Reflections on Resemblance, Ritual, and Religion

by Brian K. Smith

This volume explores the organizational principles of the ancient Indian sacrificial system, and the role Vedic religion plays in later orthodox Hinduism. Smith argues that Vedic conceptions of the cosmos, the nature of the human being, visions of the afterlife, and representations of ritual theory and practice can all be understood in similar terms. Guiding all of them is the principle of hierarchical resemblance which forges interconnections and...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195055454
• ISBN13: 9780195055450
• Release Date: December 1988
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.9" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

An amazing book

Despite the fact this book spends the bulk of its time analyzing ancient Vedic texts this is one of the best books on Hinduism, generally, that I've ever read. Smith does an amazing job of outlining the logic and coherence of Vedic religion - especially as seen in the Brahmanas - a genre of texts that had, in the past, been seen as lacking nearly all such coherence. As such, a fresh light on the whole sweep of Hinduism shines throughout the book. We should all thank Professor Smith for this fantastic book and the meticulous research it embodies. Simply put, this book is a must for any student of Hinduism - period.