No comments about Hindu Gods and Goddesses: 300 Illustrations from "The Hindu Pantheon" (Dover Pictorial Archive Series).

No comments about Hindu Primary Sources: A Sectarian Reader.

5 comments about Kali's Odiyya : A Shaman's True Story of Initiation.

1. This is an intriguing account of Amarananda Bhairavan's initiation, awakening and progression along the path of Kaula Tantra which was his destiny.
   The fact that this man is coming to London in September presents a rare opportunity to learn directly from a master - not to be missed by anyone interested in discovering more about tantric mysticism and genuine tantric puja.



2. Great book! A must read. Amarananda Bhairavan will be in London September 2006 to give 3 day class on Traditional Tantra and Goddess studies followed by Saraswati Puja.



3. as an avid reader of biographies, i highly recommend "kali's odiyya". the author provides an intimate glimpse into a culture that revers the divine feminine. this book is a favorite on my bookshelf. it also makes a fabulous gift for friends that enjoy a well presented, enchanting life story.



4. 3 weeks ago I was thinking about buying this book, because I became interested in Kali or "Smashan Tara" after reading the Aghora trilogy by DR Svoboda, I went to North London and when I went to the ATM to get money for this book £20 was already there.. I bought it with £15 and bought a Kali Ma CD with the rest ..... this is the power of our mother, she will ALWAYS look out for us, and I am ALWAYS in her service ...Jai Ma Kali !!!



5. This is my first ever review of a book here at Amazon. Being a published author myself and having over 200 books on consciousness and spirituality, it is often difficult to find something that truly provides a new level of insight and understanding of things. I found this book provocative in so many aspects that I was compelled to meet the author and work with him on a personal basis. It is truly a rare opportunity to garner insight into aspects of consciousness that anyone whom is interested in this subject matter desires to know about. I recommend this book highly.

1 comments about Journey through the Twelve Forests: An Encounter with Krishna.

1. Braj is a region in Uttar Pradesh of India surrounding the city of Mathura, and is considered to be the land of Krishna. This book deals with the author's participation in the Ban-Yatra, a two-hundred mile, 22-day pilgrimage around Braj during the rainy season.
   
   This book is very readable and enjoyable: part travel guide, part history book, part religious textbook.
   
   The book was written by David L. Haberman, the Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Indiana University. His writing seems even-handed and scholarly. I assume he is just a researcher and not a Vaishnava, but still, in Chapter Five he reports his astonishing and wonderful vision on the banks of the pond known as Prema Sarovara. The vision left him "shaken", and reading it had the same effect on me.

2 comments about Hindu Altars: A Pop-up Gallery of Traditional Art and Wisdom.

1. Hindu Altars is a pop-up book that sits flat on any surface and portrays in full colour and action for four different deities. What an interesting concept! I think this item would be perfect for a young child just learning about these deities. Not only would the child learn a little about these individuals but he or she would also have a bit of fun bringing each illustration to life.
   
   Despite the obvious pop-up appeal to children, I think that anyone wanting to create a quick to set up, easy to move altar would also find this book useful. This would be absolutely perfect when traveling or when trying to find a nice quiet place to meditate.
   
   The four deities represented in this altar are Lakshmi (Vaishnava tradition- path of devotion), Shiva Nataraja (Shaivite tradition- paths of meditation and knowledge), Durga (Shakta tradition- path of action), and Ganesha (Smarta tradition- path of knowledge and action. Each page shows the mantra of each deity, including the overall purpose of the phrase and full pronunciation. Each figure is also shown as traditionally represented including associated common elements and mudras.



2. It is sometimes very difficult to take all your altar supplies with you while traveling. To some of us, it is extrmely important to have an altar for daily pooja. If we cannot be at home, we must aquire several tiny statues, bowls, cloth, etc. This is a phenomenal invention! Who would have thought? The Siva Nataraja is my personal diety also Lakshmi, and this is so wonderful to have with me in my bookbag at all times.I am able to do mantra without coming home so I can go to the park after yoga class!Great for the worshipper/enthusiast on the go, or lovely artwork for anyone to just enjoy. I highly recommend this and would urge you to get one before they go out of print, as so many of the stand up (Mandala Publishing) altars do. Om Sri Ganshaaya Namah! 1 million stars!-- Review by: Chizzle Mang's wife:
   Shishya Gauri-Pahari Sitaya Das

2 comments about Some Trouble with Cows: Making Sense of Social Conflict.

1. This is an academic study of social conflict. The author investigated a previously unreported riot in what is today the country of Bangladesh, though at the time of the riot was East Pakistan. Her methodology was to talk in detail to persons involved to understand what happened, and perhaps more importantly, their interpretation of what happened. Initially, the book is easy and engaging reading as she describes how she learned of the riot, and how the riot reportedly occurred. She then proceeds to explain the conflict in terms of the broader scholarship of social conflict. Roy's analysis of the power relationships in the village, the precipitation of the riot, and the meaning of the riot to Hindus and Muslims provide is a refreshing balance of the perception of common villagers, and academic social conflict theory. For persons interested in the social relationships in South Asia, and social conflict broadly, this is a terrific book.



2. Beth Roy's account of how a dispute between two neighboring farmers - cow grazes neighbor's crop - turns into a family conflict, then a village conflict, then a religious-ethnic conflict, then embroils the surrounding villages and finally an entire region. She went there, she spoke with the people most directly involved, and she uncovered the underlying national and international issues here being played out on a village level. It takes great insight and empathy to accomplish what Beth Roy has done. This is such a good book.

1 comments about Textual Sources for the Study of Hinduism (Textual Sources for the Study of Religion).

1. If you would like to read about how to denigrate hinduism, wendy doniger is your woman. She has in all her books insulted hinduism. Her lack of intellectual background or cultural understanding and pure racial bias are very obvious in her writings.

No comments about The Ramayana and Mahabharata Condensed into English Verse.

5 comments about Ethnic Conflict and Civic Life: Hindus and Muslims in India.

1. Varshney had the opportunity to examine the Hindu-Muslim divide in India using fresh glasses, and he has failed at it. His book is a litany of hackneyed generalizations and simplistic arguments.



2. I've worked and taught in the field of peacebuilding for 25 years and consider this book the single most important research that has been done in the field. Varshney breaks new ground in conducting indepth research into why some cities in India into fell into violence and some did not during times of high national tension.

   He presents clear and extremely useful findings about what is useful and what is not useful in resisting violence. Specifically, his research shows that creating structures that bring people together to work for a common cause or benefit(such as Hindu-Muslim traders cooperatives, joint community development committees, peace committees, etc.) has a marked effect in reducing violence.

   I present Varshney's findings in a variety of settings worldwide and find audiences always highly responsive. My students love the book and find Varshney's ideas so clear and insightful that the often refer back to him later.

   This book in my view is an example of scholarship at its best: well-designed, provocative, clear in its conclusions. On top of that is it unusually lucid in writing style. I consider it a "classic" - a book that will endure for many years and that deserves to be on the shelf of any serious student of ethnic or religious violence.

   You can read the first and last few chapters and get the real benefits of the book.

   Ron Kraybill
   Professor of Conflict Transformation
   Eastern Mennonite University




3. Mr. Varshney seems to have some agenda with this book.This book with it emphasis tries to blame muslims for the instigators of all riots . May I suggest another book called "The production of Hindu muslim violence "by Paul Brass . This book is more balanced and deals very well the real issues of riots . Infact Mr. Varshney was so critical of this book that he misquotes the authors intention and harshly critisizes his schlorly work in his review with the Times of India.In reply, Mr. Brass posts his objections and analysis about criticism from Mr. Varshney in a poignant and subtle manner.



4. Mr. Ashutosh has taken a very controversial subject but the high ground he had to take with integrity in dealing with such a sensitive subject is missing.
   
   He is blaming Muslims for the riots. Nothing can be further than the truth. Muslims are not in power hence can do nothing with no administration and police support. They don't make policies nor laws and have practically no say in any thing. One wonders how one can orchestrate riots that Mr. AShutosh is accusing the Muslims of. Defies logic.
   
   The problem is they have been sidelined from all departments of Indian and State Governments as a matter of State Policies. They have been singled out for discrimination in all walks of life. Without State Policy helping them to be driven out of the mainstream this could not happen.
   
   Muslims are also Indians and must not be discriminated at any cost. Their presence must be made to be felt in all Government and Private services, only then can we say that we are a great secular democracy. They are a sizable chunk of the Indian population. Rajiv Gandhi at least had realised the need to uplift Muslims and was thinking in the right direction until Narasimha Rao took over and derailed the process yet again.
   
   The problem is Muslims do not read the constitution and take people like Narasimha Rao and Narender Modi to courts.
   
   I plead with Mr. Ashutosh to be more sympathetic to their co-citizens and understand their needs and plight. It hardly matters what religion one propheses in a secular India. Or does it?



5. This very compelling book tells the story of Hindu-Muslim violence in India not by relying on a hunch, or ideological predisposition, but by drawing on hard data. Tightly written, the book will make you think about ethnic violence in a systematic and intelligent manner. The author's significant argument that civil society is implicated in preventing riots in certain Indian cities has important implications both at the personal as well as the political level. For it makes us ask ourselves, as citizens how does our participation or non participation in civic life impact Hindu-Muslim relations in our cities? Furthermore, how can the state and international agencies encourage and entrench the kind of civic behavior that diminishes the prospect of conflict turning into riots? Should be read by all concerned citizens.

5 comments about Kali: The Feminine Force.

1. There is a popular misunderstanding in the Western world about the nature of Kali. Kali is often portrayed as some kind of demon and, unfortunateley, she sometimes even has been worshipped as such, even in India. There are documented cases where Kali worship has involved human sacrifice, and in the western world even some satanists has tried to integrate Kali in their pantheon.

   But, of course, from the start she was the very opposite of a demon. In the original myth about Kali and Durga, wonderfully described in this book, these goddesses in fact save the gods and the world and defeats the male demons that threatens it.

   In Mookerjees book, with a lot of splendid illustrations, you get the story of Kali, as well as some interesting insights in Devi worship, saktism, and, of cource, the story of Durga. It can highly be recommended.




2. This book gives a great introduction to many of the more fascinating aspects of Kali: the history of the divine feminine in Hinduism, her relationship to other godesses (esp. Durga), the devotional poetry of Ramprasad, her role in Tantra. It's also full of beautiful and fascinating photographs and art related to the goddess. It is definitely a great book for anyone wanting to learn more about this fascinating deity who is so often misunderstood in the West.



3. This book is beautyful! The photographs, paintings and drawing are breathtaking. The information is on target. Its not a big book, but for its sized it has a good amount of information. The auther knows her stuff. I cant stand it when people write about Kali and have no idea what they are talking about and believe me people I see it often. Kali is not all about destruction, or hexing, or the end of time. Shes not just a goddess in her "Crone phase" Shes not just a Goddess of the moon. Kali is used for many things even for healing. In her Bhadra Kali aspect shes a young virgin. But some people do not know this about her. If theres one complaint about this book is that sometimes the auther can get off the subject of Kali. But regardless all the information is informative and wonderful. Its well researched. Its not as devotional as Kali by Elizabet U Harding but its defenitly a compliment to her book as well as to the book Kali Puja. I reccomend all three.



4. A lot of books on Kali come necessarily from a scholarly perspective that is deeply rooted in patriarchal presuppositions (as this is the nature of most of the research that's been done). However, Mookerjee's book delves into the heart of Kali, creating balance in the approach. This book is a thorough and thoughtful introduction to her history and worship, and demystifies her symbolism and terrible imagery, reminding us that Kali is seen both as the fierce destroyer AND the benevolent, all-encompassing, compassionate mother.

   I highly recommend this to those who are new to Kali, as it's very accessible for Westerners.




5. The value of this book is multifold and many-petaled: a compilation of interesting and beautiful images; informative text; and a medium for reflection upon divinity, the feminine principle, and how sacredness manifests in our world. The focus is Kali, a goddess created from Durga in order to defeat evil forces. So mighty was her power, according to Hindu belief, that after Kali defeated all the demons, her wrath and power were so great that only the loving surrender of Shiva, upon whose prostrate form Kali is often portrayed as standing, could assuage her.
   
   In that image alone, there is much to consider. Today, as the world's body is being destroyed by violence and poison, there is urgent need to "ground" the free-floating rage and greed that threaten us all. It is useful to meditate upon the paradox of Shiva's appeasement of Kali, the red-tongued goddess now worshipped as the great liberator, ruler of death, and identified with blood. The acknowledgement of feminine power and yielding to it brings both peace and liberation to the cosmos. Unsurprisingly, Kali is especially important to women, signifying as she does, a power often obscured and even suppressed in the land where she is most often officially reverenced.
   
   The author of this book begins by noting his wife's visionary or spiritual experience centered upon Kali, and alludes to how this subsequently transformed their marital relationship. This is a good illustration of how Kali and the feminine force embodied in her is not to be regarded as something "on the shelf" or solely present during puja (ritual worship); rather, her greater significance is the emergence of women from traditional limitations, opening them to the realization of their intrinsic power.
   
   Readers who identify with Tantric, pagan, Wiccan, or mainstream Hindu traditions will find immediate relevance and value in this text and the wonderful images contained therein; those of a more secular inclination will appreciate this book's artistic and humanist impulse towards the liberation of humanity's greater half, with all the promise that holds for our shared destiny.