The Hindu World is the most authoritative and up-to-date single volume on Hinduism available today. In twenty-four chapters, written by leading international scholars, it provides a comprehensive and critical guide to the various literatures, traditions, and practices of Hinduism. Ideally tailored as an introduction to key topics in Hinduism and for use as a definitive reference source, the book offers fresh insights into many aspects of Hindu life that are organized under six headings: Oral Teachings and Textual Traditions, Theistic and Devotional Movements, Cosmic Order and Human Goals, Social Action and Social Structure, Vitality in Persons and in Places, and Linguistic and Philosophic Analysis. Book jacket.