Hinduism is not only a religious belief, it is also a philosophy based upon certain key concepts. Most of these either originated, or were fully articulated, during the classical period from the fourth century BC to the tenth century. In this concise and lucid book, Arvind Sharma introduces contemporary readers to the texts and ideas crystallized during this period and explains their contemporary relevance. This book is divided into sections dealing with key concepts, such as karma, dharma, maya moksa and varna; the main gods and goddesses of the Hindu pantheon, Devi, Siva, Brahama, Visnu; and texts such as the Purusarthas and Vedas. It also deals with different systems of yoga : Jnana-yoga, Bhakti-yoga and Karma-yoga. The book offers readers an excellent grounding in the rich and diverse traditions of Hindu thought and is an excellent introduction to the topic for anyone interested in Hinduism, yoga, Indian philosophy and religion.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Arvind Sharma
ARVIND SHARMA was born in Varanasi, India. He earned a B.A. in History, Economics, and Sanskrit from Allahabad University in 1958 and continued his interests in economics at Syracuse University, earning an M.A. in 1970. Pursuing a lifelong interest in comparative religion, Dr. Sharma gained an M.T.S. in 1974 and then a Ph.D. in Sanskrit and Indian Studies from Harvard University in 1978. He succeeded to the Birks Chair of Comparative Religion at McGill University in Montreal, Canada and was the first Infinity Foundation Visiting Professor of Indic Studies at Harvard University. He has published over fifty books and five hundred articles in the fields of comparative religion, Hinduism, Indian philosophy and ethics, and the role of women in religion. Widely cited as an authority on Hinduism, amongst his most note-worthy publications are The Hindu Gita: Ancient and Classical Interpretations of the Bhagavadgita (1986), The Experien-tial Dimension of Advaita Vedanta (1993), Our Religions: The Seven World Religions Introduced by Pre-eminent Scholars from Each Tradition (1994), The Philosophy of Religion: A Buddhist Perspective (1995), Classical Hindu Thought: An Introduction (2000), and The Study of Hinduism (2003).
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