Ardor

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Eastern Religions, Hinduism, Philosophy
Cover of the book Ardor by Roberto Calasso, Farrar, Straus and Giroux
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Roberto Calasso ISBN: 9781429955805
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Publication: November 18, 2014
Imprint: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Language: English
Author: Roberto Calasso
ISBN: 9781429955805
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication: November 18, 2014
Imprint: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Language: English

In a meditation on the wisdom of the Vedas, Roberto Calasso brings ritual and sacrifice to bear on the modern world

In this revelatory volume, Roberto Calasso, whom The Paris Review has called "a literary institution," explores the ancient texts known as the Vedas. Little is known about the Vedic people, who lived more than three thousand years ago in northern India: They left behind almost no objects, images, or ruins. They created no empires. Even the soma, the likely hallucinogenic plant that appears at the center of some of their rituals, has not been identified with any certainty. Only a "Parthenon of words" remains: verses and formulations suggesting a daring understanding of life.
"If the Vedic people had been asked why they did not build cities," writes Calasso, "they could have replied: we did not seek power, but rapture." This is the ardor of the Vedic world, a burning intensity that is always present, both in the mind and in the cosmos.
With his signature erudition and profound sense of the past, Calasso explores the enigmatic web of ritual and myth that defines the Vedas. Often at odds with modern thought, these texts illuminate the nature of consciousness more vividly than anything else has managed to till now. Following the "hundred paths" of the Satapatha Brahmana, an impressive exegesis of Vedic ritual, Ardor indicates that it may be possible to reach what is closest by passing through that which is most remote, as "the whole of Vedic India was an attempt to think further."

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In a meditation on the wisdom of the Vedas, Roberto Calasso brings ritual and sacrifice to bear on the modern world

In this revelatory volume, Roberto Calasso, whom The Paris Review has called "a literary institution," explores the ancient texts known as the Vedas. Little is known about the Vedic people, who lived more than three thousand years ago in northern India: They left behind almost no objects, images, or ruins. They created no empires. Even the soma, the likely hallucinogenic plant that appears at the center of some of their rituals, has not been identified with any certainty. Only a "Parthenon of words" remains: verses and formulations suggesting a daring understanding of life.
"If the Vedic people had been asked why they did not build cities," writes Calasso, "they could have replied: we did not seek power, but rapture." This is the ardor of the Vedic world, a burning intensity that is always present, both in the mind and in the cosmos.
With his signature erudition and profound sense of the past, Calasso explores the enigmatic web of ritual and myth that defines the Vedas. Often at odds with modern thought, these texts illuminate the nature of consciousness more vividly than anything else has managed to till now. Following the "hundred paths" of the Satapatha Brahmana, an impressive exegesis of Vedic ritual, Ardor indicates that it may be possible to reach what is closest by passing through that which is most remote, as "the whole of Vedic India was an attempt to think further."

More books from Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Cover of the book My Brother's Shadow by Roberto Calasso
Cover of the book The Ghost and Mrs. Hobbs by Roberto Calasso
Cover of the book The Inferno of Dante by Roberto Calasso
Cover of the book Woes of the True Policeman by Roberto Calasso
Cover of the book Dead Investigation by Roberto Calasso
Cover of the book The Finder by Roberto Calasso
Cover of the book Ben and the Sudden Too-Big Family by Roberto Calasso
Cover of the book Family by Roberto Calasso
Cover of the book Soldier Mom by Roberto Calasso
Cover of the book Short Letter, Long Farewell by Roberto Calasso
Cover of the book The Mexican Wars for Independence by Roberto Calasso
Cover of the book Henry's Fate and Other Poems by Roberto Calasso
Cover of the book Now I Know Who My Comrades Are by Roberto Calasso
Cover of the book City by City by Roberto Calasso
Cover of the book The Anatomy Lesson by Roberto Calasso
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy