Visnuism And Sivaism A Comparison

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This expanded version of Professor Gonda’s Jordan lectures, given at the School of Oriental and African Studies in the University of London in 1969, presents, not a regular account of the history of Visnuism and Sivaism, but rather a detailed discussion of some of those historical, doctrinal, ritual, and literary aspects of both religious currents which don not seem to have attracted the attention they deserve. Being comparative in character it is an attempt to delineate the main characteristics of each tradition and to reconsider some vexed problems relating to their origin and the history of their theological doctrines and the practices. Special emphasis is laid upon their various interrelations, upon those many features which have their roots in the Vedic past, and upon the partly parallel and often divergent development of their rituals and philosophies.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR J Gonda

J. Gonda, born 1905, was professor of Sanskrit and Indology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands, 1932-76. he is the author of many books and articles on Sanskrit, Indian religion and literature, among them Aspects of Early Visnuism (2nd ed., Delhi, 1969); Sanskrit in Indonesia (2nd ed., Delhi, 1973); Die Religionen Indiens (two volumes, 1963 and 1987); The Duel Deities in the Religion of the Veda (Amsterdam, 1974), Triads in the Veda (Amsterdam, 1976); Vedic Literature (Wiesbaden, 1975); The Ritual Sutras (Wiesbaden, 1977); and Medieval Religious Literature in Sanskrit (Wiesbaden, 1977). He was honorary member of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute and other Indian Academies and Institutes of the Royal Asiatic Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, etc.