Composed in 1962 by Swami Prabhavananda, a monk of the Ramakrishna Order, The Spiritual Heritage of India is a comprehensive summary of Indian philosophy and religion. Beginning with the foundational texts of Indian spirituality, the Vedas, Prabhavananda proceeds to a thorough analysis of the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and many of the Puranas. After covering the scriptural side of Indian religion, the book then turns to the six major schools of Indian thought, expanding in particular upon the Yoga and Vedanta schools. The author finishes with a discussion of the great monks and teachers of India, comparing the ideas of figures centuries apart, as well as relating them to the challenges of the modern world. What separates The Spiritual Heritage of India from other similar titles is the author's ability to hone in on the finer aspects of Indian spirituality, while also providing the reader with a thorough overview. The long-time student of Indian thought, as well as one approaching it for the first time, will benefit greatly from the breadth and depth of Prabhavananda's writing.

This book investigates the entangled relations between people’s daily worship practices and their umwelt in South India. Focusing on the practices of spirit (būta) worship in the coastal area of Karnataka, it examines the relationship between people and deities. Based on extensive fieldwork, this book links important anthropological theories on personhood, perspectives, transactions, and gift-exchanges together with the Gestaltkreis theory of Viktor von Weizsäcker. First, it examines the relations between būta worship and land tenure, matriliny, and hierarchy in the society. It then explores the reflexive relationship between modern law and current practices based on conventional law, before examining new developments in būta worship with the rise of mega-industries and environmental movements. Furthermore, this book sheds light on the struggles and endeavours of the people who create and recreate their relations with the realm of sacred wildness, as well as the formations and transformations of the umwelt in perpetual social-political transition. Modernity and Spirit Worship in India will be of interest to academics in the field of anthropology, religious studies and the dynamics of religion, and South Asian Culture and Society.

A comparative look at religion and spirituality in postcolonial China and India The Modern Spirit of Asia challenges the notion that modernity in China and India are derivative imitations of the West, arguing that these societies have transformed their ancient traditions in unique and distinctive ways. Peter van der Veer begins with nineteenth-century imperial history, exploring how Western concepts of spirituality, secularity, religion, and magic were used to translate the traditions of India and China. He traces how modern Western notions of religion and magic were incorporated into the respective nation-building projects of Chinese and Indian nationalist intellectuals, yet how modernity in China and India is by no means uniform. While religion is a centerpiece of Indian nationalism, it is viewed in China as an obstacle to progress that must be marginalized and controlled. The Modern Spirit of Asia moves deftly from Kandinsky's understanding of spirituality in art to Indian yoga and Chinese qi gong, from modern theories of secularism to histories of Christian conversion, from Orientalist constructions of religion to Chinese campaigns against magic and superstition, and from Muslim Kashmir to Muslim Xinjiang. Van der Veer, an outspoken proponent of the importance of comparative studies of religion and society, eloquently makes his case in this groundbreaking examination of the spiritual and the secular in China and India.

As she goes about her work with the villagers, slum dwellers and the common men and women of India, Sudha Murty—writer, social worker and teacher—listens to them and records what they have to say. Their accounts of the struggles and hardships which they have at times overcome, and at other times been overwhelmed by, are put together in this book. There are stories about people’s generosity—and selfishness—in times of natural disasters like the tsunami; women struggling to speak out in a world that refuses to listen to them; and tales of young professionals trying to find their feet as they climb up the corporate ladder. Told simply and directly from the heart, The Old Man and His God is a collection of snapshots of the varied facets of human nature and a mirror to the souls of the people of India.

Independent Publisher Award for Best Travel Book of the Year; Benjamin Franklin Award for Best Travel Essay of the Year; India Unveiled by Robert Arnett has been internationally acclaimed as one of the most revealing compendiums ever written about the country. The stunning photography and engaging text with an insightful portrait of its people, landscape, and diverse culture truly captures the essence of India, one of the oldest continuously surviving civilizations on earth. This book is a stunning pictorial record of Robert Arnett's pilgrimage....Recommended for all collections. - Library Journal; The most beautiful book on India I have ever seen. - Toby Bourne, Editor, British Book-of-the-Month Travel Club; One of the most revealing compendiums on India in decades....A highly recommended acquisition. - The Midwest Book Review, Reviewers Choice