Sources of Indian Tradition: From the Beginning to 1800 (Introduction to Oriental Civilizations) - Softcover

For over thirty years, anyone seriously interested in India has always had to keep a copy of this classic within arm's reach. "Sources of Indian Tradition" is so useful -as a reference work, sourcebook, or textbook -that it has been indispensable to scholars all over the world. I welcome the 'return' of this important work to the marketplace. Better still, I am delighted to note that, in matters of fine-tuning, this is an improved and updated and revised edition.

Since 1958 Sources of Indian Tradition has been one of the most important and widely used texts on civilization in South Asia (now the nation-sates of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal). It has helped generations of students and lay readers understand how leading thinkers there have looked at life, the traditions of their ancestors, and the world they live in. This second edition has been extensively revised, with much new material added. Introductory essays explain the particular settings in which these thinkers have expressed their ideas about religious, social, political, and economic questions. Brief summaries precede each passage from their writings or sayings. The traditions represented include Brahmanism, Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism. The book includes a chronology of Indian history from 3000 B.C. to A.D. 1858.