Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India [Paperback]

Diana L. Eck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1998 | ISBN-10: 0231112653 | ISBN-13: 978-0231112659 | Edition: 3rd

The role of the visual is essential to Hindu tradition and culture, but many attempts to understand India's divine images have been laden with misperceptions. Darsan, a Sanskrit word that means "seeing," is an aid to our vision, a book of ideas to help us read, think, and look at Hindu images with appreciation and imagination.

Editorial Reviews

Review

As fine an explanation of temple worship and use of Deity images as can be found. Darsan will give the Hindu deeper insight into the practices of his own religion, provide explanations for non-Hindu friends, and convey useful konowledge to his children.

(Hinduism Today )

About the Author

Diana L. Eck, professor of comparative religion and Indian studies, and director of The Pluralism Project at Harvard University, is the editor of On Common Ground: World Religions in America, a multimedia CD-ROM (Columbia).

Product Details

• Paperback: 97 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press; 3rd edition (April 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231112653
• ISBN-13: 978-0231112659
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,717 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > History > Asia > India
  • #20 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Eastern Religions
  • #25 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Hinduism

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Visions of God-Hinduism's essence, July 22, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Darsan, Seeing the Divine Image in India (Paperback)

Diana Eck is one of the West's greatest writers on Hinduism. In this little book, Darsan..Seeing the Divine Image in India, she captures the essence of Hindu devotion. She is not an apologist; rather, she sees Hindu religious practice just as a Hindu would, perhaps with an even more enlightened understanding. There is a great deal of information that most Hindus would not be aware of. Bringing God into an image for worship is anathema to western cultures and religions. Yet it has been part of Hinduism and Paganism for thousands of years. Diana Eck reveals the nature of image worship, from the selection and consecration of the image, to the actual practice of Hindu devotion. Image worship is part of daily life for hundreds of millions of people today. I cannot think of a better book than this one to help develop a compassionate and enlightened understanding of the practice. It will be part of my home library always. Raja Bhat

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid introduction to the concept of Hindu iconography and related ritual experience, March 28, 2006

By 

Kaulika - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India (Paperback)

Diana Eck is a wonderful scholar who has written several great books on Hinduism. Darsan (or "darshan," if you're transliterating it simply for an English-speaking audience) is a wonderfully simple introduction to Hindu iconography and the related ritual experience, a subject that is overwhelmingly broad and often unwieldy.

If you are an undergraduate studying Eastern religions, a graduate student new to Hinduism, a Western devotee wanting better cross-cultural knowledge of how to respectfully relate to your chosen god or goddess as Hindus do, or a curious layperson wanting to know more about the Hindu religious experience and what all the images and rituals are about, this is a great book for you to begin with. This slim volume doesn't go into elaborate depth, but covers a lot of ground and introduces many key terms in a very readable way, and is a useful introductory work.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Profound Book, September 17, 2004

By 

E. Winn - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Darâsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India (Focus on Hinduism and Buddhism) (Hardcover)

This book was my introduction to Hinduism, given to me by a friend following my first personal experience with darsan and Hindu devotion. It is a stunningly clear and subtle book, offering a careful, complex discussion of the unique nature of the Hindu conception of the divine. I read it then in 3 days and am rereading it now as a student of Hinduism, looking forward to seeing this great book from a new perspective.