Espiritualidad hindú

Sanâtana Dharma

Raimon Panikkar

About the book:

Hindu Spirituality

Sanâtana Dharma

For a long time now, India's spirituality has fascinated westerners. And yet there is only a very sparse bibliography  for example in a major language like Spanish, the original language in which this volume was written, giving access to the vast religious universe of Hinduism. Hindu Spirituality covers this lacuna with impressive authority and provides readers with a unique overview; it avoids being either excessively academic or influenced by passing fashions. Written with the rigour and the meticulousness which characterises Raimon Panikkar's work, but also with the vitality that stems from his own immersion in, and first hand knowledge of, the subject, this book is all set to become the  classic overview on Hinduism.

Panikkar first of all familiarises us with spirituality as conceived in the Hindu tradition.  There follows a descriptive section that sketches the historical development of Hinduism from the Vedic period to the present day. Next, the author looks in more detail at the fundamental intuitions and dictates of dharma: the way of action, of gnosis, of devotion, the logic of the castes, the stages of life, the values of humanity, and the dimensions of reality.  Lastly, the book examines the crystallisation of this universal spirituality (sanåtana dharma) in Vishnuism, Shivaism and Shakti Hinduism.

While this volume can be said to provide invaluable information for scholars of religion, the book is at the same time the best introduction to Hindu dharma for all readers who are not specialists in this area.  An irreplaceable source for consultation for all those who wish to broaden their horizons and  go more deeply into the vast universe of religiosity. All this accompanied by an extensive and carefully compiled biography, with both classical and contemporary references, which offer readers the opportunity of completing their reading in the directions that interest them most.

About the author:

Raimon Panikkar was doctor of philosophy, of science and of theology. He has taught at the universities of Madrid, Harvard and California. He is the author of a large number of books and articles, many of which similarly deal with Indian spiritual traditions, including: El Silencio del Buddha (The Silence of the Buddha). I Veda, testi fundamentali della rivelazione de la India (The Veda, fundamental writings on Indian revelation) or El Cristo desconocido del Hinduismo (The Unknown Christ of Hinduism).