Rare ancient hinduism books to download all pdf vedic. An alternative history is a book by american indologist, wendy doniger which the author describes as an alternative to the narrative of hindu history that they tell. Among over 40 books published under the names of wendy doniger oflaherty and wendy doniger are 17 interpretive works, including siva. In this episode, we talk about the work of wendy doniger, who attempts to paint a binary picture of hindu history, that of trhe struggle between sanskrit and regional languages and brahmins and. An alternative history penguin, 2009 has outraged hindus around the world for allegedly insulting and offending hindus and indians. The earliest of the four hindu religious scriptures known as the vedas, and the first extensive composition to survive in any indoeuropean language, the rig.
She tries to represent their anonymous voices, especially in all nonaryan. The hindus an alternative history by wendy doniger penguin books november 2010 isbn10. Ive labored all my adult life in the paddy fields of sanskrit, doniger has written 16 books, translated primarily from sanskrit to english with commentary nine other volumes, has contributed to many edited texts and has written hundreds of articles in journals, magazines and newspapers. It contains more references than most students of hinduism, or even practicing hindus would be aware of though its author compares the task of looking at endnotes to dogs sniffing each others. An alternative history, which was published in 2009. A scholar of sanskrit and indian textual traditions, her major works include, asceticism and eroticism in the mythology of siva. There has been much handwringing in india about wendy doniger s book, the hindus. The hindus is the name of a real book, and has won the admiration and praise of real critics, writers, activists, and scholars. An alternative history is a book by american indologist, wendy doniger which the author describes as an alternative to the narrative of hindu history. Penguin books india agreed this week to withdraw from sale and pulp all copies of the hindus. T his publication, on hinduism, has also attracted unjustified criticism from hindutvavadis. Through this magisterial volume which she calls the book of my books wendy doniger, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest and most original scholars of hinduism. An alternative history by wendy doniger of the university of chicago is really not a history at all. With immense skill wendy doniger illuminates those moments within the hindu tradition that resist forces that would standardize or establish a canon.
Questioning wendy doniger on hinduism in hawaii at annual conference of association of asian studies aas, march 31april 3, 2011 bharat gupt wendy doniger s scholarship was critiqued at a roundtable panel in hawaii for two hours. Objectionable passages from wendy donigers second book on. Blowing up the sexuality and inconsistencies present in any ancient religious text out of all proportions, doniger published the book as if to offer an alternative history against the established wisdom of the times. In this magisterial volume of essays, wendy doniger enhances our understanding of the ancient and complex religion to which she has devoted herself for half a century. Quotes from wendy donigers the hindus learn religions. It is clear that she does not deny that hindus are fully entitled to redefine and renovate. Wendy doniger is the mircea eliade distinguished service professor of the history of religions at the university of chicago and the author of over 30 books, including on hinduism and the hindus. Ive just finished wendy donigers infamous the hindus. This 780page tome is set as doniger s rendering of hinduism s history basedwe are to assumeon her own interpretations of scripture, her own biases and.
The goal of this chapter is to examine the hindu understanding of ahimsa or non violence by comparing the personalities of yudishthira in the mahabharata and the mauryan emperor ashoka. Library of congress cataloginginpublication data doniger, wendy. A critique of wendy doniger s the hindus, an alternative history penguin books 2009 by vishal agarwal aldous huxley once said that an intellectual was someone who had found something more interesting than sex. Wendy doniger oflaherty born november 20, 1940 is an american indologist whose professional career has spanned five decades. Author herself is no more than a shit, collected shit, and shitted with great foul stink, claiming her shit as her scholarly work.
Doniger provides several variants of the theme of transposed heads. Wendy doniger dropped a bombshell on indian intellectual circles with her 2009 book the hindus an alternative history. The notice demanded that the publisher withdraw this book too. Seventythreeyearold doniger is an american jewish indologist who has been a professor at the university of chicago since 1978. Pdf the hindus an alternative history wendy doniger. The latest twist in the tale is the notice served to aleph book company, the publisher of doniger s previous book, on hinduism. Wendy doniger s enthralling and encyclopaedic book reveals her vision of a hindu culture that is plural, varied, generous, and inclusive. Yet the greatness of hinduism its vitality, its earthiness, its vividnesslies precisely in many of those idiosyncratic qualities that continue to inspire debate today. Wendy doniger was born in new york in and trained as a dancer under shiva. Rajiv malhotra born 15 september 1950 is an indianamerican author who, after a career in the computer and telecom industries, took early retirement in 1995 to found the infinity foundation, which focuses on indic studies, and also funds projects such as columbia universitys project to translate the tibetan buddhist tengyur apart from the foundation, malhotra promotes a non western view. Questioning wendy doniger on hinduism in hawaii at annual.
Fight back and take back wendy donigers valuable book taken away from you by a spineless publisher and the fundamentalists they made a. Author of this book dare to write all false things about hindus, because we hindus are forgiving by nature. The real reason wendy donigers book on hindus was banned. Her translations for penguin classics include the rig veda, the laws of manu, and hindu. The puritanism of the hindu right is of a nonhindu origin, doniger argues.
On wendy donigers alternative history indiafactsindiafacts. In her book, doniger retells hindu stories and provides snarky interpretations. That after reading the book my client found it to be a shallow, distorted and non serious presentation of hinduism. Outcry as penguin india pulps alternative history of hindus. The book was initially published by viking penguin in 2009 and later in india by penguins indian subsidiary, penguin india. This series of interconnected essays and lectures surveys the most critically important and hotly contested issues in hinduism over 3,500 years, from the ancient time of the vedas to the present day. One story is about fusing the head of a brahmin woman onto the body of a dalit woman. Wendy doniger oflaherty born november 20, is an american indologist.
Nowadays most nonhindu scholars of hinduism strike the familiar religious studies. Hinduism, in her view, is an intricate weave of the diverse localities and communities of indian culture. Doniger is at pains to argue in chapters 1 and 2 of the book that there was nothing called hinduism in the past, and that it is a modern construct. A critique of wendy donigers the hindus, an alternative. Fight back and reclaim wendy doniger s valuable book taken away from you by a spineless publisher and the fundamentalists they made a deal with. On hinduism lies in its belongong to wendy doniger s broader oeuvre, which has come to play an attentiongrabbing role in the clamorous clash between the practises of freespirited scholarship and the assertions of cultural identity. Wendy instead portrays the history of hinduism from the point of view of women, animals. In the light of foregoing, it is incumbent upon contemporary hindus and hindu scholars to regain the initiative and using indigenous historiography and cognitive categories and to institute a framework to generate in multiple volumes a genuine and authentic history of the hindus from an insiders perspective. S1 e4 wendy doniger on hinduism thinking about religion. Wendy doniger, a professor of history of religion at university of chicago, is a prizewinning author of book, the hindus. Wendy doniger is the mircea eliade distinguished service professor of the history of religions in the divinity school at the university of chicago, where she is also a professor of south asian languages and civilizations. The hindus, an alternative history by wendy doniger.
In this conversation we discuss a number of themes from the book, including her own religious background, common misconceptions about hinduism, the caste system, orientalism, the socalled hindu trinity, hindu nationalism, a controversy in india over the charge. Wendy doniger s on hinduism is a sort of captstone on an epic career exploring hindu literature, religion, and history. Pdf the hindus an alternative history wendy doniger ripu. However, the same doniger then uses modern terms like dalit to back. About wendy doniger oflahertys translation of the rig. Wendy doniger, one of the worlds foremost scholars of hinduism, illuminates those moments within the tradition that resist forces that would standardize or establish a canon. The following is from wendy doniger s redeeming the kama sutra. Chakravarthi ranprasad, the times literary supplement show more. There, doniger asserts that hers is not a history of how hinduism is lived today, but rather offers a narrative alternative to the one found in hinduism s holiest scriptures. Scholars and intellectuals across the board are critical and worried about penguins. Wendy doniger oflaherty born november 20, is an american indologist whose professional career has spanned five decades.
582 7 1186 1320 414 744 1472 564 67 841 1346 506 1509 1230 5 1666 927 8 1521 1410 321 467 1258 1434 711 1453 569 915 1406