The Strides of Vishnu: Hindu Culture in Historical Perspective (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: golden germ, northern black polished ware, second rationality, Matsya Purana, Bhagavad Gita, Shatapatha Brahmana (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"As predicted by the metaphor encoded in the title, this book has a wonderful span -- and the terrain is not what everyone else has already seen." --John Stratton Hawley, Professor of Religion, Barnard College, Columbia University, and author of Three Bhakti Voices and, forthcoming, The Memory of Love
"Ariel Glucklich here tackles the enormous question of the interface between the physical world and what he calls ultimate reality in India, balancing the solid data of archeology and other evidence of material culture with the speculations of texts about the meaning behind physical reality. Engaging and provocative, written in a clear, high- spirited style, this book is simultaneously a good read and a good education." --Wendy Doniger, Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Religions, University of Chicago Divinity School, and author of The Origins of Evil in Hindu Mythology
"Ariel Glucklich has given us a rich and compelling introduction for those who long, like we all do, for a richer narrative of Hindu culture. This beautifully written book connects the philosophical, historical, scientific, and aesthetic dimensions of Hindu worlds. Its elegant syntheses are indeed contemporary bandhus in their own right. When we have absorbed its pages, we will stand at the crossroads of the many ideas of what Hinduism has been and what Hinduism is now. And through our expert guide, we will be better able to mark out our own pathways of understanding." --Laurie L. Patton, Howard O. Candler Chair in the Study of Religion and Professor of Early Indian Religions, Emory University
"Glucklich's refusal to contain his commentary within the realm of objectivity provides an example for non-Hindu students of a meaningful interaction with the tradition, intentionally encouraging them to raise questions about Hinduism that they may typically only raise with respect to their own traditions." --Journal of Hindu Studies

Product Description

Books about Hinduism often begin by noting the immense size and complexity of the subject. Hinduism is vast and diverse, they say. Or it doesn't exist at all -- Hinduism is merely a convenient (and foreign) term that masks a plurality of traditions. In either case, readers are discouraged by the thought that they are getting only a tiny sample or a shallow overview of something huge and uniquely difficult. This book is designed to be accessible and sophisticated, holding the reader's interest in the dynamic sequence of ideas through time and place. Each of the 12 chapters combines historical material with key religious, scientific and philosophical ideas, supported by substantial quotations from scriptures and other texts. Historic places and persons are fleshed out as actors in a narrative about the relation of the sacred to ordinary existence as it is mediated through arts, sciences, rituals, and philosophical ideas. Although many books introduce the Hindu tradition, this is the first with a broad historical and cultural focus that emphasizes archaeological as well as textual evidence.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; illustrated edition edition (May 9, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195314050
• ISBN-13: 978-0195314052
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #449,478 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Footprints in time, October 27, 2009

By	Dr. Jessie J. Mercay (Boulder, CO, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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This is a beautifully written book that fully held my interest. It was hard to put down. The author has taken a very broad topic and woven numerous stories, legands, and historical fact into a facinating fabric of history. through knowledge and skill the author succeeds in providing a beautiful narration of the history and culture of India in one text. Anyone interested in Hinduism, asian history, or India itself would find this book to be facinating.