Thomas Myladil, Ph. D.
Office: Loree 116 (Douglass Campus)

E-mail: thomdil@rci.rutgers.edu

The purpose of the course is to introduce the students to Hindu sacred books.Hindu scriptures are many.They are generally divided into shruti (what is heard, implying superhuman origin or revelation) and smriti (what is remembered, implying human origin).Though shruti texts (the Vedas) are the foundational scriptures of Hinduism, several smriti texts have profoundly influenced the Hindutradition. The Bhagavad-Gita is the best example.This course will examine the main Hindu scriptures in their historical, literary, and theological contexts and explore how they contributed to the development of various traditions and spiritual paths in Hinduism.The course will pay special attention to the Bhagavad-Gita and the synthesis of the teachings of Hindu Scriptures found in it.

Required Readings:

Goodall, Dominic (ed.).Hindu Scriptures.Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996.

Powell, Barbara.Windows to the Infinite: A Guide to the Hindu Scriptures.Fremont, California: Asian Humanities Press, 1996.

Embree Ainslie T. (ed.). The Hindu Tradition: Readings in Oriental Thought.. New York: Vintage Books, 1966.

The Bhagavad-Gita. Translated by Eknath Easwaran.Nilgiri Press, 1985. 

Recommended Reading:

Klostermaier, Klaus K.A Survey of Hinduism.Albany: State University of New York Press, 1994.

 Course Requirements:

1.Class Attendance.Class attendance is absolutely necessary and it will be marked in the roster at the beginning of every class.Students are expected to read and to be able to discuss in class the designated readings as well as to complete on time other assignments that may be given.

2.Exams and Grading.There will betwo exams: a mid-session exam on Jan. 8 and the final examination.The final grade will be calculated in this manner: mid-term exam=35%;final exam=35%; short paper, quizzes, etc. =15%; class attendance=15%.