The Nighantu And The Nirukta Vol 1

The Nighantus are the glossaries or lists of rare and obscure words occurring in the Vedic hymns. According to Yaska they were collected and classified by the descendants of ancient sages for the easier understanding of the Vedic texts. The Nirukta is a famous work of Yaska. It is the oldest Indian Treatise on Etymology, Philology and Semantics. This being a commentary on the Nighantus, collection of obscure words which tradition ascribes also to Yaska, follows the three-fold division of the contents of the Nighantus. There are three sections in the Nirukta, viz., Naighantuka Kada ( consisting of lists in which Vedic words are collected under certain main ideas), Naigama Kanda or Aikapadika ( containing a list of ambiguous and particularly difficult words of the Vedas) and Daivata- Kanda ( classification of deities according to the three regions: earth, sky and heaven). The book is divided into three parts. These contain Introduction, Translation and Sanskrit Text, accompanied by exegetical and critical Notes, Indices and Appendices.

The Nighatus are the glossaries or lists or rare and obscure words occurring in the Vedic hymns. According to Yaska they were collected and classified by the descendants of ancient sages for the easier understanding of the Vedic texts.The Nirukta is a famous work of Yaska. It is the oldest Indian Treatise on Etymology, Philology and Semantics. This being a commentary on the Nighantus collection of obscure words which tradition ascribes also to Yaska, follows the three-fold division of the contents of the Nighantus.

The sixth book of the Ramayana of Valmiki, the Yuddhakanda, recounts the final dramatic war between the forces of good led by the exiled prince Rama, and the forces of evil commanded by the arch demon Ravana. The hero Rama's primary purpose in the battle is to rescue the abducted princess Sita and destroy the demon king. However, the confrontation also marks the turning point for the divine mission of the Ramavatara, the incarnation of Lord Visnu as a human prince, who will restore righteousness to a world on the brink of chaos. The book ends with the gods' revelation to Rama of his true divine nature, his emotional reunion with his beloved wife, his long-delayed consecration as king of Kosala, and his restoration of a utopian age. The Yuddhakanda contains some of the most extraordinary events and larger-than-life characters to be found anywhere in world literature. This sixth volume in the critical edition and translation of the Valmiki Ramayana includes an extensive introduction, exhaustive notes, and a comprehensive bibliography.

The Indian tradition of semantic elucidation known as nirvacana analysis represented a powerful hermeneutic tool in the exegesis and transmission of authoritative scripture. Nevertheless, it has all too frequently been dismissed by modern scholars as anything from folk-etymology to a primitive forerunner of historical linguistics. Eivind Kahrs argues that such views fall short of explaining both its acceptance within the sophisticated grammatical tradition of vyakarana and its effective usage in the processing of Sanskrit texts. He establishes his argument by investigating the learned Sanskrit literature of Saiva Kashmir and explains the nirvacana tradition in the light of a model substitution, used at least since the time of the Upanisads and later refined in the technical literatures of grammar and ritual. According to this model, a substitute (adesa) takes the place (sthana) of the original placeholder (sthanin). On the basis of a searching analysis of Sanskrit texts, the author argues that this sthana place can be interpreted as meaning , the model thereby providing favourable circumstances for reinterpretation and change.

A comparative intercultural study of the techniques applied by scholars throughout the world to deal with problematic texts and artifacts.

The history of the Hindu tradition is captured by Kalus K. Klostermaier in this new survey of a rich and ancient religion. This study moves swiftly but thoroughly through the ages, from early emergence of the Vedic tradition to the developments in contemporary Hinduism. Factual information is balanced with discussion of such problematic areas as the true origins of Hinduism and the controversy of the Aryan invasion. Other features include: full coverage of all the major branches within the religion, and their origins; the role of philosophical reflection in the development of Hinduism; the future of Hinduism; a quick-reference chronology, bibliography and extensive glossary. This guide to the development of a major religion should be of interest to those interested in the subject, from gradates to the curious general reader, and can be used as a companion volume to "Hinduism - a short introduction".