The Myths And Gods Of India: The Classic Work On Hindu Polytheism From The Princeton Bollingen Series

Book Summary

HINDUISM / MYTHOLOGY "Alain Danielou was a man whose vast and curious learning in the fields of literature, music and the Orient was unequalled in our time. His beautifully written works remain to console us in our increasingly barbaric continent. Our debt to Alain Danielou's scholarship and deep humanity is immeasurable." --James Kirkup, The Independent "The physical aspects of this book and its arrangements are beyond reproach. The style is lucid; the lack of polemic is particularly attractive. The total result is a volume that is a pleasure to behold and an invigorating experience to read." --American Anthropologist "Danielou is one of the greatest Western authorities on Hinduism. . . . His talents seem unending." --Mohini Kent, Times of India "Danielou's books are remarkable for their clarity, scholarship, and uninhibited celebration of erotic and mystical ecstasy." --Interview Magazine This study of Hindu mythology explores the significance of the most prominent Hindu deities as they are envisioned by the Hindus themselves. Referred to by its adherents as the "eternal religion," Hinduism recognizes for each age and each country a new form of revelation--and for each person, according to his or her stage of development, a different path of realization. This message of tolerance and adaptability, the very heart of Hindu polytheism, resounds clearly throughout Alain Danielou's work. Photographic plates by Raymond Burnier further illustrate the many facets of Hindu teaching and trace the significance of the Gods of the Vedas, as well as Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma, Kali, Shakti, and other deities. ALAIN DANIeLOU was an intimate of Stravinsky, Cocteau, and Nabokov in his early years, thenspent twenty years in India studying music and philosophy with eminent scholars of the Hindu tradition. He is the author of more than thirty books on the religion, history, and arts of India and the Mediterranean, including While the Gods Play, Gods of Love and Ecstasy, Yoga: Mastering the Secrets of Matter and the Universe, and The Complete Kama Sutra. Danielou was the founder and director of the International Institute for Comparative Musicology in Berlin, and was a Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur, Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, and Officier du Merite National. The study of Hindu mythology explores the significance of the most prominent Hindu dieties as they are envisioned by the Hindus themselves. Referred to by its adherents as the "eternal religion," Hinduism recognizes for each age and each country a new form of revelation--and for each person, according to his or her stage of development, a different path of realization.This widely praised study of Hindu deities reveals the message of tolerance and adaptability at the heart of this ancient religion.

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