Hindu Images and their Worship with special reference to Vaisnavism: A philosophicaltheological inquiry (Routledge Hindu Studie

Hinduism Comprises Perhaps The Major Cluster Of ReligioCultural Traditions Of India, And It Can Play A Valuable Role In Helping Us Understand The Nature Of Religion And Human Responses To Life. Hindu ImageWorship Lies At The Core Of What Counts For Hinduism UpFront And Subject To Much Curiosity And Misunderstanding, Yet It Is A Defining Feature Of This Phenomenon.This Book Focuses On Hindu Images And Their Worship With Special Reference To Vaiavism, A Major Strand Of Hinduism. Concentrating Largely, But Not Exclusively, On Sanskritic Source Material, The Author Shows In The Course Of The Book That Hindu ImageWorship May Be Understood Via Three Levels Of Interpretation: The Metaphysical/Theological, The Narratival Or Mythic, And The Performative Or Ritual. Analysing The Chief Philosophical Paradigm Underlying Hindu ImageWorship And Its Implications, The Book Exemplifies Its Widespread Application And Tackles, Among Other Topics Such As The Origins Of ImageWorship In Hinduism, The Transition From Vedic To Image Worship, A Distinguishing Feature Of Hindu Images: Their Multiple Heads And Limbs. Finally, With A View To Laying The Grounds For A More Positive Dialogic Relationship Between Hinduism And The Abrahamic Faiths, Which Tend To Condemn Hindu ImageWorship As Idolatry, The Author Examines The Theological Explanation And Justification For Embodiment Of The Deity In Hinduism And Discusses How Hinduism Might Justify Itself Against Such A Charge.Rich In Indological Detail, And With An Impressive Grasp Of The Philosophical And Theological Issues Underlying Hindu Material Culture, And ImageWorship, This Book Will Be Of Interest To Academics And Others Studying Theology, Indian Philosophy And Hinduism.