The Rig Veda (Penguin Classics)

originally bought this out of interest in ancient Indian culture and tuned out to be an amazing piece of work and reference book. Some of the hims and spells are beautiful, i take my hat of to the interpreter.

very good ancient book and fair price prompt delivery would highly recommend

A wonderful translation of a true classic. This current work does justice to this ancient tale.

An excellent gentle introduction to the RIG VEDA which I found to be well organised and readable. A selection of 108 hymns (from a collection of over 1000) presents a fascinating insight into this very complex and awesome ancient scripture which covers religion, culture and mythology. The hymns are organised under subjects: Creation, Death, Elements of Sacrifice, Horse Sacrifice, Agni, Soma, Indra, Storm Gods, Solar Gods, Sky and Earth, Varuna, Rudra & Visnu, Realia, Women, and Incantations and Spells. Each hymn is accompanied by supporting notes which I found absolutely indispensable to aid understanding. This book adequately served my main purpose which was to have a basic insight into Indo-Aryan culture. In a wider context, this then could help me to understand the evolvement of Hinduism from the fusion of Indo-Aryan and Indus Valley Civilization aspects. Notwithstanding the controversies surrounding the accuracy and interpretation of this scripture, I was none-the-less left bewildered and humbled that ancient Indo-Aryans had the capability and motivation for such complex abstract thought and cultural practices.

beautiful thoughts for everyone - live your life without taking advantage of others - value humanity

Great book, easy to read

Great book, as described.

too brief

Pas de commentaire, pas de traduction. Je l'ai acheté pour le seul plaisir de ces lignes calligraphiées en nagari que je trouve très raffinées

マックス・ミュラーの古い訳は２巻本で元テキストの順序通りに訳してありますが、このアメリカ人の訳は抄訳で、テーマ別に分類してあり、賛歌が何をテーマにしているかがよく分かります。古代インド人がどのような宇宙観を持っていたかが分かります。

Wendy Doniger's book, Rig Veda, organizes passages of the Aryan religious text around fifteen themes. Her detailed analyses offer a glimpse into the complex relationship between the human and cosmological realm in Ancient India. As she states in her introduction, this book was written for "people, not for scholars." Doniger's translations and explanations clarify and illuminate the role of sacrifice, fire, women, and various gods in a multifaceted ancient culture. This book was a required text for a class on Priests, Warriors, and Ascetics in Ancient India. Doniger's Rig Veda was an excellent resource in this course. The one controversial point regarding this book is the interpretation of the ephedrine ritual juice, Soma, as a hallucinogen. I would recommend this book to individuals interested in the study of religion in Ancient India.

Brilliantly researched and written work. A go to book on Rig Veda for those that are not inclined to read the whole of it.

Great little example with good explanations on a difficult subject to translate.