This is a translation of Manindranath Guha's classic Bengali book on the beliefs and practices centering around the "holy names" (the names of Krishna and of his consort Radha) of the Caitanya Vaisnava tradition (a form of modern Hinduism). Guha's book is a good introduction to an area of theological reflection in Caitanya Vaisnavism called the "theology of the holy name." In summary the theology of the holy name teaches that the names of the deities, Krishna and Radha, are not different from the deities themselves and thus the names possess a special transformative power for those who speak, whisper, or even merely think of them. Those who repeat those names whether loudly or softly are believed to be purified by the divine presence they represent and are also infused by that presence with divine love for the deities named. Now for the first time Guha's book is available in English with an introduction, footnotes, glossary, and bibliography by the translator, Neal Delmonico (PhD, University of Chicago, 1990).

Vedanta is one of the six orthodox philosophical schools of the Hindu tradition, orthodox because they profess to accept the authority of the ancient Vedas as revelation. Vedanta is the school that attempts to discover in the final portions of the Vedic texts, known as the Upanishads, a consistent religious and philosophical way of seeing reality tattva-darshana). The "school" of Vedanta is really a family of schools, all of its members sharing the belief that there is a single consistent "way of seeing" presented in the Upanishads, but whose hermeneutic efforts often have led to radically different conclusions. Within this family of Vedantic schools the spectrum ranges from the absolute monism, or more correctly the non-dualism, of the Advaita sub-school to the quasi-dualistic theism of the Dvaita sub-school. Fundamentals of Vedanta, Part One is a translation, with a detailed introduction and notes, of two short Sanskrit texts, the Vedanta-sara (Essence of Vedanta) of Sadananda and the Prameya-ratnavali (Necklace of Turht-Jewels) of Baladeva, from opposite ends of the Vedantic spectrum, that have been used in India for centuries to introduce beginning students to the fundamental ideas of Vedanta. Generations of Indian students received their first exposure to Vedantic ideas from one or both of these texts, and thus they form an excellent starting point for modern readers who are interested in knowing more about the rich intellectual and religious world of Vedanta. From the Introduction: Anyone who has walked, either actually or sympathetically, some distance down the path of Advaita Vedanta, far enough at least to get a glimpse of the Advaitin's world, will be able to attest to what apowerful vision of reality it is and to what a relief and joy the transforming experience of Brahman must be. As part of that experience the burden of one's fears, disappointments, anxieties, losses, frustrations, and limitations is lifted off one's shoulders and one realizes one's true nature as unending consciousness and joy. In that moment when one realizes that there is no other," one's fear vanishes for it is the other" that one feared, and even when the "other" is a source of joy, as the other" often is, that joy is always conditioned by fear, the fear of loss. The joy of Brahman is unlimited and unconditioned by fear.'' Neal Delmonico received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in South Asian Languages and Civilizations in 1990. He has published numerous articles on Caitanya Vaishnavism and has done several translations from Sanskrit and Bengali into English. Dr. Delmonico taught for six years in the Religious Studies Program at Iowa State University, and, most recently (2001), was a visiting assistant professor in Philosophy and Religious Studies at Truman State University. He is currently working on a series of translations and commentaries on some of the fundamental texts of Indic religion and philosophy, like the ones presented here, and collaborating on an online Sanskrit text repository called the Gaudiya Grantha Mandira (www.granthamandira.org).

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aEloquently written. . . . Highly Recommended.a--"G.R. Thursby, Choice"

aLongtime Hare Krishna observer Rochford shows that devotees, formerly known for their public chanting and controversial fundraising practices, have largely moved out of the temples, taken jobs, and established nuclear families. Using survey data and extensive interviews, Rochford investigates the attitudes of the original members' children (some of whom suffered abuse in the early Hare Krishna schools), the changing roles of women, differing modes of affiliation with the organization, and the increasing influence of Indian Hindu immigrants in what is formally known as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). His findings are generally clear and convincing, and he lets the devotees speak for themselves in frequent quotes. . . . This story of accommodation within a movement that forged its identity through strict rejection of secular culture provides valuable insight into how new religions evolve.a
--"Publishers Weekly"

"Burke Rochford is the most notable scholarly interpreter of Krishna Consciousness in America, and Hare Krishna Transformed is the most insightful and informative book written on the organizational evolution of the movement."
--David G. Bromley, Virginia Commonwealth University

Most widely known for its adherents chanting "Hare Krishna" and distributing religious literature on the streets of American cities, the Hare Krishna movement was founded in New York City in 1965 by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Formally known as the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, or ISKCON, it is based on theHindu Vedic scriptures and is a Western outgrowth of a popular yoga tradition which began in the 16th century.

In its first generation ISKCON actively deterred marriage and the nuclear family, denigrated women, and viewed the raising of children as a distraction from devotees' spiritual responsibilities. Yet since the death of its founder in 1977, there has been a growing women's rights movement and also a highly publicized child abuse scandal. Most strikingly, this movement has transformed into one that now embraces the nuclear family and is more accepting of both women and children, steps taken out of necessity to sustain itself as a religious movement into the next generation. At the same time, it is now struggling to contend with the consequences of its recent outreach into the India-born American Hindu community.

Based on three decades of in-depth research and participant observation, Hare Krishna Transformed explores dramatic changes in this new religious movement over the course of two generations from its founding.

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhup?da (1896-1977), founder of the Hare Krishna Movement, traced his lineage to the fifteenth-century Indian saint Sri Chaitanya. He authored more than fifty volumes of English translation and commentaries on Sanskrit and Bengali texts, serving as a medium between these distant authorities and his modern Western readership and using his writings as blueprints for spiritual change and a revolution in consciousness. He had to speak the language of a people vastly disparate from the original recipients of his tradition's scriptures without compromising fidelity to the tradition.
Tamal Krishna Goswami claims that the social scientific, philosophical, and 'insider' forms of investigation previously applied have failed to explain the presence of a powerful interpretative device-a mahavakya or 'great utterance'-that governs and pervades Prabhupada's 'living theology' of devotion on bhakti. For Prabhupada, the wide range of 'vedic' subject matter is governed by the axiomatic truth: Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Goswami's academic training at the University of Cambridge, his thirty years' experience as a practitioner and teacher, and his extensive interactions with Prabhupada as both personal secretary and managerial representative, afforded him a unique opportunity to understand and illuminate the theological contribution of Prabhupada. In this work, Goswami proves that the voice of the scholar-practitioner can be intimately connected with his tradition while sustaining a mature critical stance relative to his subject. A Living Theology of Krishna Bhakti includes a critical introduction and conclusion by Graham M. Schweig.

Featuring chapters by an international team of leading scholars in the field, this is a comprehensive reference guide to Hindu Studies. "The Continuum Companion to Hindu Studies" offers the definitive guide to Hinduism and study in this area. This book covers all the most pressing and important themes and categories in the field - areas that have continued to attract interest historically as well as topics that have emerged more recently as active areas of research. Seventeen specially commissioned essays from an international team of experts reveal where important work continues to be done in the field and, valuably, how the various topics intersect through detailed reading paths. Featuring a series of indispensible research tools, including a detailed list of resources, chronology and diagrams summarizing content, this is the essential reference tool for anyone working in Hindu Studies. "The Continuum Companions series" is a major series of single volume companions to key research fields in the humanities aimed at postgraduate students, scholars and libraries. Each companion offers a comprehensive reference resource giving an overview of key topics, research areas, new directions and a manageable guide to beginning or developing research in the field. A distinctive feature of these series is that each companion provides practical guidance on advanced study and research in the field, including research methods and subject-specific resources.

This fascinating and innovative book explores the relationship between the philosophical underpinnings of Advaita Vedanta, Zen Buddhism and the experiential journey of spiritual practitioners. Taking the perspective of the questioning student, the author highlights the experiential deconstructive processes that are ignited when students' "everyday" dualistic thought structures are challenged by the non-dual nature of these teachings and practices. Although Advaita Vedanta and Zen Buddhism are ontologically different, this unique study shows that in the dynamics of the practice situation they are phenomenologically similar. Distinctive in scope and approach Advaita Vedanta and Zen Buddhism: Deconstructive Modes of Spiritual Inquiry examines Advaita and Zen as living practice traditions in which foundational non-dual philosophies are shown "in action" in contemporary Western practice situations thus linking abstract philosophical tenets to concrete living experience. As such it takes an important step toward bridging the gap between scholarly analysis and the experiential reality of these spiritual practices. >

Many persons have written the Mantras, Stotras, Stuti, Chalisa and Aarti in English but this is the first time that they have been written in English rhyme. The Author, Munindra Misra has covered the most popular Hindu Gods and Goddesses and thus made it easier for people to comprehend the meaning and also appreciate the same in rhyme. The Deities covered are Lord Ganesh, Lord Shiv, Lord Vishnu, Lord Krishna, Lord Ram, Lord Hanuman, Lord Shani, Ma Gayatri, Ma Durga, Ma Laxmi, Ma Mahakali, Ma Saraswati, Ma Ganga and Ma Santoshi and others. A general understanding of each deity has also been written by the author in English rhyme as a primer to each Deity.

Born in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, on January the 5th, 1893, Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda devoted his life to helping people of all races and creeds to realize and express more fully in their lives the beauty, nobility and true divinity of the human spirit. After graduating from Calcutta University in 1915, Sri Yogananda was initiated into "sannyas" by his guru Sri Sri Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri. Sri Yukteswar had foretold that his life's mission was to spread throughout the world India's ancient meditation technique of "Kriya Yoga". Sri Yogananda accepted an invitation in 1920 to serve as India's delegate to an International Congress of Religious Liberals in Boston, USA. Paramahansa Yoganda founded Yogoda Satsanga Society of India/Self-Realization Fellowship as the channel for the dissemination of his teachings. Through his writings and extensive lecture tours in India, America and Europe he introduced thousands of truth-seekers to the ancient science and philosophy of yoga and its universally applicable methods of meditation. Paramahansaji entered "mahasamadhi" on March the 7th, 1952 in Los Angeles. This autobiography offers a look at the ultimate mysteries of human existence and a portrait of one of the great spiritual figures of the 20th century.

Recent years have seen an explosion in the scholarship on the religious experiences of women. The contributors to this volume believe that more sophisticated studies at higher levels of theoretical analysis are now needed. Their essays involve the close reading of situations in which women are given or denied authority in ritual and interpretive situations. This approach involves not only how women are represented by Indian texts, but several other perspectives: how the particular strategies of debate about women are carried on, how women are depicted as negotiating certain kinds of authority, and how women might resist particular kings of traditional authority in certain colonial and post-colonial situations. Including new work by such scholars as Stephanie Jamison, Vasudha Narayanan, and Ann Grozdins Gold, this collection will set a new benchmark for feminist studies of Hinduism.

The translator's idea of rendering the Upanishads into clear simple English, accessible to Occidental readers, had its origin in a visit paid to a Boston friend in 1909. The gentleman, then battling with a fatal malady, took from his library shelf a translation of the Upanishads and, opening it, expressed deep regret that the obscure and unfamiliar form shut from him what he felt to be profound and vital teaching. The desire to unlock the closed doors of this ancient treasure house, awakened at that time, led to a series of classes on the Upanishads at The Vedanta Centre of Boston during its early days in St. Botolph Street. The translation and commentary then given were trans-cribed and, after studious revision, were published in the Centre's monthly magazine, "The Message of the East," in 1913 and 1914.. Still further revision has brought it to its present form.

Ren Gunon's Introduction to the Study of Hindu Doctrines can serve as an introduction to all his later works-especially those which, like Man and His Becoming according to the Vedanta, The Symbolism of the Cross, The Multiple States of the Being, and Studies in Hinduism, expound the more profound aspects of metaphysical doctrines in greater detail. In Part I Guenon clears away certain ingrained prejudices inherited from the 'Renaissance', with its adulation of the Greco-Roman culture and its compensating depreciation-both deliberate and instinctive-of other civilizations. In Part II he establishes the fundamental distinctions between various modes of thought and brings out the real nature of metaphysical or universal knowledge-an understanding of which is the first condition for the personal realization of that 'Knowledge' which partakes of the Absolute. Words like 'religion', 'philosophy', 'symbolism', 'mysticism', and 'superstition', are here given a precise meaning. Part III presents a more detailed examination of the Hindu doctrine and its applications at different levels, leading up to the Vedanta, which constitutes its metaphysical essence. Lastly, Part IV resumes the task of clearing away current misconceptions, but is this time concerned not with the West itself, but with distortions of the Hindu doctrines that have arisen as a result of attempts to read into them, or to graft onto them, modern Western conceptions. The concluding chapter lays down the essential conditions for any genuine understanding between East and West, which can only come through the work of those who have attained, at least in some degree, to the realization of 'wisdom uncreate'-that intellective, suprarational knowledge called in the East jana, and in the West gnosis.

This excellent book represents one of the first and best presentations of Eastern wisdom in the English language. It concerns ancient Hindu traditions and the Yogic practice of observing and regulating the breath. We begin with an admission that Western students are often confused by what exactly Yoga is, and what it is meant to accomplish. Stereotypes of the yogi as spindly, dirty and disheveled men commonly seen sitting in fixed posture at a roadside or marketplace abound. Yet these dismissive images serve only to neglect the spiritual substance and ancient wisdom of yogi science. Seeking to dispel the negative stereotypes and present the vivid truth, Atkinson discusses the multiple schools of yoga and their general purpose. Some emphasize control over the body's motions, while others favor inner development of the spirit. Several however emphasize the control of the breath; and it a practical explanation of this that Atkinson relays in the remaining fifteen chapters of this book.