{"product_id":"hindu-images-and-their-worship-with-special-reference-to-vaisnavism-1","title":"Hindu Images and their Worship with special reference to Vaisnavism","description":"\u003cp\u003eHinduism comprises perhaps the major cluster of religio-cultural traditions of India, and it can play a valuable role in helping us understand the nature of religion and human responses to life. Hindu image-worship lies at the core of what counts for Hinduism – up-front and subject to much curiosity and misunderstanding, yet it is a defining feature of this phenomenon.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book focuses on Hindu images and their worship with special reference to Vaiṣṇavism, a major strand of Hinduism. Concentrating largely, but not exclusively, on Sanskritic source material, the author shows in the course of the book that Hindu image-worship may be understood via three levels of interpretation: the metaphysical\/theological, the narratival or mythic, and the performative or ritual. Analysing the chief philosophical paradigm underlying Hindu image-worship and its implications, the book exemplifies its widespread application and tackles, among other topics such as the origins of image-worship in Hinduism, the transition from Vedic to image worship, a distinguishing feature of Hindu images: their multiple heads and limbs. Finally, with a view to laying the grounds for a more positive dialogic relationship between Hinduism and the \"Abrahamic\" faiths, which tend to condemn Hindu image-worship as \"idolatry\", the author examines the theological explanation and justification for embodiment of the Deity in Hinduism and discusses how Hinduism might justify itself against such a charge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRich in Indological detail, and with an impressive grasp of the philosophical and theological issues underlying Hindu material culture, and image-worship, this book will be of interest to academics and others studying theology, Indian philosophy and Hinduism.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Taylor \u0026 Francis Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54235279327576,"sku":"9781138291133","price":192.2,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/1295\/4195\/files\/9781138291133_1a846897-45ad-4b09-b7b3-5f2b87ee6fd2.jpg?v=1777263328","url":"https:\/\/agendabookshop.com\/products\/hindu-images-and-their-worship-with-special-reference-to-vaisnavism-1","provider":"Agenda Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}