Introducing Hinduism

463 Pages·2016·27.476 MB·English

by  Hillary P. Rodrigues

Introducing Hinduism
Introducing Hinduism is the ideal sourcebook for those seeking a comprehensive
overview of the Hindu tradition. This second edition includes substantial treatments
of Tantra, South India, and women, as well as expanded discussions of yoga, Vedanta
and contemporary configurations of Hinduism in the West. Its lively presentation
features:
• case studies, photographs, and scenarios that invite the reader into the lived world
of Hinduism;
• introductory summaries, key points, discussion questions, and recommended
reading lists at the end of each chapter;
• narrative summaries of the great Epics and other renowned Hindu myths and
lucid explanations of complex Indian philosophical teachings, including Sankhya
and Kashmir Saivism;
• a glossary, timeline, and pronunciation guide for an enhanced learning experience.
This volume is an invaluable resource for students in need of an introduction to the
key tenets and diverse practice of Hinduism, past and present.
Hillary P. Rodrigues is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of
Lethbridge, Canada. His many authored and edited works include Studying Hinduism
in Practice (Routledge 2011) and Introduction to the Study of Religion (Routledge
2009).
World Religions series
Edited by Damien Keown and Charles S. Prebish
This exciting series introduces students to the major world religious traditions.
Each religion is explored in a lively and clear fashion by experienced teachers and
leading scholars in the field of world religion. Up-to-date scholarship is presented
in a student-friendly fashion, covering history, core beliefs, sacred texts, key figures,
religious practice and culture, and key contemporary issues. To aid learning and
revision, each text includes illustrations, summaries, explanations of key terms, and
further reading.
Introducing African American Religion
Anthony B. Pinn
Introducing American Religion
Charles H. Lippy
Introducing Buddhism, second edition
Charles S. Prebish and Damien Keown
Introducing Chinese Religions
Mario Poceski
Introducing Christianity
James R. Adair
Introducing Daoism
Livia Kohn
Introducing Islam, second edition
William E. Shepard
Introducing Japanese Religion, second edition
Robert Ellwood
Introducing Judaism
Eliezer Segal
Introducing Tibetan Buddhism
Geoffrey Samuel
Introducing Hinduism, second edition
Hillary P. Rodrigues
Introducing Hinduism
Second edition
Hillary P. Rodrigues
Second edition published 2017
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2017 Hillary P. Rodrigues
The right of Hillary P. Rodrigues to be identified as author of this work
has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced
or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means,
now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording,
or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
First edition published by Routledge 2006
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Rodrigues, Hillary, 1953- author.
Title: Introducing Hinduism / Hillary P. Rodrigues.
Description: Second edition. | New York : Routledge, 2016. |
Series: World religions series |
Previously published: 2006.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016003915| ISBN 9780415549578 (hbk) | ISBN
9780415549660 (ppbk)
Subjects: LCSH: Hinduism--Textbooks.
Classification: LCC BL1202 .R53 2016 | DDC 294.5--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016003915
ISBN: 978-0-415-54957-8 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-415-54966-0 (pbk)
Typeset in Jenson and Tahoma
by HWA Text and Data Management, London
To Michelle
sarvo mamāyaṃ vibhava ityevaṃ parijānataḥ/
viśvātmano vikalpānāṃ prasare ‘pi maheśatā//
Īśvara-pratyabhijñā (IV-1-2) by Utpaladeva
Supreme mastery comprehends that “This entire manifestation
is of me” is the essence of everything, even though mental
phenomena manifest.
Contents
List of illustrations xi
Acknowledgements xv
Preface to the second edition xviii
A note on transliteration xxiv
Preliminary guidelines on pronunciation xxv
Introduction 1
Preamble 2
“Hinduism,” “Hindu,” and “India” defined 5
The geographical distribution of Hindus 6
The Indian subcontinent 7
The Indus Valley Civilization 9
The Āryans 14
Āryan and non-Āryan influences 16
A brief history of Hinduism 19
1 Vedic religion and the Sanskrit language 26
The Vedic saṃhitās 27
Vedic deities 28
Ṛta and the cosmic order 29
The Brāhmaṇas 30
Vedic rituals (yajña) 30
Soma 35
The Āraṇyakas 36
The Upaniṣads 36
Ātman and Brahman 38
Śruti and smṛti 39
Other Vedic literature 41
The Sanskrit language 44
A brief history of Sanskrit 46
Structure of the Sanskrit alphabet 48
viii Contents
Pāṇinī and the Aṣṭādhyāyī 49
The sphoṭa theory of language 49
Mantra and the theology of sound 50
2 Karma, time, and cosmology 58
Hindu conceptions of time and creation 58
The Hindu calendar 60
The Hindu universe 61
Karma, saṃsāra, and reincarnation 63
Mokṣa 65
3 Hindu social organization and values 69
Dharma and the Dharma Śāstras 69
The four classes of Hindu society 71
The caste system 75
The Untouchables 80
Purity and pollution 81
Auspiciousness and inauspiciousness 85
4 Dharma and the individual 91
Hindu rites of passage (saṃskāra) 92
The four goals/aims and the four stages of life 104
Women in Hinduism 110
5 Indian philosophical schools 122
The wandering philosophers 127
Orthodox versus heterodox schools 128
The heterodox philosophies 129
The six orthodox systems 131
6 The Epics, Bhagavad Gītā, and the rise of bhakti 153
The Epics (Itihāsa) 154
The householder versus the renouncer 168
The Bhagavad Gītā 169
The Bhagavad Gītā’s three yogas 171
South Indian Hinduism and the rise of devotionalism 178
The Alvārs and the Nāyanārs 179
7 Major Hindu sects, deities, and Purāṇic myths 189
The Purāṇas 190
The decline of the Vedic deities 192
Śaivism 194
Contents ix
Śaiva deities: iconography, myths, and festivals 199
Vaiṣṇavism 207
Vaiṣṇava deities: iconography, myths, and festivals 210
Śāktism 217
Śākta Deities: iconography, myths, and festivals 221
Other deities 229
8 The Hindu temple and worship rituals 241
A note on orthodoxy 244
Domestic worship and pūjā 246
Darśana and temple worship 249
The Hindu temple 253
Sacred specialists 259
Hindu pilgrimage 261
9 Tantra 269
The origins of Tantra 269
Characteristic elements of Hindu Tantra 271
Tantric Śaivism in Kashmir 272
Kuṇḍalinī yoga 275
The Left Hand Path 277
Goddesses and women in Tantra 277
Symbolism of tantric mantras and yantras 279
10 Colonization and reform 286
Early critiques of Hinduism and its responses 287
Islam in India (a brief history) 288
Hinduism under Islam 290
Religious syncretism in North India 291
The British in India (a brief history) 294
Hindu responses to Christianity 296
Hinduism and politics 298
11 Transnational Hinduism in Asia 309
Hinduism in Nepal 314
Hinduism in Southeast Asia 316
Hinduism in Indonesia 319
12 Revitalization and modernity 324
Hinduism and humanism 325
Hinduism in universalistic religion 327
Noteworthy figures in contemporary Hinduism 330
Hinduism and modernity 333