The Sanskrit Mahabharata is one of the most important texts to emerge from the Indian cultural tradition. At almost 75,000 verses it is the longest poem in the world, and throughout Indian history it has been hugely influential in shaping gender and social norms. In the context of ancient India, it is the definitive cultural narrative in the construction of masculine, feminine and alternative gender roles.

This book brings together many of the most respected scholars in the field of Mahabharata studies, as well as some of its most promising young scholars. By focusing specifically on gender constructions, some of the most innovative aspects of the Mahabharata are highlighted. Whilst taking account of feminist scholarship, the contributors see the Mahabharata as providing an opportunity to frame discussion of gender in literature not just in terms of the socio-historical roles of men and women. Instead they analyze the text in terms of the wider poetic and philosophical possibilities thrown up by the semiotics of gendering. Consequently, the book bridges a gap in text-critical methodology between the traditional philological approach and more recent trends in gender and literary theory.

Gender and Narrative in the Mahabharata will be appreciated by readers interested in South Asian studies, Hinduism, religious studies and gender studies.

The Sanskrit Mahabharata is one of the most important texts to emerge from the Indian cultural tradition. At almost 75,000 verses it is the longest poem in the world, and throughout Indian history it has been hugely influential in shaping gender and social norms. In the context of ancient India, it is the definitive cultural narrative in the construction of masculine, feminine and alternative gender roles.

This book brings together many of the most respected scholars in the field of Mahabharata studies, as well as some of its most promising young scholars. By focusing specifically on gender constructions, some of the most innovative aspects of the Mahabharata are highlighted. Whilst taking account of feminist scholarship, the contributors see the Mahabharata as providing an opportunity to frame discussion of gender in literature not just in terms of the socio-historical roles of men and women. Instead they analyze the text in termsof the wider poetic and philosophical possibilities thrown up by the semiotics of gendering. Consequently, the book bridges a gap in text-critical methodology between the traditional philological approach and more recent trends in gender and literary theory.

Gender and Narrative in the Mahabharata will be appreciated by readers interested in South Asian studies, Hinduism, religious studies and gender studies.

‘In death thy glory in heaven, in victory thy glory on earth.  Arise therefore, Arjuna, with thy soul ready to fight’

The Bhagavad Gita is an intensely spiritual work that forms the cornerstone of the Hindu faith, and is also one of the masterpieces of Sanskrit poetry. It describes how, at the beginning of a mighty battle between the Pandava and Kaurava armies, the god Krishna gives spiritual enlightenment to the warrior Arjuna, who realizes that the true battle is for his own soul.

Juan Mascaró’s translation of The Bhagavad Gita captures the extraordinary aural qualities of the original Sanskrit. This edition features a new introduction by Simon Brodbeck, which discusses concepts such as dehin, prakriti and Karma.

Forming the final part of the Sanskrit Mahabharata, the Harivamsha's main business is to supply narrative details about the great god Vishnu's avatar Krishna Vasudeva, who has been a comparatively minor character in the previous parts of the Mahabharata, despite having taken centre stage in the Bhagavad Gita. Krishna is born in Mathura (some 85 miles south of present-day Delhi). As an infant he is smuggled out of Mathura for his own safety. He and his brother Baladeva grow up among cowherds in the forest, where between them they perform many miraculous deeds and kill many dangerous demons, before returning to Mathura where they kill the evil King Kamsa and his cronies. Thereafter, Krishna is the hero and unofficial leader of his people the Yadava-Vrishnis. When Mathura is besieged by enemies, Krishna leads his people to abandon the town and migrate west, founding the dazzling new city of Dvaraka by the sea. Krishna then repeatedly travels away from that base repeatedly to perform heroic deeds benefitting those in need - including his own people, his more immediate family, and the gods. After narrating the stories of Krishna, the Harivamsha ends by finishing the story of Janamejaya with which the Mahabharata began. The Harivamsha is a powerhouse of Hindu mythology and a classic of world literature. It begins by contextualising Vishnu's appearance as Krishna in several ways, in the process presenting a variety of cosmogonical, cosmological, genealogical, mythological, theological, and karmalogical materials. It then narrates Krishna's birth and adventures in detail. Presenting a wide variety of exciting stories in a poetic register that makes extensive use of natural imagery, the Harivamsha is a neglected literary gem and an ideal starting-point for readers new to Indian literature.

Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2008 im Fachbereich Sozialpadagogik / Sozialarbeit, Note: 1,0, Hochschule Mannheim (Fakultat fur Sozialwesen), Veranstaltung: Neuropsychologie, 17 Quellen im Literaturverzeichnis, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: Wer kennt sie nicht - die Hymnen der Musik uber die Musik? John Miles beschreibt in Music" (1976) seine Liebe zur Musik mit den Worten music was my first love and it'll be my last." In den 70er Jahren verzauberte die schwedische Popgruppe ABBA mit Thank you for the music" (1978) tausende Menschen. Eine Hymne an die Musik, die durch Singen und Melodien das Leben lebenswert machen, die in den 90er Jahren durch das Musical Mamma Mia" wieder aktuell wurde. Musik begleitet uns mittlerweile fast rund um die Uhr. Das altbewahrte Klingeln des Weckers wurde durch Radiomusik ersetzt. Eine Autofahrt ohne Musik - fur viele undenkbar. Einkaufszentren versuchen ihre Kunden durch Hintergrundmusik zu manipulieren und zum Kauf zu animieren. In der S-Bahn kann man sich vor verschiedenen Musikrichtungen kaum retten und sogar beim Joggen begleitet uns die Musik. Sie ist allgegenwartig. Liebling, sie spielen unser Lied" - wohl einer der meist gesprochenen Satze weltweit. Wir verbinden Musik mit Emotionen, erinnern uns bei bestimmten Liedern an Gefuhle, z.B. der erste Kuss, der erste Tanz usw. Wenn wir traurig sind, hilft uns Musik dieses Gefuhl zu ertragen. Musik, eine geheimnisvolle Macht. Oliver Sacks beschreibt in seinem Buch Der einarmige Pianist" (Sacks 2008, S.239) einen Aphasiker, der mit Hilfe der Musik wieder zu seiner Sprache gefunden hat. Ein ahnliches Beispiel, das wir in Neuropsychologie gehort haben, hat mich derart begeistert, dass ich wissen wollte, wie Musik - speziell die Musiktherapie bei anderen neurologischen Storungen eingesetzt wird und wirken kann. Im Rahmen dieser Hausarbeit wird zuerst der Begriff Musiktherapie definiert, um anschliessend anhand einiger ausgewahlter Storungsbilder zu zeigen, wie die Musik auf Patien

Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2006 im Fachbereich Sozialp dagogik / Sozialarbeit, einseitig bedruckt, Note: 1,0, Hochschule Mannheim (Fakult t f r Sozialwesen), Veranstaltung: Medienpolitik, 4 Quellen im Literaturverzeichnis, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: Die Geschichte des Fu ball ist eine Erfolgsgeschichte. Kein anderes gesellschaftlichen Ph nomen hat ber eine so lange Zeit Generationen begeistert. Fu ball vereinigt Kulturen und soziale Schichten und verbindet Herzen miteinander. Kaum eine andere Alltagskultur hat eine so Sinn stiftende Ausstrahlung in Bezug auf unterschiedliche Lebenswelten und Altersstrukturen. Um die gesellschaftliche Relevanz des Fu balls zu verstehen, muss man einen Blick hinter die Kulissen, zu den Anf ngen dieses Sports werfen. Im Folgenden werde ich speziell auf die Entwicklung des Fu balls in den Medien eingehen.