Explores the nature and function of bhakti or devotional involvement in religious practice in India in areas where it is seldom sought or where its existence has been doubted or even denied.

A thorough survey of great interest and value to scholars in this field.

A thorough survey of great interest and value to scholars in this field.

Embraces a wide range of aspects of Indian mysticism, displaying the structural patterns in mystical experiences and the mystic paths in different traditions and schools, while there are also significant contributions to comparative mysticism, Eastern and Western. First published in 1989.

This is a multi-purpose reference work which should become an indispensable companion for anybody who comes into touch with the complex phenomenon on Hinduism, and not least for the followers of the Hindu tradition elves. It should serve as a dictionary of Sanskrit and vernacular terms used in Hindu literature and works on Hinduism and as a glossary of terms and concepts important for the understanding of Hindu ritual and spiritual practices as well as Hindu religious and philosophical teachings.

Explores the nature and function of bhakti or devotional involvement in religious practice in India in areas where it is seldom sought or where its existence is doubted, even denied. Studies discuss such topics as bhakti in the Vedic hymns, and ritual chanting to satisfy devotional prayer.

This work embraces a wide range of aspects of Indian mysticism, displaying the structural patterns in mystical experiences and the mystic paths in different traditions and schools, while there are also significant contributions to comparative mysticism, Eastern and Western. A glossary of terms employed provides a helpful appendix.

A multi-purpose reference work which should become an indispensable companion for anybody who comes into touch with Hinduism. Includes a dictionary of Sanskrit and vernacular terms; a glossary of terms and concepts; and a survey of the historical development of Hinduism.

"My reluctance to write a book about my life was cunningly overcome by my wife, who started interviewing me onto a camcorder. She enjoyed hearing about my idyllic childhood in Jemnice, South Moravia, but ended up transcribing 46 hours covering the years up to 1968 when I emigrated. During the war I worked for a German firm in Brno, then obtained a doctorate and was poised for a professorship at Olomouc University. After the communist putsch, only manual jobs were available to me. I became a good tram-driver but a less competent coal-miner and plumber. Unwittingly I gave the political commissar a nervous breakdown during my army service, most of which I spent sitting at a typewriter. From my teens I had been interested in oriental philosophy and was practising deep meditation, which helped me to stay true to myself during secret police interrogations and at other times of intense pressure. My research into the benefits of Hatha Yoga led to my writing the first book on it in Czech, and founding the Yoga Club in Brno, all under the eyes of the communist regime. Before I was deemed to be 'illegally abroad', the book had sold 95,000 copies."