RUTGERS
UNIVERSITY 
RUTGERS
UNIVERSITY
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840:204
Hindu Scriptures
Spring 2002
Edwin
Bryant
Instructor: Edwin Bryant.
Tel: x 3289. E-mail: <edbryant@rci.rutgers.edu>.
Office Hours: Tue & Thur 1.30-2.30
Time and Place:
Art History Bldg 100. Tue & Thur, 5th period (2.50-4.10 PM).
Course Description:
An introduction to the plethora of traditions grouped under the heuristic label of ‘Hinduism’ by reading some of the most important primary texts of these traditions. Attention will be directed both to examining these sources theologically by considering their presentations of sacred history, ultimate reality, and self-transformation through their own terms and categories, as well as to examining them sociologically by considering their manifestations in the cultural world in which they are embedded.
Course Prerequisites:
None.
Course Requirements:
A mid-term and a final examination, and a final paper (10-15 pgs). Both examinations will consist of short answer questions testing the students’ mastery over the information covered in the course, as well as mini-essay questions testing their insights and more in-depth understanding of the material. The final exam will be cumulative. The final paper gives students an opportunity to probe and research in more detail any particular aspect of ‘Hinduism’ that has captured their interest.
Grading:
The mid-term will be 20% of the grade, the final 30% and the paper 40%. Class attendance and participation comprise 10% of the total. No make-ups for missed exams will be given without valid medical proof or a signed letter from a student dean.
A = 100-90 B+ = 89-87; B = 86-80; C+ = 79-77; C = 76-70; D = 69-65; F = 64 and below. Please note that outstanding class participation can make all the difference between grades.
Required Course Books:
Adidevananda, Svami. Sri Ramanuja Gita Bhasya. Madras: Sri Ramakrishna Math, n.d.
Feuerstein, Georg. The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali. Vermont: Inner Traditions, 1989.
Venkatesananda, Swami. The Concise Srimad Bhagavatam. Albany: SUNY, 1989.
Prakash, Prem. The Yoga of Spiritual Devotion. Rochester: Inner Traditions, 1998.
Brown, Mackenzie. The Devi Gita. Albany: SUNY, 1998.
Rhodes Bailly, Shaiva Devotional Songs of Kashmir State University of New York Press, 1987.
Introduction to the course.
Bhagavad Gita, chapters 1& 2.
Bhagavad Gita, chapters 3-4.
Bhagavad Gita, chapters 5-7.
Bhagavad Gita, chapters 8-10.
Bhagavad Gita, chapters 11-12.
Bhagavad Gita, chapters 13-16.
Bhagavad Gita, chapters 17-18.
Yoga Sutras, chapter 1.
Yoga Sutras, chapter 2.
Yoga Sutras, chapter 3.
Yoga Sutras, chapter 4
Srimad Bhagavata Purana, books 1-3.
Srimad Bhagavata Purana, books 4-6.
Srimad Bhagavata Purana, books 7-9.
Mid term exam.
Srimad Bhagavata Purana, books 10.
Srimad Bhagavata Purana, book 10-12.
Narada Bhakti Sutras, verses 1-42.
Narada Bhakti Sutras, verses 43-84.
Devi Gita, Introduction & chapters 1-2
Devi Gita, chapters 3-4.
Devi Gita, chapters 5-6
Devi Gita, chapters 7-8
Devi Gita, chapters 9-10
Kasmir Shaivism, introduction & 1st-7th song.
Kasmir Shaivism, 8th – 20th song.
Concluding reflections.
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This page was revised 1 July 2001