling questions that Mundaka addresses questions, like for instance: What is the nature of Brahman, the one Casual Reality? How can a seeker know it? Who can be eligible for its knowledge? Offering an indepth, analytical commentary on this time-honoured text, Swami Muni Narayana Prasad presents at once appropriate metaphors, analogies and, these besides, backgrounds to the varying contexts that not only elucidate various philosophical terms and concepts in all their underlying shades of meanings, but also provides rich insights into this Upanishad. Complete with the original Sanskrit text and its Roman transliteration, this work is a must for all keen on discovering the essential meaning of the Upanishadic thought and meditating upon wisdoms ineffable core.

Mundaka Upanisad

Religion & Spirituality

Swami Muni Narayana Prasad

Hinduism

Assembled in this volume are the presentations of IGNCA seminar exploring the various complex conceptual dimensions of sound, ranging from its mystical and metaphysical to its present-day developments, from its perceptions in indigenous musical theory to its futuristic applications.

Dhvani: Nature and Culture of Sound

Arts & Photography

S.C. Malik

Music

Beginning with a few aniconic symbols, like footprints, the Bo tree or stupas, in the pre-christian Indian art, Buddhism, over the centuries, came to evolve a be-wildering array of deities in ever-increasing number of pantheons. Interestingly, in Buddhism today, there are perhaps as many pantheons as there are countries, or internal regions or sects within them. Chou Fo P u-sa sheng Hsiang Tsan, in focus here, is one of these many Buddhist pantheons and acknowledgedly the culmination of Lamaist art . Authored by Rol. pahi.rdo.rje, alias Lalitavajra, (1717-1786): an imperial preceptor of Emperor Ch ien-lung (1736-1795), it is a rare set of 360 wood-cuts/xylographs, representing varying forms and manifestations of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, tantric and tutelary deities, arhats, sages, teachers, dharmapalas and protective divinities. It is also accompanied by 360 `eulogies' in Chinese. Two internationally distinguished scholars here team up to present afresh the Chou Fo p u-sa Sheng Hsiang Tsan, aptly called a unique pantheon . Drawing together all the 360 wood-cut images in their vividly enlarged/enhanced versions without compromising their aesthetic integrity, the book not only captures their subtle iconic devices, but spells out as well, in meticulous detail, all their iconic attributes, like body postures, faces, arms/hands, mudras, asanas, vahanas, companions, and whether clam or wrathful. The book also incorporates the names of each deity/deity-form in Sanskrit, Manchu, Mongolian, Tibetan, and Chinese. Unveiling, for the first time, the images of a veritably unique pantheon, in their enlarged format, and their accompanying Chinese eulogies, the book is bound to fascinate anyone concerned with Buddhist art and iconography.

The Tibetan Iconography of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Other Deities: A Unique Pantheon

Lokesh Chandra and Fredrick W. Bunce

Religious

Narayana Guru (1854-1928), a much-revered philosopher-saint of South India, revisualised the essential Upanisadic thought with a freshness of perspective. Further, he applied basic aspects of his Upanisadic philosophy successfully to bring about radical social transformations. This book deals with his philosophy as discussed in his major work, Atmopadesa Satakam (One Hundred Verses of Self Instruction) but incorporates views and ideas from his other works as well. The work focuses on Narayana Guru s philosophic thought dealing with the meaning of Vedanta, the way to seek Reality, the role of the individual in life, and karma, maya, the atma's (self-)manifestation and sat-cit-ananda as the definition of the atma or Brahman and as the final goal. The various concepts are explained in relation to one another and from the viewpoint of achieving the final goal in life to present a unified thought construct that forms the core of Narayana Guru s philosophy. It also takes up the application of his Upanisadic philosophy in different disciplines like ethics and aesthetics and in practice of religion, temple-related matters and rites. The book will be particularly useful to scholars, teachers and students of Vedanta as well as all educated seekers of Reality.

The Philosophy of Narayana Guru

Politics & Social Sciences

Philosophy

The work by an Indological scholar who has studied different architectural traditions of the world covers the architecture and iconography of some 36 Islamic tombs in India spanning a period of over 500 years from c. ad 1230 to 1754. It begins with a brief historical background to the Islamic rule in northern India and a discussion on burial practices and tomb types of the time to further understanding of the underlying concept of construction and functions of the tombs. Abounding in numerous line drawings of plans and elevations, and figures, it examines the influence of different traditions Buddhist and Hindu as well as other Asian and African and Mediterranean traditions on evolution of the form of Islamic tombs. It makes a detailed examination of the Indo-Islamic tombs under consideration: their description, size, plan and elevation including the interior space and application of the mandala patterns over the tomb structures, the techniques of construction, masonry and artisanship employed in them. It explains the place and relevance of each monument in the overall scheme of Indo-Islamic architectural development and growth as well as the importance of each by itself. It delves into the religious, philosophical and mathematical bases of the architecture and its application to tomb-building. The research also involves a comparative study of Indo-Islamic tombs vis-a-vis other architectural marvels of the world Islamic and non-Islamic. The book will be extremely relevant to scholars and students of Indian, particularly Indo-Islamic, iconography and those interested in Indo-Islamic cultural traditions in general.

Islamic Tombs in India

Fredrick W. Bunce

In India, philosophy and religion are linked intimately, inseparably. Barring the Carvakas materialistic school, every other school has concentrated not just on the spiritual way of life in the here-and-now, but on the eventual spiritual salvation of man in relation to the universe . However, notwithstanding the centrality of its spiritual concerns, Indian philosophy has not altogether glossed over materialism; rather it has known it, overcome it, and has accepted idealism as the only tenable view -whatever specific form that idealism might take: mythological, popular or technical. Offering a brilliant prefatory discussion on the nature and thematic importance of the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita, Padhis book tries to capture India s fabulous philosophic genius, with comprehensive, at once objective account of all the six classical systems: the Nyaya, the Vaisheshika, the Samkhya, the Yoga, the Purva Mimamsa, and the Vedanta; and, in addition, of the Carvakas: the crass materialists. And of their numerous texts and their exponents: classical, medieval, and modern. Also unfolding a panorama of the Hindu pantheonic divinities, the authors present Jainism and Buddhism: both as religions and philosophies -with focus on their world- views of ethics, major doctrines and significant metaphysical theories, among other aspects. Uninfluenced either by the idealistic/eulogistic studies of certain Indian scholars, or by the damaging critiques of their Western counterparts, the authors aim to achieve utmost objectivity in their presentation. Which, together with extensive bibliographic references and glossary of Sanskrit terms, makes the book an authentic guide for the discerning readers of Indian philosophy, religion and mythology.

Indian Philosophy and Religion: A Reader's Guide

Bibhu Padhi and Minakshi Padhi

An intellegent study of a complete, explicit and comprehensive grammar of both spoken and textual (compositional) Sanskrit, exploring the characteristics of the Indian intellectual tradition, its impact on literature and philosophy and its present utilization for the study of knowledge representation in computer sciences. Leonard Bloomfield described Panini s Ashtadhyayi (7th century bc) as one of the greatest monuments of human intelligence. It is a complete, explicit and comprehensive grammar of both spoken and textual (compositional) Sanskrit. Most of the reputed and renowned Indian and foreign universities running courses on Indian knowledge systems, study it for its principles of analysis, organization and description. What is of great interest is the theoretical framework that informs this grammar, a framework that has remarkable power to describe human languages, particularly the Indian languages. Panini is the watershed in the linguistic history of India. Before Panini, there was extensive work in phonetics, in morphology and lexicon (in the patha tradition) and in nirvacana (etymology). There is evidence also of the existence of several schools of grammar. In what is characteristic of the Indian intellectual traditions, Panini distilled the available grammatical knowledge and put it in 32000 syllables as if, it has been said, an ocean has been accommodated in a cow s hoof-mark. After Panini, a whole tradition developed and produced rich works by Patanjali, Candrakirti, Jainendra, Bhartrihari, Bhojraja, Hemacandracarya, Bhattoji Dikshita, Nagesha Bhatta and many others. It also inspired work in literature and philosophy and has left its mark on the entire intellectual tradition. In the modern period, there is a spread of Ashtadhyayi studies round the globe and it has proved to be of great interest for the study of knowledge representation in the departments of system sciences. A comprehensive study of the different dimensions of this wonderful grammar enlarges and alters the conceptual horizons of young minds and of all those who care to be associated with the Indian grammatical systems. This book is a record of that adventure.

Dimensions of Panini Grammar

Kapil Kapoor

This authoritative work deals comprehensively with Tabla rhythm, focusing on the performed art with an eye to its history and aesthetics. It is aimed at the Tabla student, the Tabla performer, as well as the inquiring listener of Hindustani music, for whom it encapsulates a Tabla practitioner's knowledge in these matters acquired over a lifetime of learning and teaching. Beginning with the evolution of the Tabla, the book explains the technique of producing the basic bols. It further describes the way to do reyaz on the Tabla, to maintain the instrument through changing seasons, and to raise and moderate its pitch, besides other practical directions. The author explains the principal compositions that make up a standard Tabla recital, and how they may be played in solo and sangat contexts. The major gharanas of Tabla are discussed critically, and their notated compositions are provided in both Roman and Devanagari scripts. The CD accompanying the book carries samples of the tabla of these gharanas recorded under the author's direction, as well as demonstrations of compositions used as illustrations in the book. Grounded in traditional learning in Tabla rhythm, the book is written with a rational, empirical mind, and in a lucid manner all along which makes it accessible to a wide range of musicians and listeners.

The Art of Tabla Rhythm: Essentials, Tradition and Creativity- Book & CD (New Vistas in Indian Performing Arts)

SudhirKumarSaxena

Humor & Entertainment

New critical study by a leading scholar. includes glossary, maps, drawings. would make a great text

Prehistory and Protohistory of India- An Appraisal: Palaeolithic, Non-Harappan Chalocolithic Cultures (Perspectives in Indian Art & Archaeology)

History

V K Jain

D.N. Jha

Asia

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