The Artful Universe: An Introduction to the Vedic Religious Imagination

Language: ENGLISHPages: 337Preface This book serves as an introduction to the Vedic religious tradition of ancient and classical India, a tradition that in many ways has stood as the foundation for much of Indian spirituality for 3,500 years and more. The discussions in the following pages emphasize Vedic ideas regarding the nature of divinity and its relationship to the natural and human worlds; Vedic cosmology and metaphysics; the nature and process of revelation and its relationship to poetry and other forms of expression; the structure and purpose of ritual performance and other forms of hallowed activity; and the function and practice of meditation. Consideration of such topics leads to a presentation of other related Vedic ideas and aspirations as well: the connection between liturgy and contemplation; the relationship between the soul and ultimate reality; the yearning for and experience of transcendence, freedom, and immortality. These are key components of the Vedic religious world. Accordingly, they have been the focus of many studies by astute scholars in both India and the West. However, most of these books tend to be rather opaque to those who are relatively unfamiliar with the material at hand, and few of them have directed their readers' attention to all the components of the Vedic religious world just mentioned. I hope that this book makes these important aspects of Vedic thought more accessible to interested nonspecialists, thereby contributing to the wider understanding and continuing study of Vedic religion.' As a way to frame these important but in some ways diverse aspects of Vedic thought, The Artful Universe denominates and highlights a particular theme that links all these components together, namely, the important role of the divine and human imagination