Ma Alas And Yantras In The Hindu Traditions

The chapters in this book explore important aspects of ma alas and yantras in the Sm?rta, P?ncar?tra, ?aiva and kta traditions through investigations by renowned specialists in the field. An essay on the v?stupuru?ama ala and its relationship to architecture is also included. With colour illustrations.

Following the lead of a "hermeneutics of surprise" the book identifies, indeed, surprising new material, and offers unexpected new insights essential to the debate on the position of goddesses and women in ancient India.

This book is a thorough study, based on both the textual and archaeological data, of the three important temple consecration rituals of the Hindu tradition.

This book is a close study of the ?paddharmaparvan which situates it within its context in the great Sanskrit epic the Mah?bh?rata and within Indian political and social thought, and explores the relationship of its didacticism to the broader literary context of the Mah?bh?rata.

For thousands of years Hindu spirituality has understood the profound effect that sound has on our well-being. From this tradition comes The Yoga of Sound, which draws on yoga's long history of applying sound to reduce stress, maintain health, and invoke spiritual awakenings. In lucid exercises presented both in the book and on accompanying downloadable audio tracks, Russill Paul shows how everyone can learn the art of mantra and how these practices can help to optimize the flow of energy within the body and enhance emotional well-being.

This study is focused on the interaction of material and symbolic values ascribed to sacred trees in India and expressed in 3,000 years of ritual practice. Point of departure is the contemporary trend of mining religious narratives in order to mobilise environmental awareness.