This course provides an introduction to Hindu traditions from classical to contemporary times, focusing on ritual, knowledge, and devotion. We will explore Hinduism’s South Asian and Vedic roots, the concept of dharma, major deities and their narratives, and the six major schools of Hindu philosophy. We will also examine the role of bhakti (devotion), as well as sacred spaces, temples, pilgrimage, and the idea of divine presence in Hindu religious life.

Eileen Goddard is a Ph.D. candidate in Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and lectures on Indian and Asian religious traditions at UCSB and the University of Houston. Her research focuses on soteriology and embodiment in the sixteenth-century Gau?iya Vai??ava K???a tradition, as well as comparative studies of Yoga, Advaita Vedanta, Srivai??ava, and Pañcaratra traditions.

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