The Strides of Vishnu: Hindu Culture in Historical Perspective
"As predicted by the metaphor encoded in the title, this book has a wonderful span -- and the terrain is not what everyone else has already seen." --John Stratton Hawley, Professor of Religion, Barnard College, Columbia University, and author ofThree Bhakti Voicesand, forthcoming,The Memory ofLove"Ariel Glucklich here tackles the enormous question of the interface between the physical world and what he calls ultimate reality in India, balancing the solid data of archeology and other evidence of material culture with the speculations of texts about the meaning behind physical reality. Engaging and provocative, written in a clear, high- spirited style, this book is simultaneously a good read and a good education." --Wendy Doniger, Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Religions, University of Chicago Divinity School, and author ofThe Origins of Evil inHindu Mythology"Ariel Glucklich has given us a rich and compelling introduction for those who long, like we all do, for a richer narrative of Hindu culture. This beautifully written book connects the philosophical, historical, scientific, and aesthetic dimensions of Hindu worlds. Its elegant syntheses are indeed contemporary bandhus in their own right. When we have absorbed its pages, we will stand at the crossroads of the many ideas of what Hinduism has been and what Hinduism is now. And through our expert guide, we will be better able to mark out our own pathways of understanding." --Laurie L. Patton, Howard O. Candler Chair in the Study of Religion and Professor of Early Indian Religions, Emory University"Glucklich's refusal to contain his commentary within the realm of objectivity provides an example for non-Hindu students of a meaningful interaction with the tradition, intentionally encouraging them to raise questions about Hinduism that they may typically only raise with respect to their own traditions." --Journal of Hindu Studies