The metaphysical poetry of the English Romantics is characterised by an interest in esoteric wisdom, and the exploration of Hinduism and Neoplatonism during the period formed a significant part of ...this 'abstruse research'. This thesis will investigate the role of two central strands of 'Romantic esotericism', Neoplatonism and Hinduism, in the work of Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Percy Bysshe Shelley, and examine how it is manifested in their poetry, philosophy and expression of visionary experience and spiritual transcendence. This study considers the way in which Coleridge and Shelley drew upon the ideas, symbols, mythology, theology and philosophy contained in the earliest English translations of Hindu sacred texts and Thomas Taylor's Neoplatonic translations, during their poetic explorations of transcendental experience. It will demonstrate how this material was a significant source of inspiration to both Coleridge and Shelley when formulating their own poetic vocabulary capable of expressing the ineffable divine. The first chapter deals with the early influence of Hinduism and Neoplatonism on Coleridge's poetic output from 1793-1802, and the second chapter considers his shifting response from this point onwards, which coincides with his poetic development and the apparent loss of his former visionary insight. His expression of visionary experience in his early work is evidently influenced by both Hindu and Neoplatonic texts and, despite his later criticism, Coleridge continues to make use of their 'symbolic potential' before dismissing them entirely in his later years. Shelley shares Coleridge's preoccupation with the esoteric unknown and the final chapter examines the influence of Hinduism and Taylor's Neoplatonic translations, as well as the symbolic legacy of Coleridge, on Shelley's poetical explorations of visionary pursuit and divine insight. Like Coleridge, Shelley synthesises Neoplatonic and Hindu influences to create his own divine symbolism, and both poets were greatly inspired by their engagement with these ancient traditions.
This work provides an anthology of close textual readings and examinations of a wide range of topics by leading scholars in interreligious scholarship and Hindu-Jewish dialogue, offering innovative ...approaches to categories such as ritual, sacrifice, ethics, and theology while underscoring affinities between Hindu and Jewish philosophy and religion.
The Ramayana, an ancient epic of India, with audiences across vast stretches of time and geography, continues to influence numberless readers socially and morally through its many re-tellings. Made ...available in English for the first time, the 16th century version presented here is by Candravati, a woman poet from Bengal. It is a highly individual rendition as a tale told from a woman's point of view which, instead of celebrating masculine heroism, laments the suffering of women caught in the play of male ego.
This book presents a translation and commentary on the text, with an extensive introduction that scrutinizes its social and cultural context and correlates its literary identity with its ideological implications. Taken together, the narrative and the critical study offered here expand the understanding both of the history of women's self-expression in India and the cultural potency of the epic tale. The book is of interest equally to students and researchers of South Asian narratives, Ramayana studies and gender issues.
This article will discuss the difficulties in analysing and mapping Hinduism in Europe, and will present a suggestion for a working typology. The point of departure is Denmark as a geographically ...limited space. The aim of this article is to use the findings in Denmark and the suggested categories for groups to form a heuristic framework, or present some overall patterns that apply to other European countries. This is despite the special history of Denmark, which of course has to be taken into account—not least when it comes to its Hindu migration patterns, relations with the Hindu tradition among the public, and relations with religion in general (Denmark and the other Scandinavian countries are regarded as prototypically secular societies). The following categories or typologies will be presented from a polythetic point of view: (a) people or groups who understand themselves as Hindus by birth and by descent; (b) people or groups that can be understood as Hindu related; (c) people or groups that can be understood as being inspired by the Hindu religion. There is also a fourth category or better tendency, which will be called Crossover Hinduism. Crossover Hinduism can be understood as a form of dialectical network and entanglement, but also as a mutual reference point between the different groups. This representation of Hinduism will be the main focus of this article. The concept of Crossover Hinduism not only challenges concepts such as syncretism and eclecticism, but can also give an idea of how concepts flow and generate new meaning(s) that will have some kind of impact on the way the different groups can be associated with the Hindu tradition.
Hindu nationalism has been responsible for acts of extreme violence against religious minorities and is a dominant force on the sociopolitical landscape of contemporary India. How does such a violent ...and exclusionary movement recruit supporters? How do members navigate the tensions between the normative prescriptions of such movements and competing ideologies? To understand the expansionary power of Hindu nationalism, Kalyani Menon argues, it is critical to examine the everyday constructions of politics and ideology through which activists garner support at the grassroots level. Based on fieldwork with women in several Hindu nationalist organizations, Menon explores how these activists use gendered constructions of religion, history, national insecurity, and social responsibility to recruit individuals from a variety of backgrounds. As Hindu nationalism extends its reach to appeal to increasingly diverse groups, she explains, it is forced to acknowledge a multiplicity of positions within the movement. She argues that Hindu nationalism's willingness to accommodate dissonance is central to understanding the popularity of the movement.Everyday Nationalismcontends that the Hindu nationalist movement's power to attract and maintain constituencies with incongruous beliefs and practices is key to its growth. The book reveals that the movement's success is facilitated by its ability to become meaningful in people's daily lives, resonating with their constructions of the past, appealing to their fears in the present, presenting itself as the protector of the country's citizens, and inventing traditions through the use of Hindu texts, symbols, and rituals to unite people in a sense of belonging to a nation.
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