Sources of Indian Tradition: From the Beginning to 1800 / Edition 2

by Christine Dunbar, Ainslie T. Embree

Overview

Since 1958 Sources of Indian Tradition has been one of the most important and widely used texts on civilization in South Asia (now the nation-sates of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal). It has helped generations of students and lay readers understand how leading thinkers there have looked at life, the traditions of their ancestors, and the world they live in.

This second edition has been extensively revised, with much new material added. Introductory essays explain the particular settings in which these thinkers have expressed their ideas about religious, social, political, and economic questions. Brief summaries precede each passage from their writings or sayings.

The traditions represented include Brahmanism, Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism. The book includes a chronology of Indian history from 3000 B.C. to A.D. 1858.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780231066518
Publisher:	Columbia University Press
Publication date:	05/20/1988
Series:	Introduction to Asian Civilizations Series
Edition description:	second edition
Pages:	547
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 5.60(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Ainslie T. Embree is Professor of History and Director of the South Asian Institute at Columbia University.

Table of Contents

1. Cosmic and Ritual Order in Vedic Literature
2. The Ultimate Reality in the Upanishad
3. The Basic Doctrines of Jainism
4. Jain Philosophy and Political Thought
5. Theravada Buddhism
6. Mahayana Buddhism: "The Greater Vehicle"
7. The Vehicle of the Thunderbolt and the Decline of Buddhism in India
8. Dharma: The First End of Man (R.N.D.)
9. Artha: The Second End of Man (R.N.D.)
10. Kama: The Third End of Man (V.R., revised)
11. Moksha: The Fourth End of Man
12. The Songs of Medievel Hindu Devotion (V.R., revised)
13. The Foundations of Islam in India
14. The Muslim Ruler in India
15. Islamic Mysticism in India
16. Sikhism: Faith and Practice

What People are Saying About This

Robert Eric Frykenberg

For over thirty years, anyone seriously interested in India has always had to keep a copy of this classic within arm's reach. Sources of Indian Tradition is so useful -- as a reference work, sourcebook, or textbook -- that it has been indispensable to scholars all over the world. I welcome the 'return' of this important work to the marketplace. Better still, I am delighted to note that, in matters of fine-tuning, this is an improved and updated and revised edition.

— Robert Eric Frykenberg, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Wendy Doniger

This is a serious, careful, dependable book, broader and more varied even than the old Sources.... It is also easy to read, to look at, and to hear; the new translations are always sound, often charming, and occasionally quite brilliant. This is the primary study of Indian civilization.

— Wendy Doniger, University of Chicago