Book Review: Missionaries, Rebellion and Proto-Nationalism: James Long of Bengal 1814-87

A review of Missionaries, Rebellion and Proto-Nationalism: James Long of Bengal 1814-87 by Geoffrey A. Oddie

Book Review: Great Swan: Meetings with Ramakrishna

A review of Lex Hixon\u27s Great Swan: Meetings with Ramakrishna

On Hindutva and a Hindu-Catholic, with a Moral for our Times

The purpose of this article is to comment on the term hindutva, viz. Hinduness, with special reference to a 19th century Bengali thinker who sought to indigenise his Christian faith, and to draw some topical conclusions. The thinker is Brahmabandhab Upadhyay (1861-1907) whom his sometime friend, Rabindranath Tagore, Bengal\u27s greatest luminary, described as a Roman Catholic ascetic, yet a Vedantin -- spirited, fearless, self-denying, erudite and uncommonly influential. No doubt Upadhyay was influential then; he had a powerful impact on Tagore himself especially when they were jointly establishing what would later develop as Tagore\u27s brainchild of Santiniketan. For years previously Upadhyay had made a name for himself among the educated in the land in his attempt to give content to his self-description as a Hindu-Catholic, not only by a vigorous campaign of journalism and lectures but by his extraordinary life-style

Tribute: Tamal Goswami

A tribute to Tamal Goswami (1947-2002)

Capturing Gods: The God of Love and the Love of God in Christian and Hindu Tradition

Dr. Lipner’s comparative discussion of Christian and Hindu thought draws upon his own scholarly explorations of these traditions, while at the same time considering the nature of cross-cultural dialogue. How do religious ideas resonate within their own contexts? Which aspects of these concepts are most likely to invite associations in a new milieu? Responding to such questions, Lipner advocates a focus on “love,” agape and bakhti in Christian and Hindu traditions. His analysis carefully enters each tradition before considering shared ground

Tributes

Tributes to Richard V. De Smet and M. M. Thomas

The Truth of Dharma and the Dharma of Truth: Reflections on Hinduism as a Dharmic Faith

Abstract: This article discusses what it might mean to characterize traditional Hinduism as a dharmic faith in relation to the concepts of truth (satyam) and its opposite (anṛtam), without however expatiating on supposed contrasts between Hinduism and the “Abrahamic” faiths. The argument is conducted by recognizing two senses to anṛtam, namely, “non-truth” and “falsehood,” in contrast to satyam; and the method used is inductive in that a historically well-known episode of the Mahābhārata—the story of Kauśika and the bandits—and its authoritative interpretation by the deity Kṛṣṇa in terms of satyam and anṛtam (in the Karṇaparvan, Book 8, of the text) are analyzed heuristically to indicate how dharma is viewed in the tradition qua ethical concept. The conclusion is drawn that Hindu dharma is understood as that whose objective is ultimately to bring about the welfare of the world (lokasaṅgraha). In relation to truth (and its opposite), materially, dharma is invariably contextual in connotation (in contrast to what might be a Kantian or absolutist reading of moral imperatives), whereas formally, at the hands of one commentator or other, not least in modern times, dharma is that which defines what it means to be Hindu. The material and formal connotations of dharma thus analyzed and taken together set Hinduism apart qua dharmic faith

The Truth of Dharma and the Dharma of Truth: Reflections on Hinduism as a Dharmic Faith

Abstract: This article discusses what it might mean to characterize traditional Hinduism as a dharmic faith in relation to the concepts of truth (satyam) and its opposite (anṛtam), without however expatiating on supposed contrasts between Hinduism and the “Abrahamic” faiths. The argument is conducted by recognizing two senses to anṛtam, namely, “non-truth” and “falsehood,” in contrast to satyam; and the method used is inductive in that a historically well-known episode of the Mahābhārata—the story of Kauśika and the bandits—and its authoritative interpretation by the deity Kṛṣṇa in terms of satyam and anṛtam (in the Karṇaparvan, Book 8, of the text) are analyzed heuristically to indicate how dharma is viewed in the tradition qua ethical concept. The conclusion is drawn that Hindu dharma is understood as that whose objective is ultimately to bring about the welfare of the world (lokasaṅgraha). In relation to truth (and its opposite), materially, dharma is invariably contextual in connotation (in contrast to what might be a Kantian or absolutist reading of moral imperatives), whereas formally, at the hands of one commentator or other, not least in modern times, dharma is that which defines what it means to be Hindu. The material and formal connotations of dharma thus analyzed and taken together set Hinduism apart qua dharmic faith