This study conducts a lively and innovative exploration of the traditional Indian religions and cultures - an area that has both fascinated and puzzled the West for centuries. Friedhelm Hardy aims at presenting the widest possible range of themes that have preoccupied traditional Indian culture. He uses a great variety of sources in various languages and listens not only to what the learned philosopher or theologian in the classical Sanskrit texts has to say but also to what folk and regional cults and cultures express in stories myths and poetry. The result is a personal and entertaining portrayal of the colourful world of India which will have great appeal for the non-specialist. By making the three universal human drives of power love and wisdom his focal points Hardy seeks to guide the reader through an alien world which is nevertheless recognizably human. This book will be required reading for all those interested in India and its culture.

Preface Part I. Power: the Challenges of the External World: 1. Consulting the oracle once again 2. Oceans of milk and treacle 3. Navigating the sea of earthly existence 4. Safe havens 5. Violence aggression and heroism 6. Manipulating space time and matter. 7. Entering forbidden realms 8. Unleashing the powers of the self Part II. Love: the Rhythms of the Interior World: 9. The missing colour 10. The landscape of the heart 11. The deadly weapons of Mara 12. Beyond the fleeting moment 13. Cosmic desire 14. Love abiding in stone 15. The melting of the heart 16. Return to the world Part III. Wisdom: Commuting within One World 17. All the valleys filled with corpses 18. Strategic initiatives 19. Encompassing the galaxies 20. The all-pervasive mind 21. Striking a balance 22. Beyond prosaic words 23. Irreducible particulars 24. The head in the world Notes Index.