The Philosophy Of Saivism 2 Vols Set

Saivism is one of the pervasive expressions of Indian Religious Culture stretching to the dim past of pre-history and surviving as a living force in the thought and life of millions of Hindus especially in Southern India and Northern Ceylon. The present work is scholarly reconstruction of Saivism in its characteristic and classical from as Saiva Siddhanta, focusing mainly on the philosophical doctrine and presenting a conceptual analysis of its formative notions, problems and methods. Anteceding the rise of the great systems of Vedanta including that of Sankara, Saiva Siddhanta in its fully systematised form as Mystical Theology in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries represents a constructive reaction to the theological, ethical and aesthetic aspects of Vedanta as a whole. A patient study of this much neglected phase of religo-philosophical development of India should prove useful for a more balanced understanding of Indian religiosity, providing a corrective to the view entertained not without justification that Indian religious thought does not affirms the values of freedom, love and personality. This methodical study, appended with very exhaustive glossary, bibliography and index and two-hundred pages of references and foot-notes is designed to meet the requirements of seriious students of Eastern religious thought.

The work appears in five volumes. Vol. I comprises Buddhist and Jaina Philosophy and the six systems of Hindu thought, viz.., Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisesika, Mimamsa and Vedanta. It also contains the philosophy of the Yogavasistha, the Bhagavadgita and speculations in the medical schools. Vol. III contains an elaborate account of the Principal Dualistic and Pluralistic Systems such as the philosophy of the Pancaratra, Bhaskara, Yamuna, Ramanuja, Nimbarka, Vijnanabhiksu and philosophical speculations of some of the selected Puranas. Vol. IV deals with the Bhagavata Purana, Madhva and his School, Vallabha, Caitanya, Jiva Gosvami and Baladeva Vidyabhusana. Vol. V treats the Southern Schools of Saivism, viz., Saiva Siddhanta, Vira Saivism, philosophy of Srikantha. Saiva Philosophy in the Puranas and in some important texts. In the words of the Oxford Journal 'the collection of data, editing and the interpretation of every school of thought is a feat unparalleled in the field of history of philosophy.'

This is the second Volume of this Encyclopedia devoted to Advaita Vedanta. It takes up the history of that movement from where Volume Three of this Encyclopedia left off and covers the literature from Vacaspati Misra in the tenth century to Citsukha scholar from around the world both living and dead.In the Introduction the Editor reviews a contentious issue among contemporary Advaita scholars concerning the accuracy of the interpretations of Samkara's intentions found in the writings of the various schools that developed subsequent to Samkara`s lifetime.

In this multimedia study set, Swami Lakshmanjoo, the fully realized philosopher saint of the long concealed and secret tradition known as Kashmir Shaivism, translates and illuminates Abhinavagupta's Paramarthasara. Originally a work of Patanjali, Abhinavagupta chose to revise and update this revered treatise in order to reveal the profundities of the Trika Shaivite doctrine. In the conclusion of the Paramarthasara Abhinavagupta tells us, "I have kept this Paramårthasåra, in brief words, in one hundred verses. But although it is only one hundred verses in body, in the volume of knowledge it is more than ten million verses." Abhinavagupta's Paramårthasåra encapsulates the essential teachings of the more difficult and challenging Kashmiri Shaiva works such as his voluminous Tantråloka and Utpaladeva's Ishvarapratyabijna. Unlike these treatises, however, Abhinavagupta's Paramarthasara does not indulge in exacting dialectic or concise logical argumentation. Rather, it is a straightforward piece intended primarily for novices and yet it is highly beneficial even for the more advanced Shaivite practitioner. Abhinavagupta reveals Kashmir Shaivism's unique understanding of the One and the Many and prescribes highly advanced and effective means for recognizing our true identity as the One. Swami Lakshmanjoo chose to reveal the Paramarthasara because, as Abhinavagupta tells us, the Paramarthasara contains the complete essence of the teachings of Kashmir Shaivism. In this direct and clear-cut explanation, Swamiji reveals and clarifies the essential teachings of this profound philosophical and practical tradition.

"Indian religions, Hindu Saivism, basic concepts."

Yoga is the steadiness of the mind, with the annihilation of the mental states, into a particular type of graduated state leading to Self-realization. The earliest exponent of this system called Rajayoga, the highest of all yogas as distinguished from Hathayoga and Mantrayoga was Patanjali who wrote Aphorisms on Yoga in 150 B.C. The present treatise relates to the system of Rajayoga as enunciated by Patanjali and explained by his commentators Vyasa, Vacaspati, Vijnanabhiksu and others. It deals with the foundation of the yoga practices their philosophical, psychological, cosmological, ethical and religious doctrines. It compares the essential features of the yoga system with other systems of philosophical thought and establishes, in particular, its affinity to the system of Samkhya. The work consists of fifteen chapters divided into two parts bound in one volume. Part I (Chapters I-VII) deals with Yoga Metaphysics, delineating mainly the characteristics and functions of Prakrti and Purusa, the reality of the external world and the process of Evolution. Part II (Chapters VIII-XV) expounds Yoga Ethics and Practice with emphasis on Yoga method stages of Samadhi and kindred topics. This study is documented with a preface giving an outline of the topic, an appendix on Sphota-the relation of words with their ideas and things, and a general index. Contents Book I. Yoga Metaphysics: Prakrti, Purusha, The Reality of the External World, The Process of Evolution, The Evolution of the Categories, Evolution and Change of Qualities, Evolution and God. Book II. Yoga Ethics and Practice: Mind and Moral States, The Theory of Karma, The Ethical Problem, Yoga Practice, The yogangas, Stages of Samadhi, God in Yoga, Matter and Mind, Appendix, Index.

This Triple-Volume Encyclopaedia Is A Comprehensive And Thematic Compilation Of All Important Aspects Of Siva And Saivism In Alphabetical Order Which Took Active Part In Origin And Development Of Indian Religio-Philosophical Tradition. Siva Is One Of The Eminent Ancient Hindu Gods. Saivism Creates The Principle Religious Current Of Classical And Modern Hinduism Which Centres On The Worship Of Lord Siva.