Vedic Elements In Puranic Mantras And Rituals

Influence and usages of Vedic mantras on Hindu rituals and mythological worship of Hindu deities.

In this book the author discusses the places of science in rituals and mantras. Using structural analysis he shows that rituals in general, whether religious, political, social or otherwise have common structural patterns. These patterns are shared by poetry, music,dance and gymanastics, but not by language. Consideration of animal rituals and pathological rituals leads him to propose a general theory which unifies all rituals-like activities.

Ritual and Mantras: Rules Without Meaning is and original study of ritual and mantras which shows that rites lead a life of their own, unaffected by religion or society. In its analysis of Vedic ritual, it uses methods inspired by logic, linguistics, a

In this unprecedented guide to the Vedas, Frits Staal, the celebrated author of Agni- The Vedic Ritual of the Fire Altarand Universals- Studies in Indian Logic and Linguisticsexamines almost every aspect of these ancient sources of Indic civilisation. Staal extracts concrete information from the Oral Tradition and Archaeology about Vedic people and their language, what they thought and did, and where they went and when. He provides essential information about the Vedas and includes selections and translations. Staal sheds light on mantras and rituals, that contributed to what came to be known as Hinduism. Significant is a modern analysis of what we can learn from the Vedas today- the original forms of the Vedic sciences, as well as the perceptive wisdom of the composers of the Vedas. The author puts Vedic civilisation in a global perspective through a wide-ranging comparison with other Indic philosophies and religions, primarily Buddhism. For Staal, originally a logician, the voyage of discovering the Vedas is like unpeeling an onion but without the certainty of reaching an end. Even so, his book shows that the Vedas have a logic all their own. Accessible, finely-argued, and with a wealth of information and insight, Discovering the Vedas is for both the scholar and the interested lay reader.

The Acharas (rituals) in Sanatan Dharma is prescription to live with Ayur-Arogya-Soukhya (longevity, health, and happiness). Every ritual has at least a few or all of these eight benefits: 1. Psychological, 2. Physiological, 3. Family bondage, 4. Social bondage, 5. Community health, 6. National Integration, 7.Material benefits, and 8. Environmental Protection and sustainable healthy living. Mantras, which are universal and not confined to any religion, are classified into four: 1.Vedic, 2. Itihasa, 3. Purana and 4. Karma. Mantra is a sound sequence, which when pronounced correctly will come out in a frequency range of 3 to 7 Hz, says some studies. The studies also say that Vedic mantras increase the size of brain regions associated with a cognitive function such as memory (both short-term and long-term). The author makes you understand difficult subjects in a simple language, easy to understand and appreciate the great culture.

This elegantly written book introduces a new perspective on Indic religious history by rethinking the role of mantra in Vedic ritual. In Bringing the Gods to Mind, Laurie Patton takes a new look at mantra as "performed poetry" and in five case studies draws a portrait of early Indian sacrifice that moves beyond the well-worn categories of "magic" and "magico-religious" thought in Vedic sacrifice. Treating Vedic mantra as a sophisticated form of artistic composition, she develops the idea of metonymy, or associational thought, as a major motivator for the use of mantra in sacrificial performance. Filling a long-standing gap in our understanding, her book provides a history of the Indian interpretive imagination and a study of the mental creativity and hermeneutic sophistication of Vedic religion.