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W THAT ARE THE historical roots of popular Hindu bhakti in South India? That is, what factors contributed to the rise of widespread devotion to a personal god, more or less monotheistically' conceived, which first appeared in South India about the beginning of the seventh century of the Christian era? This question raises one of the many thorny historical problems in the history of Indian religions. But it is an important question if we are to understand how the present amalgam of ideas and practices which we call Hinduism arose from earlier Indian religious traditions. First, what is "popular Hindu bhakti?" By this I wish to indicate that emotional outpouring of love to God characterized by such activities as singing, dancing, weeping, and the repetition of the divine names-in short, what the great Tamil saints repeatedly called "the melting of one's heart and mind" (ullam uruku) in love to God. What I specifically do not intend to signify is the re

The belief in immortality and the immeasurable life-span of a single existence is found in the earliest records of the Indian religions. The general trend of the Vedas, the epics, and the Purāṇas is towards immortalizing their devatās and deities. The avatāras of the Hindu Godhead, in spite of their earthly existence, were considered free from the laws of birth and death. In their case these incidents were spoken of as mere appearances, since such beings were but devices of the immortal God to work among mortals.

Professor Smith has produced a comprehensive survey1 of the relations between state and religion in India which will be of great value to students of modern Indian government and politics as well as of religion. Moreover, this useful, stimulating and very readable study raises questions of compelling, interest for all who are concerned with problems of “church and state”. India, the seat of a civilization renowned for elaboration of religious thought and pervasiveness of religious observance has, even by Professor Smith's rigorous standards, successfully established a secular state. In this volume, Professor Smith has undertaken to explain how this has come about, to analyze the Indian achievement and the problems that accompany it and, finally, to indicate how India may advance to the full realization of that “true secularism” which he so enthusiastically endorses.

The author begins by delineating the approach to religiosity that is peculiar to anthropology, as distinguished from that of sociology which, in the main, investigates religion's political and ideological role. The phenomenon he studies is popular religiosity, seen against the background of Brazilian culture — one that is derived, and alive with change. Setting off from Weberian theory and Bourdieu's epistemological frame work, he proposes a new model, as more dynamic and founded on apter concepts. Side by side with the ' legitimate ' religious structures, such as the world religions, present-day Brazilian society exhibits numerous elements of popular religion. Some come from African or Indian religions, having survived the encroachments of western culture, while others are the remnants of primitive or pagan cults, that were imported with medieval Catholicism. The article analyzes several such phenomena, as well as studies made recently about them.

Selon une opinion fort repandue, l'Inde serait un etat seculier. En fait, a lire sa constitution autant qu'en observant son fonctionnement, un nouvel examen de la situation se justifie.Aucun articl...

Buddha Gáya was probably, at one time, the centre of religion in India, and the residence of a powerful king. I am informed by the mahanta of the Sannyásís, who now possesses the great convent at the place, that when his predecessor Chétan Gírí came, which may be perhaps one hundred and twenty years ago, it was entirely overrun with bushes and trees; and the sect of Buddha, in its vicinity, may be considered as completely extinct. A few persons, indeed, come occasionally from distant countries to visit its ancient monuments. Last year (1811) a man of some rank, with several attendants, came from a country called Tamsa-dwíp-mahá-amarapura-paigú, sent by Mahá-dharma-rájá, in the sixty-seventh year of his age, a Cshatriya of the family of the sun. This is, no doubt, the king of the Burmas; and hence we infer that the old man, since the year 1795, when I visited his capital, has been induced to set up the doctrine afresh. In the year 1795 the priests of Buddha were seriously alarmed at the influence which the Bráhmans had then acquired.

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ACCORDING TO AN ISLAMIC TRADITION, India was the first country in which idolatry was practised and the ancient Arabian idols were of Indian origin. Indian idolatry began after Adam descended following his expulsion from Paradise on an Indian mountain called Buidh; after his death the sons of Sheth began to worship his body. Following this, a man from the sons of Cain offered to carve idols for his people so that they also would have an object of worship. He was the first man to do this. Later, in the time of Noah, the waters of the deluge washed the idols away from the Indian mountain on which they were placed, and swept them from country to country until they finally landed on the Arabian coast near Jidda. The legendary founder of Arabian idolatry, 'Amr b. Luhayy, was directed by a jinn to the place in which they were located. He found the idols and called upon all the Arabs to worship them. According to another tradition, reported by Firishtah, the Brahmans of India used to travel to Mecca in pre-Islamic times in order to pay homage to the idols and considered the Ka'ba the best place of worship.'