The Samnyasa Upanisads: Hindu Scriptures on Asceticism and Renunciation

Front Cover
Patrick Olivelle
OUP USA, 1992 M02 13 - 320 pages
The first readable and accurate translation of twenty of the most authoritative Hindu documents pertaining to ascetic ideals and the ascetic way of life, this text opens to students a major source for the study of the Hindu ascetical institutions and of the historical changes they underwent during a period of a thousand years or more. Beginning with an analysis of the historical context that gave rise to Indian ascetical institutions and ideologies, Patrick Olivelle moves on to elucidate the meaning of renunciation—the central institution of holiness in most Hindu traditions—and the function and significance of the various elements that constitute the rite of renunciation. The Samnyasa Upanisads will be an unparalleled source of information and insight for students of Hinduism and Indian asceticism, mysticism, and holiness.
 

Contents

TRANSLATIONS
113
Abbreviations and Bibliography
291
Index to the Introduction
297

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About the author (1992)

Patrick Olivelle is Chair of the Department of Asian Studies and Director for the Center of Asian Studies, University of Texas, Austin.

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