'The Artful Universe' introduces the Vedic religion, a rich and densely textured tradition that has influenced the religious sensibilities of India for 3500 years or more. Engagingly written and based on traditional as well as modern Vedic scholarship, the book introduces Vedic ideas regarding the nature of divinity, the structure of the sacred universe, the process of revelation, the function of ritual as hallowed activity, and the realizations lying behind the practice of meditation. As a way to link these diverse aspects of Vedic religion, Mahony identifies and highlights the important role of the divine and human imagination in the formation, revelation, and reformation of a meaningful world.
William K. Mahony is Professor of Religion at Davidson College. He is an editor and contributor to the sixteen-volume 'The Encyclopedia of Religion'.
Author(s): William K. Mahony.
Series: SUNY series in Hindu studies
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Year: 1998
Language: English
Pages: 325
City: Albany, NY
Tags: artfuluniversein0000maho;hinduism;vedic religion;sanskrit
Cover
Half title
Imprint
Contents
Preface
Pronunciation of Sanskrit Words
Introduction
1. The Gods as Artists: The Formative Power of the Divine Imagination
2. Reality Veiled and Revealed: On the Artistic Order of the Universe
3. The Poet as Visionary: The Artistry of the Verbal Imagination
4. The Priest as Artist: Universal Drama and the Liturgical Imagination
5. The Inward Seer: The Liberating Power of the Contemplative Imagination
6. Religious Functions of the Imagination
Notes
Bibliography
Index and Glossary
