Author: David Frawley
Publisher: Voice of India
Year: 2001
Language: English
Pages: 247
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8185990727
Description
This work continues the line of thought introduced in the earlier books of the author viz: Arise Arjuna and Awaken Bharata.
This work continues the line of thought introduced in earlier books of the author. Arise Arjuna: Hinduism and the Modern World articulated the need for Hindus to stand up and project their tradition in order to face the current cultural and religious challenges assaulting them on every side. His subsequent book, Awaken Bharata: A Call for India's Rebirth emphasized the need for a new intelligentsia, an 'intellectual Kshatriya' or intellectual warrior class to handle these challenges in a systematic way.
Over time it became clear that such an intellectual movement requires a school of thought, a world-view as its proper foundation. Naturally, an intellectual kshatriya should be trained in a Vedic or dharmic school of thought. Therefore the present volume arose to articulate the greater Hindu world-view - the perspective of the Hindu mind on the current civilizational challenge, which is not only a cultural assault on India but a churning within all cultures throughout the world. Today as a species we stand at a critical juncture, before either a new age of global harmony and world spirituality or a possible catastrophe from a voracious materialistic civilization out of harmony with nature.
The wisdom of the Hindu tradition, rooted in universal consciousness, can be a great aid in helping move in the right direction, but it is seldom brought into the picture even in India. Hinduism is now a global force as the third largest religion in the world, the largest non-biblical belief, and the largest of the Pagan, native or indigenous religions. Therefore, a Hindu voice not only on spiritual but also on cultural issues is necessary to provide a balanced view on the global situation today.
Hindu or Indic ideas are now present in most countries in the world today, generally in a dynamic way through Yoga, Vedanta or Vedic sciences like Ayurveda. However, there is little recognition of the overall civilizational perspective behind them. Most of the focus is on the spiritual side of these traditions and the broader civilization concerns are ignored. While Christian, Islamic and Western secular points of view are readily available on most issues, the Hindu view is seldom recognized and does not have corresponding spokespersons or information outlets in the world forum. Hence the need of the present volume to encourage the projection of such a Hindu perspective.
Hinduism must project its entire dharma view, its unique vision of the universe, God and humanity, rather than simply respond to side issues framed by the Western mind. It must articulate its own critique of civilization, including that of Western civilization. Hence author's emphasis on the need for a 'New Indic School of Thought', specifically on the need for new 'Vedic schools', developing and articulating the older dharmic traditions of India to meet the new circumstances today.
Contents
Preface
PART I - INDIA, HINDUISM AND THE NEW CENTURY
The Goddess Durga, Mother India as the World Mother
India and the Coming Century
The Reemergence of the Hindu Mind
Hinduism and the New Millennium
India at a Crossroads
The Crisis in the Psyche of India
Western Monoculture and Indic Pluralism
Religious Exclusivism, Racism and Colonialism
The Hindu Response to Globalization
The Hindu View of Society and its Global Relevance
PART II - THE NEED FOR A NEW INDIC SCHOOL OF THOUGHT
The Need for a New Indic School of Thought
New Western and Global Dharmic school of Thought
The Need for a New Buddhi Shakti (Spiritual Force for the Intellect)
Indic Civilization, a Light for the World
Multinational Corporations and Global Education
The Spiritual Divide in Vedic Scholarship
Western Indology versus the Indian Tradition: The Intellectual Clash of Cultures
The Need to Rewrite Indian History The Indian or Bharatiya Ideal of Education
The Myth of the Hindu Right
PART III - FOUNDATIONS OF A NEW INDIC SCHOOL
Vedic Knowledge and the Coming Planetary Age
Consciousness and Mind in the Vedic Tradition
Vedanta, the Foundation of the Indic School of Thought
Vedic Yoga, the Oldest Form of Yoga
Ayurveda, the World's Medicine for the Next Millennium
Vedic Astrology: Space Age Science or Superstition
Solar Power and the Gayatri Mantra
Outlines of a New Vedic School
Index