Sacred Hindu Symbols

Contents: Preface. 1. Signs and symptoms of Hinduism. 2. Sacred Hindu scriptures: an overview. 3. The Hindu pantheism. 4. Sacred animal symbols. 5. The mysticism of mantra. 6. The mystic mantra \'Om\'. 7. The sacred \'Gayatri\' mantra. 8. The sacred swastika. 9. Symbol of temple worship. 10. The symbolic water and sacred rivers. 11. Namaskar or pranam: the sacred posture of Hindu salutation. 12. The sacred Sikha. 13. The Sivalinga. 14. Tripundra: the Shaivite tilaks. 15. Salagram shila. 16. Urdhapundra: the Vaishnavite tilaks. 17. Sankha--the sacred conch. 18. The symbolism of sacred trees. 19. Rudraksha: the tears of Shiva. 20. The sacred tulsi. 21. The sacred bilva tree. 22. The sacred vata vriksha. 23. The sacred peepal tree. 24. The sacred kadali tree. 25. Mango tree. 26. Betel leaf or pan. 27. Durba grass. 28. Soma plant. 29. Sacred karpura. 30. Sacred flowers. Select bibliography. Index.

"Hinduism is not merely a religion but a way of life. Hinduism, in its traverse of four thousand years, has accumulated many a belief and practice which encompass the whole socio-religio-cultural life of a devout. Since the mythological past, Hinduism is studded with varied signs and symptoms which are mystic in character and symbolic in nature, and are also sacred symbols of spiritualism as well. These symbols are the sacred rivers; mystic mantras like \'Om\' and Gayatri; the auspicious symbol of Swastika; the Shivalinga, Salgram Shila or sacred stone objects: Tripundra Tilaks or Urdhapundra Tilaks--the process of besmearing the body with different marks of sandal pastes; the sacred conch or Sankha and venerated trees which have medicinal value and spiritual ethos like Tulsi, Vata, Rudraksha, etc. All these are part of modern Hinduism but to many devouts and observers these symbols stand enigmatic! Thus this book attempts to explore and unearth the hidden philosophy of these signs and gauge the socio-scientific base and tries to find out the real meaning of ritualistic methodologies of these symbols which are the great objects of veneration of the Hindus down the ages." (jacket)