Jezus als goeroe – Het beeld van Jezus Christus onder hindoes en christenen in India
Door Jan Peter Schouten
267 Pagina’s | 2007 | Softcover | Uitgeverij DAMON | ISBN 9789055737826
Mensen in India vormen zich een beeld van Jezus Christus dat aansluit bij hun eigen cultuur. Voor hindoes krijgt Jezus een plaats tussen de leraren en goden van de eigen religie. Zij herkennen in zijn levensverhaal iets van de wijsheid en de mystiek, die in het hindoeïsme zo centraal staat. Ook christenen in India maken gebruik van de begrippen die het hindoeïsme aanreikt, als zij de betekenis van Christus onder woorden willen brengen.
Zo wordt Jezus in ieder geval – voor hindoes én christenen – een goeroe, een wijsheidsleraar die met goddelijk gezag spreekt. Maar voor menig hindoedenker en christelijk theoloog is er nog veel meer over hem te zeggen in een Indiaas kader. Zo kan hij als avatara, neerdaling van een godheid, worden beschreven of in verband gebracht worden met het Brahman, de allesomvattende Werkelijkheid. In deze studie komen hindoes en christenen aan het woord, te beginnen met de hindoeïstische hervormer Rammohan Roy uit het begin van de negentiende eeuw, alsmede de eerste christelijke theologen van India. Mahatma Gandhi en de monniken van de Ramakrishna Mission worden besproken, maar ook invloedrijke christelijke stromingen als de Ashram-beweging en de Dalit-theologie.
In een vijftal intermezzo’s wordt getoond hoe kunstenaars in India Jezus Christus uitbeelden.
Dr. Jan Peter Schouten studeerde theologie en sociologie en heeft verschillende publicaties op zijn naam staan over het hindoeïsme. Hij is predikant bij de Protestantse gemeente te Bloemendaal.
Handboek hindoeïsme
Door Rudi Jansma (1949 – 2017).
352 Pagina’s | 2021, tweede druk | Paperback | Milinda Uitgevers, Voorburg | ISBN: 9789062710560
Handboek hindoeïsme belicht de verschillende aspecten van het hindoeïsme: oorsprong, religieuze en filosofische begrippen, ethiek, literatuur en mythologie. Niet alleen metafysica en kunst, maar ook beroemde oude en hedendaagse leraren en heiligen uit India worden uitgebreid besproken. Dit toegankelijke naslagwerk biedt een gedetailleerd overzicht van de hindoeïstische cultuur en zal o.a. mensen van hindoestaanse afkomst vertrouwd kunnen maken met de wortels van de eigen traditie. Handboek hindoeïsme biedt alle noodzakelijke kennis en inzicht om zich een duidelijk beeld te vormen van één van de grote wereldgodsdiensten.
Bhagavad Gītā – A New Translation
By Stephen Mitchell.
223 Pages | Originally published by Harmony Books a divison of Random House Inc. in 2000, first paperback edition | Softcover | Three Rivers Press – The Crown Publishing Group, New York | ISBN: 0609810340.
Stephen Mitchell is widely known for his ability to make ancient Masterpieces thrillingly new, to step in where many have tried before and create versions that are definitive for our time. His celebrated translations of the Tao Te Ching, Rilke, and The B0ok of Job have won the hearts of readers and critics alike. The Bhagavad Gītā is universally acknowledged as one of the world’s literary and spiritual masterpieces. It is the core text of the Hindu tradition and has been treasured by American writers from Emerson to T.S. Eliot.
There have been more than two hundred English translations of the Gītā, but none of them, until now, is a superlative literary text in its own right. This translation sings with the clarity, the vigor, and the intensity of the original Sanskrit.
From Chapter 4 – ‘The Yoga of Wisdom’, (p. 72 & 73) [4.3 – 6 / 4.7 – 11]:
The Blessed Lord said:
” Many times I have been born, and many times you (Arjuna) have also. All these lives I remember; you recall only this one. Although I am unborn, deathless, the infinite Lord of all beings, through my own wondrous power I come into finite form. Whenever righteousness falters and chaos threatens to prevail, I take on a human body and manifest myself on earth. In order to protect the good, to destroy the doers of evil, to ensure the triumph of righteousness, in every age I am born. Whoever knows, profoundly, my divine presence on earth is not reborn when he leaves the body, but comes to me. Released from greed, fear, anger, absorbed in me and made pure by the practice of wisdom, many have attained my own state of being. However men try to reach me, I return their love with my love; whatever path they may travel, it leads to me in the end. “
The Bhagavad Gītā
Translated by Laurie L. Patton.
234 Pages | First published by Penguin Classics in 2008 | Soft cover | Penguin Books, London | ISBN: 9780140447903.
” Know this: that with which all this world is woven is not to be destroyed. No one is able to effect the destruction of the imperishable . . . “
The Bhagavad Gītā is an early epic poem that recounts the conversation between Arjuna the warrior and his charioteer Krishna, a manifestation of God. In the moments before a great battle, Krishna sets out the important lessons Arjuna must learn to understand his own role in the war he is about to fight. Krishna reveals to Arjuna his true cosmic form and counsels the warrior to act according to his sacred obligations. Ranging from instructions on yoga to dense moral discussion, the Gita is one of the most important Hindu texts, and has served for centuries as an everyday, practical guide to living well,
From the Ninth discourse 17 – 20:
The Blessed One said:
” I am the father of the world – its mother, its arranger and its grandfather; I am what is to be known; the purifier; the sound ‘OM’; the Rig, the Sama and the Yajur Veda.
I am the way, the bearer, the great lord, the one who sees. I am home, and shelter, the heart’s companion. I am birth, death and sustenance; I am the house of treasure, and the eternal seed.
I give off heat, and I am the rain. I hold back and I send out. I am sweet immortality, as well as death; being and non-being, Arjuna.
Those who know the Vedas and drink Soma, cleansed of their evils seek heaven, and offer to me with sacrifices. They reach the pure world of Indra, and enjoy the divine pleasures of the gods in heaven. “
Bhagavad Gītā – The Song Divine
By Carl E. Woodham.
98 Pages | First printing 2000 | Hardcover | Torchlight Publishing, Badger | ISBN: 1887089268.
Based on the Bhagavad Gītā As It Is by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977).
The Bhagavad Gītā, India’s greatest spiritual treatise, contains far too much drama to remain the exclusive property of philosophers and religionists. Woodham presents the timeless wisdom of the Gita in contemporary English poetry, bringing to life its ancient yet perennially applicable message. It recounts in metered stanzas the historic conversation between Krishna, the Supreme Mystic and the mighty warrior Arjuna as they survey the battlefield preparations for the greatest world war of all time.
Krishna’s illuminating conversation with Arjuna forms the core of the Mahābhārata’s teachings, that has proven so inspiring to millions. Yet, it’s easy to overlook Krishna in the thicket of Bhagavad Gītā translations. Most dismiss Krishna as a myth or a mouthpiece for some greater formless Being. To do so is to miss the central point of the Bhagavad Gītā: bhakti, or joyous loving devotion to Krishna. The greatest luminaries of India’s rich spiritual heritage, such as Ramanuja, Madhva and Caitanya, have all drawn this devotional conclusion from Bhagavad Gītā .
The Pilgrim Soul – A Path to the Sacred, Transcending World Religions
By Ravi Ravindra.
120 Pages | First Quest Edition and printing, 2014 | Soft cover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 2014020064.
na vijānāmi yadivedamasmi niṇyaḥ samnaddho manasā carāmi.
‘ I know not whether I am the same as this cosmos: a mystery am I, yet burdened by mind, I wander. ‘
- Rig Veda 1.164.37.
From the Preface:
” There are two great Mysteries: idam and aham, ‘cosmos’ and ‘myself’. What indeed is the person in this vast cosmos? In all the great traditions there are people, monuments, documents and ceremonies that can assist searchers. The Rig Veda is among the very earliest documents in which the sages speak of the call of Satyam, Ritam, and Brihat – ‘Truth’, ‘Order’ and ‘Vastness’. Similar Mysteries are spoken of in Psalm 8: ‘When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, / the moon and the stars, which thou has ordained; / What is man, that thou art mindful of him?’
Throughout my life, I have been struck by the mysteries these quotations articulate. This is perhaps true for each of us: we cannot not be engaged by such questions. The search to understand and to stand under these mysteries is the pilgrimage for every person and within every tradition.”
The Doctrine of the Heart – Extracts from Letters of Indian Friends to Annie Besant, with her Foreword
By Annie Besant (1847 – 1933).
87 Pages | First edition, 5th reprint, 2011 | Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 9788170594406.
” VERILY THOSE WHO HAVE EYES TO SEE MAY SEE, AND THOSE WHO HAVE EARS TO HEAR MAY HEAR “.
This series of papers consist chiefly of extracts from letters received by from Indian friends. They contain thoughts that have been found helpful, and hence worth sharing with others. They are intended for those, who seek to learn to separate head-learning from ‘Soul-Wisdom’ and to live the higher life.
Vedic and Mesopotamian Interactions
90 Pages | Published in 2007 | Softcover | The Adyar Library Pamphlet Series No. 62 | The Adyar Library and Research Center | ISBN: 818514155X.
The Rgveda retains a large portion of common Indo-European mythological heritage. The worship of sun, moon, fire etc. are universal motifs. In his essay, Kazanas conducts very interesting and serious studies on some common elements found in the Vedic and Mesopotamian traditions and cultures and shows that they are originated in India. Some of the themes and legends described here are the horse-sacrifice, the seven seers, the flood, the cow of plenty, the tortoise, kingship, mathematics, astronomy etc.
Vedic Vac & Greek Logos as Creative Power – A Critical Study
57 Pages | Published in 2009 | Softcover | The Adyar Library Pamphlet Series No. 65 | The Adyar Library and Research Center | ISBN: 8185141622.
The creation of this wonderful universe has always been problematic, and several theories are propounded in classical texts. Vedic Vac is a creative deity and the Vac-Brahman doctrine presents creation of the universe through speech. The Greek Logos doctrine also signifies creation through word and reason. In this book Kazanas introduces an interesting discourse on Word’s cosmogenic power as found in the Vedic, Christian, Judaic, Greek and Egyptian traditions and cultures.
Lalitā Sahasranāma with Bhāskararāya’s Commentary
By Bhāskararāya (1690–1785), general editor K. Kunjunni Raya. hon. director. Translated into English by R. Ananthakrishna Sastry.
402 Pages | 6th Reprint 1988, 1st edition 1899 (T.P.H. ed.); Adyar Library General Series, Volume 11 | Hardcover | The Adyar Library & Research Center | ISBN: 8185141037.
The Lalitā Sahasranāma is a sacred text to Hindu worshippers of the Goddess Lalitā Devi, also called Tripurāsundarī or the Divine Mother. It contains the 1000 names of Lalitā organized in hymns (stotras) and represents the only sahasranāma not repeating a single Name. Lalitā translates etymologically as She Who Plays. Sahasranāma is a Sanskrit term, which means A 1000 Names. Bhāskararāya extensively highlights Name 1 – 1000 in this magnificent work. At the end, a Sanskrit compendium of the Lalitā Sahasranāma is enclosed.
Bhāskararāya is widely considered an authority on all questions pertaining to the worship of the Mother Goddess in Hinduism. The worship of Shakti involves many hidden meanings of mantras and coded passages. It is said that these meanings were revealed to Bhāskararāya by the Goddess Herself.
De Śiva-Sūtra – De Hoogste Werkelijkheid En Hoe Deze Te Realiseren
Door Iqbal Kishen Taimni (1898–1978).
272 Pagina’s | 1976, Eerste druk 2013 | Gebonden | Uitgeverij der Theosofische Vereniging in Nederland | ISBN: 9789061750949.
English Original: The Ultimate Reality and Realization – Śiva-Sūtra with Text in Sanskrit, Transliteration in Roman, Translation in English & Commentary | 2004 | The Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 9788170594444.
De Śiva Sūtra behoort tot de school van het Kaśmir Śaivisme. De filosofie achter de Śiva-Sūtra is gebaseerd op het bestaan van een Allerhoogste Werkelijkheid die zich manifesteert als het gehele universum. Elke Monade vormt daarin een afzonderlijk centrum van bewustzijn en kracht en bezit in zichzelf in potentiele vorm in die Realiteit Universeel Bewustzijn en Kracht (Śiva en Śakti). De drie afdelingen in dit boek behandelen de ontvouwing van Bewustzijn, gezien vanuit Goddelijk Bewustzijn (Śiva), Goddelijke Kracht (Śakti) en de Monade (Aņu).
Afkomstig uit de inleiding:
” Steeds meer spiritueel ingestelde mensen over de gehele wereld keren zich af van de orthodoxe ideeën over religie en filosofie. Hun aandacht richt zich op de realisatie van een Allerhoogste Werkelijkheid, verborgen in het Hart van ieder mens, het uiteindelijk doel van iedere geestelijke inspanning en zelfdiscipline. Wat is de aard van deze Werkelijkheid, hoe kun je die realiseren, en wat is de aard van het werk dat die Grote Wezens verrichten, die hierin geslaagd zijn en die blijvend in die Werkelijkheid gevestigd zijn? Dit zijn enkele van de vragen, die van groot belang moeten zijn voor alle ernstige bestudeerders van de occulte wetenschap en die voor hen, die op weg zijn op het pad van praktisch occultisme. “
Elke Monade vormt daarin een afzonderlijk centrum van bewustzijn en kracht en bezit in zichzelf in potentiële vorm in die Realiteit Universeel Bewustzijn en Kracht (Śiva en Śakti). De drie afdelingen in dit boek behandelen de ontvouwing van Bewustzijn, gezien vanuit goddelijk Bewustzijn (Śiva), goddelijke Kracht (Śakti) en de Monade (Aṇu).
The Gheranda Samhita – A Treatise on Hatha Yoga
Translated by Srisa Chandra Vasu (1861–1918).
132 Pages | First edition 1895, 2nd edition 1933, 3rd edition 1976 | Softcover | The Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 722950683.
From the Foreword:
Gheraṇd̯a Samhitā is a Tāntrika work, treating of Haṭha-Yoga. It consists of a dialogue between the sage Gheraṇd̯a and an enquirer called Caṇd̯akāpāli. The book is divided into seven Lessons or Chapters and comprises, in all, some three hundred and fifty verses. It closely follows in the foot-steps of the famous treatise on the Haṭha-Yoga, known as Haṭha-Yoga Pradīpikā. In fact, a large number of verses of Gheraṇd̯a Samhitā correspond verbatim with those of the Pradīpikā. It may, therefore be presumed that one has borrowed from the other, or both have drawn from a common source.
The book teaches Yoga under seven heads or Sādhanas. The first gives directions for the purification of the Body (inside and out). The second relates to Postures, third to Mudrās, the fourth to Pratyāhāra, the fifth to Prāṇāyāma, the sixth to Dhyāna, and the seventh to Samādhi. These are taught successively – a chapter being devoted to each.
The Gheranda Samhita – A Treatise on Hatha Yoga
Translated by Srisa Chandra Vasu (1861–1918).
132 Pages | First edition 1895, 2nd edition 1933, 3rd edition 1976 | Hardcover | The Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 722950667.
From the Foreword:
Gheraṇd̯a Samhitā is a Tāntrika work, treating of Haṭha-Yoga. It consists of a dialogue between the sage Gheraṇd̯a and an enquirer called Caṇd̯akāpāli. The book is divided into seven Lessons or Chapters and comprises, in all, some three hundred and fifty verses. It closely follows in the foot-steps of the famous treatise on the Haṭha-Yoga, known as Haṭha-Yoga Pradīpikā. In fact, a large number of verses of Gheraṇd̯a Samhitā correspond verbatim with those of the Pradīpikā. It may, therefore be presumed that one has borrowed from the other, or both have drawn from a common source.
The book teaches Yoga under seven heads or Sādhanas. The first gives directions for the purification of the Body (inside and out). The second relates to Postures, third to Mudrās, the fourth to Pratyāhāra, the fifth to Prāṇāyāma, the sixth to Dhyāna, and the seventh to Samādhi. These are taught successively – a chapter being devoted to each.
Adyar – The International Headquarters of the TS
By an anonymous author.
36 Pages | First edition, first reprint 2012; with pictures | Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170592631.
The work of the Theosophical Society involves a way of life, which leads to Self-knowledge and knowledge of the Laws of being. Only when man begins to act, think, feel, and ‘be’ in accordance with the unchanging and unchangeable Laws, which pervade and regulate all things in the visible as well as the invisible worlds, does his psyche permit spiritual energy to flow through the hidden depths. Both individual regeneration and the reordering of human society in such a way that harmony, freedom and creativity flourish, depend on discovering the right way of living.
From Chapter 1 – ‘Early History’ (p. 1):
” A significant day in the history of the Theosophical Movement was 17 November 1875, for it was on that day that Madame H.P. Blavatsky and Col. H.S. Olcott founded the Theosophical Society. The venue was New York. However, it was soon apparent to them that India was to become the centre of the Society’s activities, and so they travelled to Bombay, arriving there on 16 February 1879, and from there they began to look for a suitable place for the Headquarters of the Society. On 31 March 1882, the Founders arrived in Madras and soon found a site called Huddleston Gardens on the South bank of the Adyar River. Their very first glance told them that ’their future home was found’. There were twenty-eight acres of wooded land and gardens surrounding a large bungalow and two smaller ones; and the price, and affordable Rs 8.500,- – a low price even for those days – was met through loans from members in the Society. They moved in on 19 December 1882 and on 1 January 1884 had repaid the loans. “
Yoga and the Teaching of Krishna
390 Pages | First edition 1998, 1st reprint, 2006 | Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170593174.
This Volume is a compilation of some of the essays, which Ravi Ravindra (1939 – present), a scientist-philosopher, has written over more than a quarter of a century. These essays have been published in a variety of journals and magazines, some of which are now easily accessible. Brief excerpts from some of his books, Whispers from the Other Shore, Science and Spirit, The Yoga of the Christ, and Krishnamurti: Two Birds on One Tree, are also included in the collection.
Each of the selections here is influenced by yoga and the teaching of Krishna; all of them speak of and are related to the wisdom of the spiritual traditions of India. They range from an exploration of Rita in the Rig Veda and its relation to Yajña and Dharma in the subsequent tradition to a reflection upon the influence of the Indian tradition on contemporary spiritual Masters, such as J. Krishnamurti (1895 – 1986) and G.I. Gurdjieff (1866 – 1949). Some of the essays deal exclusively with the great texts of India, such as Yoga Sutra and the Bhagavad Gita, while some deal with parallels which can be found with texts from other traditions, such as The Enneads of Plotinus and The Gospel according to Saint John.
Indian Philosophy – Volume 1
By Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888 – 1975).
738 Pages | First published in 1923, 1999 edition | Oxford India Paperbacks | Softcover | Oxford University Press, New Delhi | ISBN: 0195638190.
Long acknowledged as a classic, this pioneering study of Indian thought charts a fascinating course through an intricate history. From the ṛg-veda to Rāmānujā, Radhakrishnan traces the development of Indian philosophy, while showing its growth as a single tradition of thought through the ages. Individual philosophers and their views are interpreted in the light of this broad argument. Throughout, the author’s concern is to show ancient philosophical texts at their best and relate these to contemporary issues of philosophy and religion. The essential elements of individual texts and philosophies are emphasized in order to prevent meaning and significance from being obscured by detail. Parallels between Indian and Western philosophical traditions are also regularly drawn.
From the Introduction (p. 25):
” The founders of philosophy strive for a socio-spiritual reformation of the country. When the Indian civilisation is called a Brāhmanical one, it only means that its main character and dominating motives are shaped by its philosophical thinkers and religious minds, though, these are not all of Brāhmin birth. The idea of Plato, that philosophers must be the rulers and directors of society is practised in India. The ultimate truths are truths of spirit, and in the light of them actual life has to be refined. “
Annie Besant on the Brotherhood of Religions
By Annie Besant (1847 – 1933), compiled by Surendra Narayan.
79 Pages | First edition 1993 | Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170592178.
Annie Besant (1847-1933) led the fight for the rights of women and laborers in her native England; later she worked with Mahatma Gandhi and spearheaded India’s struggle for freedom. Theosophist Joy Mills describes her as ‘a feminist before the movement for women’s rights was fully launched; she stood for freedom when half the world was held in the bonds of colonialism.’ A student of India’s spiritual traditions, Annie Besant was famed as an orator, author, and international President of the Theosophical Society.
From Chapter 5 – ‘One World Religion’ (p. 76):
” When religious hatreds have passed, when religious controversies have disappeared, when men have learned supreme truth so often preached, so little practised: ‘Let him that loveth God love his brother also’: when out of the World Religion has grown the World Peace; when out of the World Faith has grown the World Service; then religion shall shall be what it ought to be, the helper of the downtrodden, the protector of the weak, the teacher of the ignorant, the raiser of the fallen; then religion will not only tie men to God but man to man, and it will be realized that knowledge of God is best expressed in service to Man. “
The Science and the Art of Indian Medicine
By G. Srinivasa Murti (1887 – unknown).
196 Pages | Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170590337.
Many and varied have been the objections that have been raised, from time to time, against the recognition and encouragement by the State of the indigenous systems of medicine like the Ayurveda, the Siddha and the Unani; these objections have always been challenged by exponents of these systems as well as by others interested in their promotion. The resulting controversy has sometimes been mild and sometimes wild. Some of the objections are trivial, while others are vital. And round none has the fire of controversy raged so fiercely as on the central question whether these Indian systems of medicine are scientific or not. The object of this memorandum is to view things from a scientific standpoint and stimulate scientific discussion on a subject which, it is clear, can now be neither ignored nor shelved.
From Chapter ‘Ayurveda as an Art – The Past and the Present’ (p. 195):
” Hence it is that, in Indian Medicine, it has always been considered necessary that the training of the future physician should provide not only for the study of Medicine in all its branches, as as to equip him or her with the capacity to have proper expert orientation to the problems of health and ill-health but also for the study of the Humanities, the Classics, as will enable him to have the proper humanist-orientation to Life and its Vital human problems. In other words, the ancient scheme of studies was so ordered as to give to the world great physicians, who were not only great scientists, but also great humanists. ”
Dhammapada – Pali Text in Roman with English Translation
By Prof. C. Kunhan Raja.
123 Pages | First edition 1956, second reprint 1984 | Paperback | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 0835675718.
In translating the Dhammapada, there is one great difficulty in so far as there are many words on which scholars differ widely about their meaning and there is also considerable difference of view regarding the general purport of the passages in many cases. I have given my own rendering, after a careful study of the text with other texts of a related nature.
[…]
This book is accepted as a Buddhistic Text. But it is not at all anti-Hindu. It is really an Indian text. There is nothing in this text to which any orthodox Hindu can take any objection. Most of the ideas contained here are found also in Hindu Texts like the Upaniṣads, the Bhagavad Gītā and the Mahābhārata.
From page 113:
” divā tapati ādicco rattim ābhāti candimā
sannaddho khattiyo tapati jhāyī tapati brāhmaṇo
atha sabbam ahorattaṁ buddho tapati tejasā
The Sun shines by the day, the Moon illumines the night;
a Kshatriya (Warrior, from Sanskrit kṣatra) with armour shines, a Brahmin shines in meditation.
Then all the days and the nights, Buddha illumines with his lustre. “
Does India have a Future?
By Rajmohan Gandhi.
32 Pages | First edition 1994 | Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170592275.
The deep commitment of this grandson of Mahatma Gandhi to the well-being of India led him to participation in the public life of the nation and to being a member of the Rajya Sabha. The present publication consists of the Besant Lecture delivered at the annual international convention of the Theosophical Society, Adyar, Madras in 1993.
Rajmohan Gandhi is Research Professor at the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi and was formerly Editor of Indian Express and Himmat. Among his well-known publications are: The Rajaji Story; A biography of his grandfather C. Rajagopalachari: a biography of Vallabhbhai Patel; and Eight Lives: A Study of Hindu-Muslin Encounter.
From page 20:
” Was God absent-minded then when designing the Indian character? Is the Indian Soul inferior in quality? No! No with a dozen exclamation marks! Often the Indian citizen is heroic in his or her response to the trials of every day, fighting for standing room, for elbow room, for space in the place of work, in the home and on the way from one to the other, for a place in school or college, or for a job. Where in the world do you see greater endurance? Our failing is that we evoke one another’s worst rather than best. “
In Search of the Cradle of Civilization – New Light on Ancient India
By Georg Feuerstein (1947 – 2012), Subhash Kak and David Frawley.
341 Pages | Published in 1995, second edition 2001 | Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 0835607410.
Contrary to the schoolbook notion, the real cradle of civilization may well have been, not Sumer, but India. This pathbreaking work completely revisions ancient history and suggests that by understanding how our ancestors faced their problems of existence, we can find important answers to our own unprecedented crises.
The authors cite the latest archaeological, geological, and linguistic evidence to show that the ancient Indians had a highly evolved culture that has influenced the Western world decisively and still has much to teach us today. They find the magnificent sacred text. the Rig-Veda, to be much older than assumed, and they decode the profound spiritual Wisdom hidden in its symbols, metaphors, and myths. They also unravel the astonishing mathematical and astronomical code hidden in the Vedic hymns.
From Chapter 2 – ‘The Vedas: Pyramids of the Spirit’ (p. 16):
” The Sanskrit word Veda means literally ‘knowledge’ or ‘Wisdom’. The term is applied to the four ancient collections of hymns – the ‘Rig-Veda’, ‘Yayur-Veda’, ‘Sama-Veda’ and ‘Atharva-Veda’. These hymnodies, about which we will say more shortly, are deemed to be records of revealed Wisdom. They are in fact the largest body of sacred literature surviving from the ancient world. For literally thousands of years they have been passed down faithfully by special families within the brahmin communities of India.
The transmission of this sacred knowledge appears to have been primarily by word of mouth, usually from father to son, generation after generation. The Vedic lore, thought of as divine revelation, was kept in such high regard that every word was painstakingly memorized. Even when the original meaning of many of the words had been lost, the brahmins vigorously adhered to the ideal of remembering and reciting the hymns with utmost fidelity. After the passage of several thousand years, only one uncertain reading of a single word can be found in the entire Rig-Veda (VII.44.3), the oldest of the four Vedic hymnodies. “
The Bhagavad Gītā (Sanskrit Text, Grammar and Word-for-Word Translation)
By Annie Besant (1847 – 1933).
460 Pages | Second edition, 1926 | Hardcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170592895.
The Bhagavad Gītā (lit. ‘Song of the Lord’) is one of the most important basic texts for the study of Hinduism, and has attracted the attention and admiration of thinkers throughout the world. The first edition of this great world scripture with the English translation and notes by Annie Besant (1847 – 1933) and Bhagavan Das ((1869 – 1958) was published in 1905; since then many other excellent editions and expositions of the text have come out. Still, the Bhagavad Gītā by Annie Besant and Bhagavan Das holds a unique place.
Śri Rāmachandra – The Ideal King (Ramayana Lessons)
By Annie Besant (1847 – 1933).
188 Pages | First edition 1915, second edition 2005 | Softcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 8170594774.
This book is constituted of the lectures Annie Besant gave to students, highlighting the noble ideals and virtues embodied in the story of Rāma, the ideal king, as related by the Sage Vālmiki. It is a companion volume to another series of lectures published under the title Mahābhārata: The Story of the Great War. Dr. Besant’s deep understanding of ancient Indian culture and thought and her magnificent language will assist young Indians, and some older people also, to go back to their roots and enrich the present with the great values of the past.
From Chapter II – Youth and Marriage (p. 20):
” KING DAŚARATHA, it is written, ‘dwelt in Ayodhyā happily, expecting sons’, and the whole world was waiting with him, for Vishnu was coming in human form to this earth. All-pervading, all-supporting, He was to fill with his life these coming children, that they might manifest him in the world for the world’s helping. “
The Song Celestial – A Poetic Version of the Bhagavad Gītā (A Quest Miniature)
By Sir Edwin Lester Arnold (1832 – 1904).
154 Pages | First edition 1970, Quest Miniature Series 1975 | Softcover | Quest Books, U.S.A. | ISBN: 0835604187.
The incomparable religious classic of India . . .
In exquisite poetic allegory, Sir Edwin Lester Arnold translates the revered and sacred story of Arjuna and Krishna, representing the eternal struggle between the personality and the Immortal Self.
” Take my last word. My utmost meaning have! Precious thou art to Me; right well-be-loved! Listen! I tell thee for thy comfort this. Give Me thy heart! Adore Me! Serve Me! Cling in faith and love and reverence to Me! So shalt thou come to Me! I promise true, For thou art sweet to Me! “
The Song Celestial or Bhagavad-Gītā (from the Mahābhārata)
By Sir Edwin Lester Arnold (1832 – 1904).
154 Pages | First edition 1970 | Hardcover | Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar | ISBN: 0835672301.
The incomparable religious classic of India . . .
In exquisite poetic allegory, Sir Edwin Lester Arnold translates the revered and sacred story of Arjuna and Krishna, representing the eternal struggle between the personality and the Immortal Self.
” Take my last word. My utmost meaning have! Precious thou art to Me; right well-be-loved! Listen! I tell thee for thy comfort this. Give Me thy heart! Adore Me! Serve Me! Cling in faith and love and reverence to Me! So shalt thou come to Me! I promise true, For thou art sweet to Me! “
DAŚOPANISAD-S – Vol. II.1 CHANDOGYOPANISAD
With the Vivarana Commentary by Śri Upanishadbrahmayogin. Edited by the Pandits of the Adyar Library under the supervision of Prof. C. Kunhan Raja. Critically edited with his Tippani by Dr. S. Sankaranarayanan, Hon. Professor, Adyar Library.
603 Pages | First edition 1936, revised edition 1996, The Adyar Library Series, Volume 15 | Hardcover, with Sanskrit texts | The Adyar Library and Research Centre | No ISBN.