Religious Studies Review • VOLUME 36 • NUMBER 1
Stephens’s work highlights the significance of “place” in the
study of religion and its inextricable intersection with the
social and political developments in a given location, a char-
acteristic that students and scholars of Southern and reli-
gious history will appreciate.
Karen Kossie-Chernyshev
Texas Southern University
AMERICA AND THE CHALLENGES OF RELIGIOUS
DIVERSITY. By Robert Wuthnow. Princeton, NJ: Princeton
University Press, 2005. Pp. xvii + 391. Cloth, $52.00; paper,
$22.95.
The “challenge” that lies at the center of Wuthnow’s
book is the confrontation between America’s religious and
cultural diversity and its historical Christian heritage.
Wuthnow argues that America was founded on a tension
between a desire to embrace religious diversity while func-
tioning within a broadly Christian framework and tradition.
Wuthnow is interested in how the “new diversity,” which
has been brought about by new waves of immigrants from
Hindu, Muslim, and Buddhist backgrounds, has challenged
the Christian foundations of the American religious land-
scape. Drawing on surveys and interviews, Wuthnow tries to
understand how ordinary Christian Americans have come
to terms with this ever-expanding religious landscape.
Wuthnow argues that there have been three broad stances of
responding to the new religious diversity. Spiritual shoppers
believe that all religions have equally valid truth claims and
do not privilege Christianity over other religions. Christian
inclusivism considers that Christianity “represents a supe-
rior claim on divine truth,” but that other religions also have
certain degrees of truth. Christian exclusivists reject the
truth claims of non-Christian religions. Wuthnow probes
how different congregations and theological traditions have
contributed to these three modes of responding to religious
diversity. Wuthnow’s book is a clear exposition of the state
of belief and practice with regards to views on religious
diversity in America, and an impassioned call for increasing
religious tolerance. One hopes that for his next project,
Wuthnow can explore the question of religious diversity of
non-Christians.
Albert Wu
University of California, Berkeley
South Asia
¯ ¯
THE RAMAYANA OF VĀLMĪKI: AN EPIC OF
ANCIENT INDIA. ɺ VOLUME VI: YUDDHAKANDA ¯ .
ɺ ɺ J.
Translation and annotation by Robert P. Goldman, Sally
Sutherland Goldman, and Barend A. van Nooten. Introduc-
tion by Robert P. Goldman and Sally J. Sutherland Goldman.
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2009.
Pp. xviii + 1655. $150.00.
This extraordinary testament to high-level Indic trans-
lation and philology commenced in the late 1970s when
• MARCH 2010
Robert Goldman, who proposed to Princeton University
Press that the Ramayana ¯ ¯ , one of the two great Sanskrit
ɺ
epics, receive a new multivolume annotated translation,
assigned the Yuddhakanda , the longest of the Ramayana ¯ ¯ ’s
ɺ ɺɺ ɺ
seven books, to Professor Van Nooten. In the early 1990s,
however, this responsibility shifted to Robert and Sally
Goldman. The encomiums that can be expressed about this
volume are endless—one can comment at length about the
high quality of the translation, the incisiveness of the intro-
duction, the understanding of the epic, the quality of the
writing, the authors’ comprehension of the critical edition
and the manuscripts on which it was produced (in Baroda in
the early 1970s), and the erudition of the annotations. The
Goldmans note in their introduction that this is an example
of “quest literature in which a hero sets out on a dangerous
mission, accomplishes it despite obstacles and trials, and
returns triumphant.” The mission, to rescue Rāma’s wife
Sı̄tā from her imprisonment in Lanka ɺ ¯ by the ten-headed
demon Ravana¯ , is accomplished with epic bloodshed, and
ɺ
fulfills Rāma’s mission as an avatāra, a “descent” of the great
deity Visnu. Only one complaint can be leveled against this
ɺ
volume: ɺit is so long that the publishers would have been
better advised to place it in two volumes. The number of
pages mentioned above is not a typo. It’s very heavy to lift,
and the notes, more than a thousand pages in length, would
be more inviting if they could be accessed in a parallel
volume. Nevertheless, it is safe to say that this volume will
stand for a very long time as the epitome of studies on the
Yuddhakanda¯ , indeed of the Ramayana
¯ ¯ itself.
ɺɺ ɺ
Frederick M. Smith
University of Iowa
GROWING UP: HINDU AND BUDDHIST INITIA-
TION RITUALS AMONG NEWAR CHILDREN IN
BHAKTAPUR, NEPAL. By Niels Gutschow and Axel
Michaels. With a film on DVA by Christian Bau. Ethno-
Indology: Heidelberg Studies in South Asian Rituals, 6.
General editor Axel Michaels. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz
Verlag, 2008. Pp. 307 + DVD. Cloth, $84.00.
This well-produced book consists of thickly described
rituals performed in the Kathmandu valley of Nepal. The
authors, well known for their linguistically and ethnographi-
cally responsible studies in other areas of Newari life (and
death), describe the importance of the social and geographi-
cal topographies of these rituals, the ritual specialists (brah-
mans, irrespective of whether the ritual is Hindu or
Buddhist, and several lineages of Tantric priests), the
support staff of potters, painters, astrologers, and female
helpers (and their interrelations), and the various sponsors
of these life-cycle rituals. One facet of these childhood rituals
that is beautifully captured here is the importance of local
configurations, for example, the similarities and differences
between the Buddhist and Hindu initiation rituals for young
boys. In spite of the initiation of the Buddhist boys into
monasticism and Hindu boys into the life of Vedic students,
in fact they do not become monks or Vedic students, but
96
 Religious Studies Review • VOLUME 36
become eligible for further rites of passage, particularly
death rituals. By far the longest chapter is on the Ihi, the
Hindu girl’s marriage to a bel (wood apple) fruit, a represen-
tative of the deity Suvarnakumara ¯ (the DVD is centrally
ɺ
devoted to this ritual). Although this has the appearance of a
marriage, it is in fact an initiation ritual that provides the
girls with the eligibility for marriage while strengthening
social ties within the community, lineage and caste member-
ship, and ritual solidarity. Also included are the critically
edited texts, with translations, on which these rituals are
based, all in Old Nevārı̄ with Sanskrit mantras. The book has
a number of lineage charts, excellent color photos, and maps
of neighborhoods and procession routes that illustrate the
significance of local space. Highly recommended.
Frederick M. Smith
University of Iowa
IN ADORATION OF KRISHNA: PICHHWAIS OF
SHRINATHJI. TAPI COLLECTION. By Kalyan Krishna
and Kay Talwar. Introductory essay by B. N. Goswamy.
Surat: Garden Silk Mills Ltd., 2007. Pp. 227. Hardcover, Rs.
3500, $100.00.
This beautiful volume explores the Pushtimargi pichh-
wais in the private collection of Praful and Shilpa Shah per-
manently housed in their own museum in Surat, Gujarat.
Pichhwais are temple hangings—paintings and multimedia
pieces—of the Vallabha tradition that celebrate the divinity of
Krishna as Śrı̄nāthjı̄, the unique image of Krishna found in
the great temple in Nathdwara, Rajasthan. The earliest pich-
hwais are from the early nineteenth century, but have been
produced in fairly large numbers in Nathdwara, Bombay,
Kota, Surat, and elsewhere continuously since then. They are
used as background adornments to the (usually) very small
images of Krishna (called Thakurjı¯ ¯ ) that may be found in
public and private temples, and in the homes of wealthy
Pushtimargi devotees, including members of the extended
family of descendants of the sect’s founder, Vallabhācārya
(1479-1531). Goswamy’s introductory essay provides the
basic facts of Vallabhācārya’s life, some of the details of
the themes and artistic styles of the pichhwais, and notes
on the pichhwais as objects of devotion. The other essays
discuss the artists, insofar as they are known, the manner in
which the pichhwais are keyed to the daily ritual schedule or
annual calendar of Pushtimarga devotion, and their relation-
ship with other art forms in India, such as kālamkāri. But the
most important aspect of this book is the strikingly beautiful
artwork, very little known within or outside India. This
volume is recommended for research libraries, but will also
be useful to advanced students in the study of Indian reli-
gions.
Frederick M. Smith
University of Iowa
JAINISM: AN INTRODUCTION. By Jeffery D. Long. New
York: I. B. Tauris, 2009. Pp. xxiv + 240. Cloth, £ 45.00; paper,
£ 14.99.
97
• NUMBER 1 • MARCH 2010
This book, intended for use in undergraduate classes on
religion, presents a reliable outline of the history, philoso-
phy, and ritual practices of Jainism, emphasizing how Jain
ideals such as “relativity” and nonviolence can be used to
foster religious pluralism and an environmental ethic. Long
begins by explicitly endorsing Jain teachings, arguing that
he will depart from recent Western scholarship by present-
ing the religion not as a historical phenomenon, but as a
timeless, consistent set of ideals. Despite this troubling
methodology, chapters one to four outlining the history, doc-
trines, and observances of Jains, do keep historical consid-
erations in mind, giving a sufficient introduction to the
tradition. In these chapters, Long builds upon existing intro-
ductory books by adding a more extensive discussion
of Jainism in the Diaspora and of twentieth-century
movements. The second half of the book, which focuses on
what the author calls “The Jain Doctrines of Relativity”
(anekāntavāda, syādvāda and nayavāda), also historicizes
these philosophical tools, effectively situating them in the
context of competing Indian philosophies. Some scholars
will take issue with Long’s tone, as he often comes off as a
Jain theologian. They also may disagree with his translation
of anekāntavāda, a philosophical stance in many ways anti-
thetical to relativism, as a doctrine of “relativity.” The author
anticipates these concerns, however, and presents this
increasingly influential interpretation of anekāntavāda
within the Jain community in a sophisticated manner. It is
for this reason that the book could stimulate important dis-
cussions in an introductory class on religion or South Asia.
Ellen Gough
Yale University
BANARAS: THE CITY REVEALED. Edited by George
Michell and Rana P. N. Singh. Photographs by Clare Arni.
Marg, Vol. 57 no. 2. Mumbai: Marg Publications, 2005.
Pp. 152. Hardcover, Rs. 2500/$66.00.
This book, produced by the distinguished art publication
house Marg in Mumbai, contains thirteen brief but beauti-
fully illustrated articles (kudos to Clare Arni for her photog-
raphy) on the architectural history of Banaras. This book
would be a good starting point for any student with an inter-
est in the religion, culture, or history of this fascinating city.
The reason is that it focuses on the physical aspects of the
city, which inevitably draw students and travelers into the
life practices and culture that dominate studies of Banaras,
but which are often overlooked in such studies. Four of the
articles are by Klaus Rötzer, who knows well the layout of
the city, the importance to Banaras of its often neglected
Islamic history, and the history of caravanserais in the city.
Michell himself has an article on temple styles in which he
brings his usual high-level acumen to the topic. Other note-
worthy articles are by S. Freitag on power and patronage in
Banares in the last two centuries, and N. Gutschow on the
Panchakroshi temple. A theme mentioned in the introduc-
tion and addressed more fully in the concluding article, by V.
Dar, is the “downward slide in architectural protection,”
 Religious Studies Review • VOLUME 36
leading to unbridled, unsustainable, and unplanned devel-
opment. It is urgent that the city’s heritage be preserved, and
it is the undisguised hope of the authors and editors that this
slim but excellent volume can help alert the proper authori-
ties to this need.
Frederick M. Smith
University of Iowa
INDIAN LITERATURE AND POPULAR CINEMA:
RECASTING CLASSICS. Edited by Heidi R. M. Pauwels.
London: Routledge, 2007. Pp. xvi + 259. Cloth, $160.00;
paper, $39.95.
This new book is a welcome contribution exploring the
role of classical and modern Indian literature in Hindi
cinema. The book divides the films into six categories based
on the kind of literature “recasted”: 1) Indian epics films
(based on the two major epics the Ramayana ¯ ¯ and the
Mahābhārata); 2) classical Sanskrit drama films ɺ (based on
the texts such as the Abhijñānaśākuntalam and the
Mrcchakatika ); 3) devotional films (based on the life and
ɺ This second volume of Sogani’s essays covers a wide
works of Mirabai and other Bhakti poets); 4) Indo-Islamic
culture films (based on the Urdu literature); 5) colonial films
(based on the texts written in the colonial period); and 6)
agenda-driven films (based on the literature created during
and after the partition of India). The book has innovative
essays written by experts in the field, such as P. Lutgendorf,
V. Aklujkar, C. Creekmur, and G. Chatterjee, and an intro-
duction and conclusion by H. Pauwels. The essays by
Pauwels, Aklujkar, and M. Bose also focus on gender issues
in Indian religious traditions as depicted in different texts
and contemporary films. Also useful is the excellent trans-
lation of several songs and verses in the essays by Pauwels
and A. Mir. Excepting the essays by Creekmur and Chatter-
jee, most of the essays are written without the theoretical
focus of a particular discipline, and will invite the attention
of large number of disciplines, such as literature, film, politi-
cal science, women’s studies, history, and religious studies.
As the first volume to seriously study Indian literature in the
context of Hindi films, the book breaks major new ground for
students and scholars of South Asian studies and will be an
important book for undergraduate courses on South Asian
religions and literatures.
Pankaj Jain
North Carolina State University
THE PHILOSOPHICAL TRADITIONS OF INDIA. By
P. T. Raju. London and New York: Routledge, 2008. Pp. 256.
Hardcover, $165.00.
This very good and succinct account of India’s philo-
sophical systems is a reprint of the original 1971 edition
(London: George Allen & Unwin). It is a clear account of the
basic systems, from the Vedas and Upanisads to Mımamsa
¯ ¯ ¯,
Nyāya, and the other orthodox systems. ɺ It also covers in
separate chapters the fundamental points of the non-
orthodox systems, including the Cārvākas, Jainism, and Bud-
dhism. Raju also addresses some of the knotty ethical points
98
• NUMBER 1 • MARCH 2010
in the Mahābhārata and introduces many of the primary
players in Indian philosophy since the mid-nineteenth
century. This book can still be recommended for introduc-
tory students, who will profit from a litany of the basic philo-
sophical doctrines of these schools. However, more
advanced scholars should turn to other works, because a
great deal of scholarship has occurred in all these topics
since 1971, perhaps especially in Buddhist studies and
´
non-Samkara Vedānta. Considering that nothing has been
ɺ
updated, including the now very outdated bibliography, the
price is much too high for students to pay for this volume.
One wonders what the publishers had in mind by reprinting
an outdated if still useful book at such a high price.
Frederick M. Smith
University of Iowa
SPIRITUAL AWAKENING (SAMYAGDARŚANA)
AND OTHER ESSAYS. By Kamal Chand Sogani. Jaipur:
Prakrit Bharati Academy, 2008. Pp. 213. Paper, N.p.
range of topics relating to the philosophy and practice of
Jainism. Sogani gives special emphasis to the importance of
ethical practice for a proper understanding of Jain thought, a
repeated refrain of these essays being that Jainism is not to
be approached as an abstract system of philosophy, but as a
process of spiritual awakening to which ethical practice is
integral. Sogani refers frequently to the ancient Jain master
Kundakunda, known for his distinctive “two truths”
approach—similar to the analogous doctrines of Nagarjuna
and Shankara—which emphasizes the relative and incom-
plete nature of conceptual formations, holding that only
direct, experiential awareness gives one access to absolute
truth. Finally, the author is attentive to similarities to and
differences between Jainism and Hindu philosophical tradi-
tions. The essays display an impressive depth and breadth of
erudition in Jain texts. The one drawback of this collection is
the writing style, which is somewhat convoluted. It is abun-
dantly clear that English is not the author’s first language.
The text is also marred by typographical errors. But if one is
willing to work through and look beyond these stylistic dif-
ficulties, this is a very rich collection of essays, recom-
mended for all scholars of Jainism, and for students of Indian
philosophy more generally who wish to deepen their appre-
ciation for the distinctive Jain contributions to the Indic
intellectual tradition.
Jeffery D. Long
Elizabethtown College
East Asia
YASUKUNI, THE WAR DEAD AND THE STRUGGLE
FOR JAPAN’S PAST. Edited by John Breen. New York:
Columbia University Press, 2008. Pp. 244. Paper, $26.50.
Breen’s book is one of a spate of several recently pub-
lished on Yasukuni shrine, including J. Kolst’s Rethinking