{"product_id":"religious-doctrines-in-the-mahabharata","title":"Religious Doctrines in the Mahabharata","description":"\u003cp\u003eAuthor: Nicholas Sutton\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Motilal Banarsidass\u003cbr\u003eYear: 2000\u003cbr\u003eLanguage: English\u003cbr\u003ePages: 477\u003cbr\u003eISBN\/UPC (if available): 8120817001\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e Description\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis study offers an analysis of the epic's teachings and the specific answers it gives to major questions of religious thinking such as the nature of God, ethics etc.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThough it is widely known as an epic text that recounts the exploits of heroes, gods and villains, the Mahabharata is equally significant as a repository of the principal religious doctrines of the Hindu tradition from the period immediately following the rise of Buddhism in India. Without imposing any reconceived theory of overall meaning, this study delineates the major themes of religious ideology offered by the great epic in a way that does justice to the rich variety of material contained in its corpus.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt thus functions on one level as a catalogue of doctrines, indicating where specific religious ideas are presented in the Mahabharata in a manner that allows sections equal merit whether they be a part of the central narrative or the didactic interludes that punctuate the principal story.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis study further offers an analysis of the depicts teachings by seeking to identify its principal doctrinal tendencies and the specific answers it gives to major questions of religious thinking such as the nature of God, the path to Salvation, cosmic and personal eschatology, ethics and the authority of scripture.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUltimately it is recognized that whilst it is legitimate to speak of 'epic thought' in a general sense, the Mahabharata represents above all the rich diversity of Hindu religious ideas.  It does not have merely one aim or one ideology but allows various concepts and systems of thought to exist alongside each other, challenging the reader to accept diversity rather than a rigid creed and to explore rather than resolve the inevitable tensions existing in the varied human responses to the phenomenon of religion.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eContents\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIntroduction\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 1\u003cbr\u003eBACKGROUND TO AND MAJOR THEMES OF EPIC THOUGHT\u003cbr\u003eò    Introduction\u003cbr\u003eò   The Epic Period\u003cbr\u003eò   Complexities and Contradictions\u003cbr\u003eò   Major Themes in Epic Thought\u003cbr\u003eò   Summary and Conclusion\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 2\u003cbr\u003eò   Introduction\u003cbr\u003eò   Review of Works Referred to by the Mahabharata\u003cbr\u003eò   The Mahabharata's View of its Own Status\u003cbr\u003eò   The Mahabharata's View of the Vedas and Previous Scriptures \u003cbr\u003eò   The Nation of Wisdom as opposed to Scriptural Learning\u003cbr\u003eò   Reinterpretation of the Vedas\u003cbr\u003eò   Summary and Conclusions\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 3\u003cbr\u003eRELIGIOUS ORGANISATION IN THE MAHABHARATA\u003cbr\u003eò   Introduction\u003cbr\u003eò   The Mahabharata's Teachings on Social Structure\u003cbr\u003eò   Communal Religious Practice and Worship\u003cbr\u003eò   Religious Organisation from the perspective of Nivrtti\u003cbr\u003eò   Religious Organisation from the perspective of Bhakti\u003cbr\u003eò   Summary and Conclusions\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 4\u003cbr\u003eEPIC SOTERIOLOGY\u003cbr\u003eò   Introduction\u003cbr\u003eò   Definition of the Problem of Life in this World\u003cbr\u003eò   Attainment of Svarga-loka\u003cbr\u003eò   The Path to Complete Salvation, Moksa-Dharma\u003cbr\u003eò   The Soteriology of the Bhagavad-Gita\u003cbr\u003eò   Summary and Conclusions\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 5\u003cbr\u003eEPIC THEISM : THE NATURE OF GOD\u003cbr\u003eò   Introduction\u003cbr\u003eò   The Iconography of Narayana in the Mahabharata\u003cbr\u003eò   The Concept of Avatara in the Mahabharata\u003cbr\u003eò   Non-Vaisnava Theism\u003cbr\u003eò   Syncretism of Visnu and Siva\u003cbr\u003eò   Epic Monotheism\u003cbr\u003eò   Additional Features of Epic Theism\u003cbr\u003eò   The Existence of God in Relation to Humanity\u003cbr\u003eò   Conclusion\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 6\u003cbr\u003eEPIC ESCHATOLOGY\u003cbr\u003eò   Introduction\u003cbr\u003eò   Cosmic Eschatology\u003cbr\u003eò   Individual Eschatology\u003cbr\u003eò   Samsara, The Doctrine of Rebirth\u003cbr\u003eò   The Concept of Moksa\u003cbr\u003eò   The State of Salvation According to the Doctrine of Bhakti\u003cbr\u003eò   The State of Moksa According to the Bhagavad-Gita\u003cbr\u003eò   Conclusion\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 7\u003cbr\u003eTHE MAHABHARATA'S TEACHINGS ON ETHICS\u003cbr\u003eò   Introduction\u003cbr\u003eò   The Ethics of Sva-dharma\u003cbr\u003eò   Ethics and Morality\u003cbr\u003eò   The Ethics of the Ascetic Tradition\u003cbr\u003eò   The Tensions Between the Different Ethical Tendencies\u003cbr\u003eò   The Ethics of the Bhagavad-Gita\u003cbr\u003eò   Overview and Conclusions\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 8\u003cbr\u003eTHE MAHABHARATA'S UNDERSTANDING OF HUMANITY\u003cbr\u003eò   The Distinction Between the Self and Matter\u003cbr\u003eò   The Divine Nature of the Self\u003cbr\u003eò   The Epic's Understanding of Human Psychology\u003cbr\u003eò   The Presence of the Atman in the Prana, and as a Manikin in the Heart\u003cbr\u003eò   The Uniqueness of Humanity\u003cbr\u003eò   The Hierarchy of Humanity\u003cbr\u003eò   The Questions of Human Perfectibility\u003cbr\u003eò   Summary and Conclusions\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 9\u003cbr\u003eTHE CONTROL OF DESTINY OVER HUMAN EXISTENCE\u003cbr\u003eò   The Role of Destiny in the Epic\u003cbr\u003eò   The Predestined Nature of Humanity\u003cbr\u003eò   The Conflict of Opinion over Destiny\u003cbr\u003eò   Conclusions\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 10\u003cbr\u003eCREATION : THE EPIC'S TEACHINGS ON THE ORIGINS OF THE WORLD\u003cbr\u003eò   Eternality and Repeated Creations\u003cbr\u003eò   The Mythic Understanding of Creation\u003cbr\u003eò   The Samkhya Concept of Creation\u003cbr\u003eò   Conclusions\u003cbr\u003eò   Theodicy : The Problem of Suffering in Creation\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER11\u003cbr\u003eTHE MAHABHARATA'S TEACHINGS ON GENDER\u003cbr\u003eò   Introduction\u003cbr\u003eò   Passages Offering Teachings on Gender\u003cbr\u003eò   Female Characters in the Epic Narrative\u003cbr\u003eò   Conclusions regarding Dharma-sastra and the Narrative\u003cbr\u003eò   The Ascetic Tradition\u003cbr\u003eò   Overview\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER 12\u003cbr\u003eCONCLUSION : THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MAHABHARATA'S TEACHINGS\u003cbr\u003eò   Introduction\u003cbr\u003eò   The Question of Right Action\u003cbr\u003eò   Ritual and Virtue in Religious Belief\u003cbr\u003eò   The Yoga View of the World\u003cbr\u003eò   Understanding of the Nature of God\u003cbr\u003eò   Political and Social Action\u003cbr\u003eò   Approach to Establishing Doctrine\u003cbr\u003eò   Conclusions\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBibliography\u003cbr\u003eIndex\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The India Club","offers":[{"title":"Nicholas Sutton \/ Motilal Banarsidass \/ Paperback","offer_id":68153498730864,"sku":"3760","price":49.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1041\/5203\/9792\/files\/5107.jpg?v=1793910442","url":"https:\/\/marketcalvexa.shop\/products\/religious-doctrines-in-the-mahabharata","provider":"Alderstone House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}