Content

In the first part of the course we will cover:

• Indus Valley Civilization and a brief history of Hinduism
• Vedic Religion and Hindu cosmology
• Dharma and Hindu social organization
• Hindu Rites of Passage (Samskāra)
• Hindu theory of language - Hindu philosophical systems
• Hindu epics - Hindu devotionalism
• Hindu deities, art, and worship rituals
• Vedanta and Hindu reformation

And, in the second part of the course we will focus on:

• The question of Hindu-Christian dialogue
• Catholicism and Hinduism – A case study

Aims

This course will taught by dr. Martin Sebastian Kallungal.

• To make students aware of the definitional problems surrounding Hinduism
• To make students familiar with the complexity of and the internal diversity in the Hindu religious reality
• To enable students to understand the Hindu religious and philosophical literature, especially some key notions and issues like dharma, varna, sphota, samskara, Brahman-Atman identity, etc.
• To offer students an overview of the Hindu religious world in India and abroad with special reference to its origin and development
• To make students aware of the problems and possibilities of interactions between Hinduism and Christianity

Description of learning activities

Students actively participate in the classes where the contents are lectured on with necessary illustrations. Students will be asked to prepare themselves for the lectures through some reading assignments.

Course material

Course reader (Kallungal Martin, Intimate Others: A Christian Rediscovery of Hindus, forthcoming); articles and slides