Hinduism

Upanisadernas många anonyma författare levde under de sju sista århundradena före vår tideräkning en tid av dramatiska förändringar i norra Indien, då nya läror som buddhismen och jainismen uppstod. Deras verk ger oss en fascinerande inblick i människans sökande efter sanningen, ofta i form av dialoger mellan mästare och lärjungar. Här möter vi för första gången i den indiska idéhistorien begrepp som karma och yoga, föreställningar om återfödelse och om andlig frigörelse genom självinsikt. Denna bok innehåller de tolv äldsta och mest välkända upanishaderna, som nu för första gången föreligger i direktöversättning från sanskrit till svenska. Den texttrogna översättningen grundar sig på den senaste forskningen, men riktar sig till en bred publik. Detta är ett av hinduismens mest kända verk vid sidan om Bhavadgita (utgavs av Norstedts i översättning av Martin Gansten).

Hinduism is practised by nearly eighty per cent of India's population, and by some seventy million people outside India. In this Very Short Introduction, Kim Knott offers a succinct and authoritative overview of this major religion, and analyses the challenges facing it in the twenty-first century. She discusses key preoccupations of Hinduism such as the centrality of the Veda as religious texts, the role of Brahmins, gurus, and storytellers in the transmission of divine truths, and the cultural and moral importance of epics such as the Ramayana. In this second edition Knott considers the impact of changes in technology and the flourishing of social media on Hinduism, and looks at the presence of Hinduism in popular culture, considering pieces such as Sita Sings the Blues. She also analyses recent developments in India, and the impact issues such as Hindu nationalism and the politicization of Hinduism have on Hindus worldwide.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Tantra originated in India many centuries ago but it's uniquely placed to help people use real life as grist to the mill for spiritual transformation. The purpose of the book is to articulate what Tantra can be in our modern times and how it can be applied to all aspects of our everyday life. Traditionally Tantra was a path that brought spirituality out of the caves and monasteries and into the life of householders. It didn't seek to separate sexuality and spirituality and to force people to make a choice but rather to integrate the life of family and relationship with spirituality. This includes sexuality but it's not all about sexuality, and this is a rare book that applies Tantra to every aspect of life.Living Tantra is a body of work that aims to bring the essence and core message of tantra into relevance for our contemporary life and society as a path of spiritual growth and human development. It's based on her legendary workshops which book up via word of mouth and attracts attendees from across Europe and North America, especially Sweden, Austria, USA, Germany, Spain and the Czech Republic. The exercises here come out of these workshops and mean that we can benefit from this work in our own homes.The principles of Living Tantra are to use all life, all experience to learn and become more conscious of ourselves and the world around us, to care more for ourselves, each other and the world and to develop greater compassion. Tantra includes everything. It is ""the weaving together of all that is"".

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A YOGI is at once a beautifully written account of an exceptional life and a profound introduction to the ancient science of Yoga and its time-honoured tradition of meditation. Profoundly inspiring, it is at the same time vastly entertaining, warmly humorous and filled with extraordinary personages.Self-Realization Fellowship's editions, and none others, include extensive material added by the author after the first edition was published, including a final chapter on the closing years of his life.Selected as "One of the 100 Best Spiritual Books of the Twentieth Century", Autobiography of a Yogi has been translated into more than 50 languages, and is regarded worldwide as a classic of religious literature. Several million copies have been sold, and it continues to appear on best-seller lists after more than sixty consecutive years in print. With engaging candour, eloquence, and wit, Paramahansa Yogananda tells the inspiring chronicle of his life: the experiences of his remarkable childhood, encounters with many saints and sages during his youthful search throughout India for an illumined teacher, ten years of training in the hermitage of a revered yoga master, and the thirty years that he lived and taught in America. Also recorded here are his meetings with Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Luther Burbank, the Catholic stigmatist Therese Neumann, and other celebrated spiritual personalities of East and West. The author clearly explains the subtle but definite laws behind both the ordinary events of everyday life and the extraordinary events commonly termed miracles. His absorbing life story becomes the background for a penetrating and unforgettable look at the ultimate mysteries of human existence.

The Bhagavad Gita, "The Song of the Lord," is probably the best known of all the Indian scriptures, and Easwaran's clear, accessible translation is the best-selling edition. The Gita opens dramatically, with prince Arjuna collapsing in anguish on the brink of a war that he doesn't want to fight. Arjuna has lost his way on the battlefield of life, and turns to his spiritual guide, Sri Krishna, the Lord himself. Krishna replies in 700 verses of sublime instruction on living and dying, loving and working, and the nature of the soul. This book includes an extensive and very readable introduction, which places the Gita in its historical setting, explains the key concepts, and brings out the universality of its teachings. Individual chapter introductions prepare the reader for the main themes, and notes, a Sanskrit glossary, and an index are included. Although the battlefield is a perfect backdrop, for Easwaran the Gita's subject is the war within, the struggle for self-mastery that every human being must wage. Arjuna's dilemma is acutely modern, and the Gita's message remains as relevant for us now as it was for ancient India.

Among the oldest of India's spiritual texts, the Upanishads are records of intensive question-and-answer sessions given by illumined sages to their students - in ashrams, at family gatherings, in a royal court, and in the kingdom of Death. The sages share flashes of insight, extraordinary visions, the results of their investigation into consciousness itself. The Upanishads have puzzled and inspired wisdom seekers from Yeats to Schopenhauer. In this best-selling translation, Eknath Easwaran makes these challenging texts more accessible by selecting the passages most relevant to readers seeking timeless truths today. This book includes an overview of the cultural and historical setting, with chapter introductions, notes, and a Sanskrit glossary. But it is Easwaran's understanding of the wisdom of the Upanishads that makes this edition truly outstanding. Each sage, each Upanishad, appeals in a different way to the reader's head and heart. For Easwaran, the Upanishads are part of India's precious legacy, not just to Hinduism but to humanity, and in that spirit they are offered here.

Discover the traditional stories and wisdom behind your favourite yoga poses in this stunningly illustrated book of Indian mythology for yogis of all levels.A beautifully written introduction to Indian mythology, join storyteller, scholar and teacher, Dr Raj Balkaran, and explore the unforgettable tales behind 50 key yoga poses, such as: Vīrabhadrāsana II, the original warrior poseTāḍāsana, mountain poseBhujaṅgāsana, cobra poseGaruḍāsana, eagle posePadmāsana, lotus poseVīrāsana, hero poseŚavāsana, corpse pose Meet iconic Gods and Goddesses, from Gaṇeśa, the elephant-headed god of wisdom, to Śiva, Lord of Yogis, and Kali, goddess of mind, body, soul and death. Explore the rivalry between the sages Vasiṣṭha and Viśvāmitra, and their cosmic feud over a wish-fulfilling cow.Plunge into the depths of one of the richest myths in Hinduism: the battle between the demons and the gods who churn the cosmic oceans in search for the elixir of immortality. And learn how Śiva got his blue throat!  Learn, through the mythology of the poses, more about the roots of this ancient practice and how you can use their teachings to better appreciate and respect yoga’s true origins.  Enhance your practice by reading one story before or at the end of class, and incorporating the poses and their teaching into your life, as well as your yoga practice, and transform the way you view and practice this timeless art.

The Upanishads, the earliest of which were composed in Sanskrit between 800 and 400 bce by sages and poets, form part of the Vedas - the sacred and ancient scriptures that are the basis of the Hindu religion. Each Upanishad, or lesson, takes up a theme ranging from the attainment of spiritual bliss to karma and rebirth, and collectively they are meditations on life, death and immortality. The essence of their teachings is that truth can by reached by faith rather than by thought, and that the spirit of God is within each of us - we need not fear death as we carry within us the promise of eternal life.

ÄNTLIGEN NYUTGÅVA PÅ SVENSKA! Bhagavad-Gita, Herrens sång, är en av världens mest älskade böcker. Genom århundraden har Krishnas ord till den förtvivlade Arjuna väglett villrådiga sökare med sin tidlösa visdom. Bhagavad-Gita visar vägen till ljuset, bevittnandet och glädjen. Den inspirerar och stillar sinnet. Den hjälper dig att öppna ditt hjärta. ”När tvivlen jagar mig...och jag inte kan se en enda stråle av hopp vid horisonten...då vänder jag mig till Bhagavad-Gita...och då börjar jag omedelbart att le trots att jag är överväldigad av sorg.” Mahatma Gandhi ”Gitan är...den eviga kärlekens ljus, som förtar fruktan, min största fiende.” Dan Andersson

Almost certainly the most detailed and practical work available dealing with two of the most fundamental concepts of Tantra, namely Kundalini and the Chakras. Section 1 outlines all aspects of the theory of Kundalini and its awakening. Section 2 is an in-depth study of the Chakra system. Section 3 systematically outlines the practices involved for working with the Chakras as well as fully detailing the previously unpublished practices of Kriya Yoga. Section 4 concerns itself with scientific and medical research into the subject. An essential work for students of Yoga and Tantra.

LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER * USA TODAY BESTSELLERA radical understanding of caring through the lens of consciousness, from a renowned neuroscientist, Vedic scholar, and New York Times best-selling authorWho cares?It’s a phrase often said with a shrug—a signal of indifference, fatigue, or even quiet frustration. But it may also be one of the most important questions we can ask.What if it’s the starting point of a better life?In The Power of Caring, renowned Vedic scholar and neuroscientist Dr. Tony Nader explores the nature of caring itself—what shapes it, why it so often leads to overwhelm or withdrawal, and how it can become a source of clarity rather than confusion.Drawing on neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, and decades of experience with Transcendental Meditation, Dr. Nader reveals a deeper perspective: caring is not just a personal act—it reflects a fundamental connection we share with others and with life itself. When understood this way, caring becomes not a burden, but a powerful source of purpose, resilience, and fulfillment.Moving from the personal to the planetary, this book explores essential questions:· What is the true nature of caring, and why should we care at all?· How can we care for both ourselves and others without burning out?· When does caring turn into control, and how do we set wise boundaries?· How does care expand beyond the personal, shaping ethics, culture, and the future?Through engaging reflections, relatable examples, and practical “reset” tools, readers will learn how to:· Care without becoming overwhelmed· Set boundaries without losing compassion· Align their actions with what truly matters· Transform everyday choices into meaningful contributionsWhether you’re feeling stretched thin, searching for purpose, or simply asking yourself what really matters, this book offers a clear and empowering insight:Caring—done consciously—is not just something we give. It’s something that shapes how we live.

This book provides a rigorously researched, critically comparative introduction to yoga. Is This Yoga? Concepts, Histories, and the Complexities of Contemporary Practice recognizes the importance of contemporary understandings of yoga and, at the same time, provides historical context and complexity to modern and pre-modern definitions of yogic ideas and practices. Approaching yoga as a vast web of concepts, traditions, social interests, and embodied practices, it raises questions of knowledge, identity, and power across time and space, including the dynamics of "East" and "West." The text is divided into three main sections: thematic concepts; histories; and topics in modern practice.This accessible guide is essential reading for undergraduate students approaching the topic for the first time, as well as yoga teachers, teacher training programs, casual and devoted practitioners, and interested non-practitioners.

Allt fler säger sig tro på ett liv efter döden. I själva verket finns det en mängd belägg för att reinkarnation är ett faktum. I "Bortom födelse och död" förklarar Indiens främsta vediska auktoritet vår verkliga identitet, hur själen färdas genom olika kroppar, hur man kan ta sig ur födelsens och dödens kretslopp och slutligen nå en tillvaro som är fri från den materiella världens fyra problem: födelse, sjukdom, ålderdom och död.

Bob Cohen, en ung amerikansk fredskårist, reser till andra sidan jorden i sitt sökande efter mening. I en bambuhydda i den lilla västbengaliska byn Mayapur träffar han en av Indiens största helgonlika mästare, en lärare som verkar kunna besvara alla hans frågor. Från mästarens synpunkt följde Bob Bhagavad-gitans påbud; därav titeln "Perfekta frågor". På de frågor han ställde med respekt fick han "Perfekta svar", framförda av en ödmjuk budbärare från dem som kommit före honom.

Autobiography of a Yogi is one of the most famous Spiritual Books of the Twentieth Century, written by Paramahansa Yogananda. With over 80 archival photographes in this book,he explains memorable findings of the world of saints and yogis and also explained science and miracles, death and resurgence. With soul-satisfying consciousness and endearing wit, he enlightens us with the hidden secrets of life and the world, opening our hearts and minds to the happiness, splendour and limitless spiritual capacities that last in the lives of every human being. This edition has been offered specially from Yogoda Satsanga Society of India, the association established by the writer. The book containing extensive content about all of his desires. Moreover, the book has over 80 high definition pictures. It is a spiritual treasury that will make you understand the meaning of life. Hence this book is a real treasure for people who are on a spiritual quest. About the Author, Paramahansa Yogananda,is not only famous among the Indians but also popular among the westerners as a great Yogi. He teaches millions of people mediation and Kriya Yoga through this master piece, Autobiography of a Yogi.

'I have heard the supreme mystery, yoga, from Krishna, from the lord of yoga himself.'Thus ends the Bhagavad Gita, the most famous episode from the great Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata. In its eighteen short chapters Krishna's teaching leads the warrior Arjuna from perplexity to understanding and correct action, in the process raising and developing many key themes from the history of Indian religions.The Bhagavad Gita is the best known and most widely read Hindu religious text in the Western world. It considers social and religious duty, the nature of sacrifice, the nature of action, the means to liberation, and the relationship of human beings to God. It culminates in an awe-inspiring vision of Krishna as God omnipotent, disposer and destroyer of the universe.ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Approximately two thousand years old, The Yoga-Sutra of Patañjali is the landmark scripture on classical yoga. The translation and commentary provided here by Georg Feuerstein are outstanding for their accessibility and their insight into the essential meaning of this ancient and complex text. A scholar of international renown who has studied and practiced yoga since the age of fourteen, Feuerstein also brings to The Yoga-Sutra of Patañjalihis experience as a professional indologist. His faithful and informed rendering of the aphorisms (sutras) is based on extensive personal research into the Sanscrit sources. Each word is explained so that the entire text becomes readily available to the western reader and student of yoga.

Some postcolonial theorists argue that the idea of a single system of belief known as "Hinduism" is a creation of nineteenth-century British imperialists. Andrew J. Nicholson introduces another perspective: although a unified Hindu identity is not as ancient as some Hindus claim, it has its roots in innovations within South Asian philosophy from the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries. During this time, thinkers treated the philosophies of Vedanta, Samkhya, and Yoga, along with the worshippers of Visnu, Siva, and Sakti, as belonging to a single system of belief and practice. Instead of seeing such groups as separate and contradictory, they re-envisioned them as separate rivers leading to the ocean of Brahman, the ultimate reality. Drawing on the writings of philosophers from late medieval and early modern traditions, including Vijnanabhiksu, Madhava, and Madhusudana Sarasvati, Nicholson shows how influential thinkers portrayed Vedanta philosophy as the ultimate unifier of diverse belief systems.This project paved the way for the work of later Hindu reformers, such as Vivekananda, Radhakrishnan, and Gandhi, whose teachings promoted the notion that all world religions belong to a single spiritual unity. In his study, Nicholson also critiques the way in which Eurocentric concepts--like monism and dualism, idealism and realism, theism and atheism, and orthodoxy and heterodoxy--have come to dominate modern discourses on Indian philosophy.

World-renowned philosopher and spiritual teacher Ram Dass—author of the groundbreaking classic Be Here Now—presents the contemporary Western audience with a lively, accessible guide to the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, the classic Hindu text that has been called the ultimate instruction manual for living a spiritual life.

Adi Shankaras klassiska Sutras nu äntligen på svenska! Översättning och kommentarer av Jan Fahleman. Atma Bodha, Aparokshanbhuti och Bhaja Govindam är författade av Sri Adi Shankara, troligen i början av 800-talet. Texterna består av verser på rad/tråd – Sutras och beskriver den ickedualistiska filosofin Advaita Vedanta. Sri Shankaras filosofi är baserad på den fullständiga identiteten mellan Atman och Brahman. Allt är Brahman, Gudomens och tillvarons enhet samt Atmans (Själens) gudomlighet. Texten är tillägnad hans lärjunge Padmapada. Den ingår i Prakarana Grantha som är en mängd skrifter eller Upanishader skrivna av lärare eller andliga mästare, som skall bidra till att öka förståelsen för Vedanta. Under resor i Indien med sina lärjungar gav han sig ofta in i filosofoska diskussioner med företrädare för andra filosofier. Det var ett sätt för honom att kunna framhålla Advaita Vedanta. Jan Fahleman

‘Crucial and timely' – VEX KINGSHORTLISTED FOR THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING AWARDS 2025 – BEST WELLBEING BOOKGOLD AWARD WINNER AT THE LIVING NOW AWARDS 2025 - EXERCISE, FITNESS AND YOGA BOOKLearn how to incorporate traditional yoga into your modern practice – and feel the benefits.Yoga in its authentic form is focused on inclusivity, inner work and peace. But the yoga that is practised in the Western world has got a little lost along the way…Join Nikita Desai on her mission to help us understand yoga beyond the physical poses and pricey outfits that we’re so familiar with today. Drawing on research and teachings from ancient sources, Desai helps us navigate this complex practice as we learn how to:- Unpick the problems in modern yoga- Understand the fundamentals of what yoga is in its truest form- Explore key yogic texts and gurus to support our learning- Add in practical elements of traditional yoga to our current practice, both on and off the mat.A Beginner’s Guide to the Roots of Yoga is the essential companion for anyone who wants to practise yoga respectfully and fully.-- What readers are saying: ‘This was exactly what I never knew I needed to assess my foundation of knowledge’ ‘An outstanding book for yoga lovers and learners everywhere’‘If you are new to yoga practices and you are looking to gain some insight and deepen your connection, jump in, practise, read this book and enjoy the journey’

The Bhagavad Gita is the best known of all the Indian scriptures, and Eknath Easwaran’s best-selling translation is reliable, readable, and profound.Easwaran's 55-page introduction places the Bhagavad Gita in its historical setting, and brings out the universality and timelessness of its teachings. Chapter introductions clarify key concepts, and notes and a glossary explain Sanskrit terms.Easwaran grew up in the Hindu tradition in India, and learned Sanskrit from a young age. He was a professor of English literature before coming to the West on a Fulbright scholarship. A gifted teacher, he is recognized as an authority on the Indian classics and world mysticism.The Bhagavad Gita opens, dramatically, on a battlefield, as the warrior Arjuna turns in anguish to his spiritual guide, Sri Krishna, for answers to the fundamental questions of life. Yet, as Easwaran points out, the Gita is not what it seems – it’s not a dialogue between two mythical figures at the dawn of Indian history. “The battlefield is a perfect backdrop, but the Gita’s subject is the war within, the struggle for self-mastery that every human being must wage if he or she is to emerge from life victorious.”Arjuna’s struggle in the Bhagavad Gita is acutely modern. He has lost his way on the battlefield of life and turns to find the path again by asking direct, uncompromising questions of his spiritual guide, Sri Krishna, the Lord himself. Krishna replies in 700 verses of sublime instruction on living and dying, loving and working, and the nature of the soul.Easwaran shows the Gita’s relevance to us today as we strive, like Arjuna, to do what is right.“No one in modern times is more qualified – no, make that ‘as qualified’ – to translate the epochal Classics of Indian Spirituality than Eknath Easwaran. And the reason is clear. It is impossible to get to the heart of those classics unless you live them, and he did live them. My admiration of the man and his works is boundless.”  – Huston Smith, author of The World’s Religions.

Hinduism is one of the world's oldest and greatest religious traditions. In captivating prose, Shashi Tharoor untangles its origins, its key philosophical concepts and texts. He explores everyday Hindu beliefs and practices, from worship to pilgrimage to caste, and touchingly reflects on his personal beliefs and relationship with the religion.Not one to shy from controversy, Tharoor is unsparing in his criticism of 'Hindutva', an extremist, nationalist Hinduism endorsed by India's current government. He argues urgently and persuasively that it is precisely because of Hinduism's rich diversity that India has survived and thrived as a plural, secular nation. If narrow fundamentalism wins out, Indian democracy itself is in peril.