Modern Hindu Thought: An Introduction

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Hinduism is widely regarded not just as a religious belief, but as a philosophy of life based upon certain key tenets. Viewed in a casual manner, these concepts seem to be eternal and unchanging. A Hindu today would describe his or her tradition in terms of the concepts of Brahman, Isvara, Maya, Jiva, Samsara, Karma, Dharma, among others, much like his counterpart a thousand years ago would have done. Yet, has nothing changed in Hinduism?

Modern Hindu Thought questions such simplistic assumptions. This volume explains the manner in which these terms have been reconfigured in modern Hinduism, and how they compare with the way they were understood in classical Hinduism. Most of us are familiar with the idea that the more things change the more they remain the same. This book suggests that the opposite may well be true - the more things seem to remain the same, the more they may have changed.

The book is conceptually divided into three parts. In the first, the historical context of modern Hindu thought is delineated. In the second, the key concepts of modern Hinduism are presented in a succinct and pithy manner to offer a view of modern Hindu thought at a glance, as it were. In the final part, each term constitutive of the modern Hindu world-view is put under scrutiny.

A richly textured account of the philosophy of Hinduism, the book will be of immense value to students and scholars of religion, classical philosophy, as well as the general reader interested in Hinduism.

About the Author :

Arvind Sharma is Birks Professor of Comparative Religion at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He has also taught in Australia and in the United States. Often cited as a leading authority on Hinduism, his publications include, Classical Hindu Thought (OIP, 2001), Hinduism for our Times (OIP, 2001), and Hinduism and Human Rights (OUP, 2004).