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"Goodall, Dominic - Hindu Scriptures: With New Translations - PTN"
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	Rating: none Quantity in Basket:none Code: 0520207785PTN Price:$20.63
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"Paperback. New. List $ 27.5. [University of California Press] 400 pages. From the Publisher The very earliest Indian literature to survive is that of the Vedas. This diverse body of polytheistic hymns, prose treatises on sacrifice, and speculation about the soul of the universe has long been revered by orthodox Hindus as primary scriptural revelation. The hymns, which form its most ancient stratum, were handed down orally for centuries, even long after the development of writing in India. In this new edition of Hindu Scriptures R. C. Zaehner's original selection of hymns from the Rg-Veda and Atharva-Veda has been enlarged. This is followed by Zaehner's translations of five of the earliest Upanishads, the seminal scriptures for the monist doctrine of Sankara, the belief that the world we experience is a cosmic illusion that we project upon the one, unchanging undefinable reality, brahman. From the vast corpus of other texts revered by Hindus are drawn the Bhagavad-Gita; portions of the Law Book of Yajnavalkya, a treatise that attempts to codify every aspect of the life of the orthodox Hindu; chapters from the Kirana-Tantra, translated for the first time into English, which expound the doctrines of an early tantric cult of Siva; and the chapters from the Bhagavata-Purnana, which describe the dalliance of Krsna and the cowherd women of Vraja. From The Critics Library Journal These two marvelous books complement each other well. Goodall has significantly revised R.C. Zaehner's book on Hindu scriptures (Everyman, 1966) by deleting some parts and adding the Yajnavalkya-Smrti (a work on conduct, legal proceedings, and penitential rites), the first seven chapters of the Kirana-Tantra (a work on initiation into the Saiva Siddhanta cult), and the Bhagavat-Purana (a work expressing popular devotionalism). Goodall's brief introduction is helpful, but mainly the book provides fresh translations of portions of the Rig and Athavara Vedas, some Upanishads, and the Bhagavad-Gita. Powell's work is a useful introduction to the Hindu scriptures. It gives information on their composition, summaries of their content, and demonstrations of their significance for Hinduism. The first chapter provides solid guidance on how to read a sacred text and offers an overview of the immense and complex Hindu canon. Powell also includes a glossary of Hindu terms and even diagrams such as the one showing the Mahabharata family tree. While Goodall's work provides an excellent place to begin becoming familiar with the most significant Hindu scriptures,"

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