Textual Sources for the Study of Hinduism

"A wider range than usual of Sanskrit texts: not only interesting Vedic, epic, and mythological texts but also a good sampling of ritual and ethical texts. . . . There are also extracts from texts usually neglected, such as medical treatises, works on practical politics, and guides to love and marriage. . . . Readings from the vernacular Hindi, Bengali, and Tamil traditions [serve to] enrich the collection and demonstrate how Hinduism flourished not just in Sanskrit but also in its many mother tongues."—Francis X. Clooney, Journal of Asian Studies

Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty is the Mircea Eliade Professor of the History of Religions at the University of Chicago. She is the author of Women, Androgynes, and Other Mythical Beasts; Dreams, Illusion, and Other Realities; and Tales of Sex and Violence, all published by the University of Chicago Press. John R. Hinnells is professor of comparative religion at the University of Manchester. He is the author of Handbook of Living Religions and editor of the Penguin Dictionary of Religions.