16. introduction
widely recited version of the Ramayanain Hindi-speaking India, is sometimes
praised for articulating a version ofbhaktithat is accepting of hierarchical differ-
ences along lines of caste and gender. Other voices, following the lead of icono-
clastic bhaktifigures such as Kabir, reject such a view as entirely antithetical to the
true meaning ofbhakti.And the remarkable thing is that Tulsidas and Kabir are
often conceptualized as belonging to the same broad bhaktifamily, even so.
OVERVIEW
The five strands we have just described intertwine to constitute Hindu dharma in its
many facets, and it ’s good to have the whole cloth in mind as we begin. Yet our pur-
pose in this volume is to unravel the fabric a bit and look at just one strand: practice.
There is no need to feel diminished by this act of selection. The practice of lived
Hinduism turns out to be a huge subject, one that deserves to be approached from
a wide range of perspectives: different geographical regions, different social loca-
tions, different ages, genders, and times. The essays that appear in this volume have
been drawn together to bring those many perspectives to life. Life continues to be
lived, and inevitably changes as it does. These essays reflect that fact. The earliest
of them was written almost half a century ago, and one short story predates even
that, whereas the most recent are published here for the first time. We think this wit-
ness to the passage of time in reporting “the life of Hinduism” is a good thing, but
we caution readers to take it into account.
We begin with the act of worship itself—the sort of action that constitutes the
core of Hindu ritual life (part 1). Stephen Huyler introduces the general vocabulary
of Hindu worship by following an observant Brahmin out the door as he begins his
day as a computer repairman somewhere in Tamil Nadu. Huyler uses the occasion
to speak about vows (vrata),acts of praise and service to the gods (puja),offerings
of fire and light (arati),and the food that is exchanged between human beings and
divinities (prasada).Diana Eck takes a closer look at the aspect of Hindu practice
that has always been most difficult for Muslims, Christians, and Jews to fathom:
What does it mean to worship an image—indeed, many images? And should we
think of worshipping an image or worshipping throughan image? Finally, Shrivatsa
Goswami and Margaret Case report a special ritual event, an act of worship that was
transformed by the sudden and evidently active presence of one of the beings whom
worshippers were just then addressing. This remarkable visitor was a bee—a bee
who figures in stories of Krishna as one of his most important messengers. To many
observers his appearance at this ritual juncture was a miracle, but in another way it