The Present Book Is A Comprehensive And Comparative Study Of The Origin And Development Of The Concept Of Avatèra In The Theological And Biographical Literature Of India: Vedic, Sanskrit, Pali And Bengali. It Seeks To Understand The Incarnated Divinity Of Chaitanya (1486Å1533) And The Socio-Religious And Psychological Factors Responsible For His Apotheosis During His Life-Time. The Study Also Shows How The Concept Of Avatèra, Though Un-Vedic In Origin, Has Absorbed Many Vedic Elements Of Solar Myth And Natural Allegory, Has Synthesized Various Elements From The Epico-Purè!Ic Tradition And Has Ultimately Blossomed Forth As An Eclectic Theory In The Bengal School Of Vai !Avism. It Further Shows That Both Vai !Avism And The Concept Of Avatèra Owe Their Origin To K !A Vèsudeva, The Great Synthesizer Of The Aryan And Non-Aryan Cultures In Ancient India And Ascribes The Theoretical Development Of The Concept Of Avatèra In The Medieval Period To Various Attempts Of Interpreting Chaitanya S Life And Personality. In This Study, Avatèravèda Does Not Merely Remain To Be A Theological Doctrine, But Turns Out, On In-Depth Scrutiny, To Be Also A Method Of Analysis And Interpretation Of Both History And Its Maker With Stress On Synthesis And Syncretism.The Study Dwells Upon Many Relevant Topics Like Relationship Between Avatèravèda And Vyêhavèda, Psychosomatic Symptoms Of Avatèrahood, Zoomorphism And Mythic Elements In The Stories Of The Ten Incarnations Of Vi !U, Historical Significance Of The Episode Of Kalki And Chronology Of The Mytho-Historic Avatèras With The Help Of The Purè!Ic Calendar Of The Four Ages.

Religion in decline in an age of progress -- Untidy realms -- A Swadeshi Chaitanya -- Recovering Bishnupriya's loss -- Utopia and a birthplace.

Tucked away in ancient Sanskrit and Bengali texts is a secret teaching, a blissful devotional (bhakti) tradition that involves sacred congregational chanting (kīrtana), mindfulness practices (japa, smaraṇam), and the deepening of one’s relationship with God (rasa). Brought to the world’s stage by Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu (1486–1533), and fully documented by his immediate followers, the Six Goswāmīs of Vrindāvan, these unprecedented teachings were passed down from master to student in Gauḍīya Vaishnava lineages. The Golden Avatāra of Love: Śrī Chaitanya’s Life and Teachings, by contemporary scholar Steven J. Rosen, makes the profound truths of this confidential knowledge easily accessible for an English language audience. In his well-researched text, modern readers—spiritual practitioners, scholars, and seekers of knowledge alike—will encounter a treasure of hitherto unrevealed spiritual teachings, and be able to fathom sublime dimensions of Śrī Chaitanya’s method. Using the ancient texts themselves and the findings of contemporary academics, Rosen succeeds in summarizing and establishing Śrī Chaitanya’s life and doctrine for the modern world.

Contents: Introduction, The Empires of Ancient India, The Vakatakas, Post- Mauryan India, Political Order and Ideas, Social and Political Thought and Institutions, Kulyavapa, Dronavapa and Adhavapa, South India, The Age of Imperial Kanauj, The Mudrarakshasa the Web of Diplomacy, Valmiki, Vyasa and Kalidasa, R.C. Dutt s Translation of the Epics, Classical Literature, Conclusion.

Includes "Examination Papers".

First published in 2005. Written as a companion to Eliot's 3-volume Hinduism and Buddhism, this title begins with a brief survey of Buddhism as practiced in India and China before delving deep into the history of Buddhism in Japan. It traces the evolution of the Buddhist movement in Japan from its 'official' introduction in AD 552, through the Nara, Heian and Tokugawa periods, detailing the rises of the various Buddhist sects in Japan, including Nichiren and Zen. Thoroughly researched and well-written, it was the last work published by Eliot, one of the great scholars of Eastern religion and philosophy at the time.