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Indian Religions
Islamic Studies September 22, 2023

Merchants of Virtue

Hindus, Muslims, and Untouchables in Eighteenth-Century South Asia

Divya Cherian

Hosted by SherAli Tareen
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In her formidable and fiercely well-argued new book Merchants of Virtue: Hindus, Muslims, and Untouchables in Eighteenth-Century South Asia (U California Press, 2023), Divya Cherian shows with meticulous detail and in lyrical …

Indian Religions

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Indian Religions September 21, 2023

Middle-Class Dharma

Gender, Aspiration, and the Making of Contemporary Hinduism

Jennifer D. Ortegren

Hosted by Raj Balkaran
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Middle-Class Dharma: Gender, Aspiration, and the Making of Contemporary Hinduism (Oxford UP, 2023) is a contemporary ethnography of class mobility among Hindus in Udaipur, Rajasthan, India. Focusing on women …
Philosophy September 20, 2023

Vatsyayana's Commentary on the Nyaya-Sutra

A Guide

Matthew R. Dasti

Hosted by Malcolm Keating
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In Vatsyayana's Commentary on the Nyaya-Sutra: A Guide (Oxford University Press, 2023), Matthew Dasti unpacks a canonical classical Indian text, the Nyayabhasya, while simultaneously demonstrating its relevance to contemporary philosophy …
Indian Religions September 14, 2023

Science and Society in the Sanskrit World

Vishal Sharma, Christopher T. Fleming, Toke Lindegaard Knudsen and Anuj Misra

Hosted by Raj Balkaran
Science and Society in the Sanskrit World (Brill, 2023) lauds the remarkable career of Christopher Z. Minkowski, the erstwhile Boden Professor of Sanskrit at Balliol College, University of Oxford. The …
Psychology September 9, 2023

Escaping Maya's Palace

Decoding an Ancient Myth to Heal the Hidden Madness of Modern Civilization

Richard Sclove

Hosted by Susan Grelock-Yusem
Richard Sclove’s newest book — Escaping Maya’s Palace: Decoding an Ancient Myth to Reveal and Heal the Hidden Madness of Modern Civilization (Karavelle Press, 2023)— won a 2023 Gold Nautlilus Book …
Indian Religions September 7, 2023

Between Hindu and Christian

Khrist Bhaktas, Catholics, and the Negotiation of Devotion in Banaras

Kerry P. C. San Chirico

Hosted by Raj Balkaran
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On the second Saturday of each month, on the outskirts of the ancient city of Varanasi, Shiva's own city, thousands of shudra and Dalit devotees worship Yesu (Jesus) at a …
Indian Religions September 6, 2023

The Bhagavata Purana

Sacred Text and Living Tradition

Ravi Gupta and Kenneth Valpey

Hosted by Raj Balkaran
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Today I talked to Ravi Gupta and Kenneth Valpey about The Bhagavata Purana: Sacred Text and Living Tradition (Columbia UP, 2013) A vibrant example of living literature, the Bhagavata Purana is a …
Indian Religions August 31, 2023

Texts, Traditions, and Sacredness

Cultural Translation in Kristapurana

Annie Rachel Royson

Hosted by Raj Balkaran
Annie Rachel Royson's book Texts, Traditions, and Sacredness: Cultural Translation in Kristapurana (Routledge, 2023) presents a critical reading of Kristapurāṇa, the first South Asian retelling of the Bible. In 1579 …
Indian Religions August 30, 2023

Religious Reading and Everyday Lives in Devotional Hinduism

Emilia Bachrach

Hosted by Raj Balkaran
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Religious texts are not stable objects, passed down unchanged through generations. The way in which religious communities receive their scriptures changes over time and in different social contexts. Emilia Bachrach's …
Indian Religions August 24, 2023

World of Worldly Gods

The Persistence and Transformation of Shamanic Bon in Buddhist Bhutan

Kelzang T. Tashi

Hosted by Raj Balkaran
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In World of Worldly Gods: The Persistence and Transformation of Shamanic Bon in Buddhist Bhutan (Oxford UP, 2023), Kelzang T. Tashi offers the first comprehensive examination of the tenacity of …
Indian Religions August 17, 2023

Religious and Non-Religious Perspectives on Happiness and Wellbeing

Sharada Sugirtharajah

Hosted by Raj Balkaran
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Sharada Sugirtharajah's edited volume Religious and Non-Religious Perspectives on Happiness and Wellbeing (Routledge, 2022) explores the theme of happiness and well-being from religious, spiritual, philosophical, psychological, humanistic, and health perspectives …
Indian Religions August 10, 2023

Science and Religion in India

Beyond Disenchantment

Renny Thomas

Hosted by Raj Balkaran
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Science and Religion in India: Beyond Disenchantment (Routledge, 2022) provides an in-depth ethnographic study of science and religion in the context of South Asia, giving voice to Indian scientists and …
Indian Religions August 3, 2023

The Festival of Indra

Innovation, Archaism, and Revival in a South Asian Performance

Michael Baltutis

Hosted by Raj Balkaran
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Michael Baltutis' book The Festival of Indra: Innovation, Archaism, and Revival in a South Asian Performance (SUNY Press, 2023) details the textual and performative history of an important South Asian festival …
Southeast Asian Studies August 1, 2023

Reconstructing God

Style, Hydraulics, Political Power and Angkor's West Mebon Visnu

Marnie Feneley

Hosted by Patrick Jory
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In December 1936, a villager was led by a dream to the ruins of the West Mebon shrine in Angkor where he uncovered remains of a bronze sculpture. This was …
Buddhist Studies July 30, 2023

Nonexistent Objects in Buddhist Philosophy

On Knowing What There is Not

Zhihua Yao

Hosted by Jessica Zu
Can we know what there is not?  Zhihua Yao's Nonexistent Objects in Buddhist Philosophy: On Knowing What There is Not (Bloomsbury, 2020) examines the historical development of the concept of …
Indian Religions July 27, 2023

Hidden Paradigms

Comparing Epic Themes, Characters, and Plot Structures

Brenda E. F. Beck

Hosted by Raj Balkaran
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Brenda Beck discusses her lifelong work on a Tamil folk legend, resulting in a graphic novel, an English translation and Hidden Paradigms: Comparing Epic Themes, Characters, and Plot Structures (U Toronto Press …
Indian Religions July 20, 2023

Mirror of Nature

Models of Consciousness in Sāṃkhya, Yoga, and Advaita Vedānta

Dimitry Shevchenko

Hosted by Raj Balkaran
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In Indian philosophical traditions, a reflection in a mirror frequently serves as a metaphor, suggesting that just as a face in a mirror appears where it is not, so does …
Indian Religions July 13, 2023

Exploring Hindu Philosophy

Ankur Barua

Hosted by Raj Balkaran
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Ankur Barua's book Exploring Hindu Philosophy (Equinox Publishing, 2023) points to some of the diverse tapestries of Hindu worldviews where scriptural revelation, logical argumentation, embodied affectivity, moral reasoning, and aesthetic cultivation …
Indian Religions July 6, 2023

Hindu-Christian Dual Belonging

Daniel J Soars and Nadya Pohran

Hosted by Raj Balkaran
Daniel J. Soars and Nadya Pohran's book Hindu-Christian Dual Belonging (Routledge, 2022) focuses on dual belonging within Hindu-Christian contexts. Written by experts in a variety of fields, the chapters explore …
Indian Religions July 1, 2023

Hearing The Song of Your Soul

A Poetic Translation of the Bhagavad Gita

Laura Atmadarshan Santoro

Hosted by Raj Balkaran
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Geared toward modern Westerners and presented in the original poetic rhythm, Hearing the Song of Your Soul is an approachable, beautiful new translation of the Bhagavad Gita that can be …