Ascetics and mystics have played a prominent role in the development of nearly all religious traditions. The particular importance of such figures within Hinduism is especially evident in the traditions recounted of the Seven Rsis--the seven archetypal sages or seers who are depicted as being more important and powerful than even the gods themselves: indeed, through their asceticism the Rsis become the progenitors of the gods, as also of men, demons and all other orders of creation. Traditions of the Seven Rsis is the first systematic study of these traditions, and consists of two separate but closely related parts: the first part is a text-historical examination of how and when different traditions were formulated, while the second part explores the various activities and ideas associated with the Seven Rsis. Basing his study on the Sanskrit sources, but making use also of Tamil, tribal and non-Indian sources, Dr. Mitchiner sets out the main traditions associated with the Seven Rsis and traces the underlying themes in those traditiions--particularly that of the creative role of these ascetic figures. The work encompasses a wealth of original literary material, much of it previously untranslated, and is both a sourcebook of the Rsi traditions and a study of the historical development, symbolic meaning and interconnectedness of those traditions, illustrating above all the dynamically creative role of the ascetic and mystic within Hinduism.

Ascetics and mystics have played a prominent role in the development of nearly all religious traditions. The particular importance of such figures within Hinduism is especially evident in the traditions recounted of the Seven Rsis - the seven archetypal sages or seers who are depicted as being more important and powerful than even the gods themselves indeed, through their asceticism the Rsis become the progenitors of the gods, as also of men, demons and all other orders of creation. Traditions of the Seven Rsis is the first systematic study of these traditions and consists of two separate but closely related parts. The first part is a text-historical examination of how and when different traditions were formulated, while the second part explores the various activities and ideas associated with the Seven Rsis. Basing his study on the Sanskrit sources, but making use also of Tamil, tribal and non-Indian sources, Dr Mitchiner sets out the main traditions associated with the Seven Rsis and traces the underlying themes in those traditions, particularly that of the creative role of these ascetic figures. The work encompasses a wealth of original literary material, much of it previously un-translated and is both a sourcebook of the Rsi traditions and a study of the historical development, symbolic meaning and interconnectedness of those traditions, illustrating above all the dynamically creative role of the ascetic and mystic within Hinduism.

In this volume, leading American, European, and Indian scholars including John E. Cort, Friedhelm Hardy, Padmanabh S. Jaini, Laurie L. Patton, A. K. Ramanujan, Velcheru Narayana Rao, and David Shulman discuss the subject of the Purāṇas, focusing particularly on the relationship between the "Great Puran'as" of the Sanskrit tradition and the many other sorts of Purāṇas. The Puran'as are essentially collections of stories dealing with all aspects of myth, ritual, science, and history, and the authors of these essays are all superb storytellers.

Almost every ancient culture believed that human civilization and consciousness has progressively declined since an erstwhile Golden Age till the current age of greed and lies, discord and strife, called the Kali Yuga. But when does the Kali Yuga end? And what happens after that? In this extensively researched book, Bibhu Dev Misra has delineated the common threads that run through the Yuga Cycle doctrines of ancient cultures, taking the aid of scientific discoveries wherever available. His reconstruction of the original Yuga Cycle framework indicates that the end of the Kali Yuga is just around the corner - in 2025! Within a span of just 15 years, by the year 2040, the Kali Yuga civilization is likely to collapse due to a combination of global wars, environmental catastrophes and comet impacts. The survivors will inherit a renewed earth, bathed in the divine light of the Central Sun. Is there any scientific evidence in support of the Yuga Cycle? What drives the sinusoidal fluctuation in our physical size and consciousness in course of the Yuga Cycle? Why do cataclysmic obliteration of civilizations occur after every Yuga? What do we make of the end-time prophecies which tell of a Savior or Avatar returning at the end of the Kali Yuga? These are some of the key questions addressed in this book. This riveting and thought-provoking work contains one of the most important messages of our time.

The book comprises two parts part I deals with the socio-historical aspects of family of the Vedic Seer Bharadvaja and Part II discusses the significant contribution the family has made to the various fields of Indian culture. Part I is divided into five chapters each comprising more than one section. The first chapter considers the textual evidences of the Vedic Samhitas the Brahmanas the Upanisads and the Ramayana in regard to the Bharadvajas. the second chapter traces the birth and parentage of Bharadvaja the progenitor and his relation with the gods, seers, kings and other persons.

The ancient Indian Sanskrit tradition produced no text more intriguing, or more persistently misunderstood or underappreciated, than the Mahabharata. Its intricacies have waylaid generations of scholars and ignited dozens of unresolved debates. In Rethinking the Mahabharata, Alf Hiltebeitel offers a unique model for understanding the great epic. Employing a wide range of literary and narrative theory, Hiltebeitel draws on historical and comparative research in an attempt to discern the spirit and techniques behind the epic's composition. He focuses on the education of Yudhisthira, also known as the Dharma King, and shows how the relationship of this figure to others-especially his author-grandfather Vyasa and his wife Draupadi-provides a thread through the bewildering array of frames and stories embedded within stories. Hiltebeitel also offers a revisionist theory regarding the dating and production of the original text and its relation to the Veda. No ordinary reader's guide, this volume will illuminate many mysteries of this enigmatic masterpiece. This work is the fourth volume in Hiltebeitel's study of the Draupadi cult. Other volumes include Mythologies: From Gingee to Kuruksetra (Volume One), On Hindu Ritual and the Goddess (Volume Two), and Rethinking India's Oral and Classical Epics (Volume Three).

Out of Athens sets ancient Greek culture next to the global ancient world of Vedic India, the Han dynasty in China, and the empires that survived Alexander the Great.--Publisher description.