Wendy Doniger Knihy

Describes the beliefs, rituals, and symbols of shamanism and explores its practice in various cultures and influence on religious tradition

Originally published under the title Asceticism and Eroticism in the Mythology of Siva, this book traces the development of an Indian approach to an enduring human dilemma: the conflict between spiritual aspirations and human desires. The work examines hundreds of related myths and a wide range of Indian texts--Vedic, Puranic, classical, modern, and tribal--centering on the stories of the great ascetic, Siva, and his erotic alter ego, Kama.

The earliest of the four Hindu religious scriptures known as the Vedas, and the first extensive composition to survive in any Indo-European language, the Rig Veda is a collection of over 1000 individual Sanskrit hymns. A work of intricate beauty, it provides a unique insight into early Indian mythology, religion and culture. This selection of 18 of the hymns, chosen for their eloquence and wisdom, focuses on the enduring themes of creation, sacrifice, death, women, the sacred plant soma and the gods. Inspirational and profound, it provides a fascinating introduction to one of the founding texts of Hindu scripture, an awesome and venerable ancient work of Vedic ritual, prayer, philosophy, legend and faith.

Twenty-two-year-old Wendy Doniger arrived in Calcutta in August 1963, on a scholarship to study Sanskrit and Bengali. It was her first visit to the country. Over the coming year--a lot of it spent in Tagore's Shantiniketan--she would fall completely in love with the place she had till then known only through books.The India she describes in her letters back home to her parents is young, like her, still finding its feet, and learning to come to terms with the violence of Partition. But it is also a mature civilization which allows Vishnu to be depicted on the walls in a temple to Shiva; a culture of contradictions where extreme eroticism is tied to extreme chastity; and a land of the absurd where sociable station masters don't let train schedules come in the way of hospitality. The country comes alive though her vivid prose, introspective and yet playful, and her excitement is on full display whether she is telling of the paradoxes of Indian life.

An engrossing and definitive narrative account of history and myth that offers a new way of understanding one of the world's oldest major religions from one of the world's foremost scholars on Hinduism.

In confronting these tension, they provide an outline of the most troubling questions in the field and offer a variety of responses to them.

The final years of the Mahabharata's surviving heroes are explored through debates on the justice of war and the meaning of life, culminating in their deaths and experiences in heaven and hell. This new translation by a distinguished Sanskrit scholar offers clear, contemporary prose, making the text accessible while providing a thoughtful critical apparatus. It promises to engage general readers and deepen the understanding of students interested in Indian civilization and world literature.

Exploring the creation of enchanting women by Brahma, this book delves into the deeper motivations behind their existence in mythology. It examines themes of beauty, desire, and the interplay between divine intention and human experience. Through captivating narratives, it reveals the significance of these figures in cultural and spiritual contexts, posing thought-provoking questions about femininity and the divine in ancient lore. The story intertwines mythological elements with philosophical inquiries, inviting readers to reflect on the nature of attraction and creation.

Examines the horse's significance throughout Indian history from the arrival of the Indo-Europeans, followed by the people who became the Mughals (who imported Arabian horses) and the British (who imported thoroughbreds and Walers).