Customer Reviews

Classical Hindu Mythology - A Reader in the Sanskrit Puranas

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have unfailingly found J.A. Van Buitenen to be both a true and interesting translator, this volume is no exception. It's a very comprehensive look at the subject matter, treated in such a way that it is accessible to the inexperienced Western reader, while leaving alot of meat left for the more accomplished reader. My one wish is to have a better idea of how the selections relate to the individual Purana books, and how they may be dated in history.

Just read the previous review from Norway which does not make much sense to me. This is a lengthy, detailed and dense translation of a wealth of Hindu myths. To my mind it is neither short (373 pages) nor simple, but difficult for the average reader. It reads like a scholarly textbook that requires study to use. I found it fascinating and worth the effort. But I wonder if the previous reviewer and I have read the same book!

I wasn't raised Hindu but was always curious about the religion. I've read Buck's translations of the Ramayana and Mahabharata (I'm working on the Penguin edition of the latter), along with other books (a translation of the Upanisads,etc.), but the original myths were largely inaccessible to me because I only speak English. For me the book was great; summaries plus myths that speak for themselves. And the myths are really interesting.

The editor and translator of this book have done a good job selecting and translating the principal Puranas for the Western reader. The Introductions to the various settings clarify the ideas expressed in the selections and clear up ambiguities about names of Gods and Goddesses, etc. The ideas are presented dispassionately, not criticizing or comparing ancient Indian cosmological ideas to modern Western cosmology and science. The only thing I missed would have been a comparison between ancient Indian and Darwinian views on evolution, especially the origins of the human species.

The book appears to be well classified, but the style is condensed and doesn't look much Indian. If it weren't called a source-book, I would have given it better grades, thank you.