Hindu Studies
Religion and Women in India
Examines the intersections of gender, religion, and politics among various Indian religious communities, from early British rule to the late twentieth century.
Behind Kṛṣṇa’s Smile
Examines Kṛṣṇa’s hint of laughter (prahasann iva) in the Bhagavadgītā, its interpretations in the Vedānta commentarial tradition, and its significance in Kṛṣṇaite iconography and literature.
Ruling Devotion
Combines historical, literary, art historical, and archaeological perspectives to explore the idea of the Hindu temple in the British colonial imagination.
The Sāṃkhya System
Explores the Sāṃkhya system and the delicate relationship it articulates between witness consciousness (Puruṣa) and manifest realities (Prakṛti), providing a path to freedom through knowledge.
Hindu Mission, Christian Mission
Offers a new, interreligious approach to questions of mission and conversion, grounded in a close study of the Chinmaya Mission, Ramakrishna Mission and other movements associated with the Hindu tradition of Advaita Vedānta.
Awakening a Living World on a Kūṭiyāṭṭam Stage
Explores the cultural dynamics of this ancient form of Sanskrit theater.
I, Yantra
Argues that ancient yantra (robot) tales reveal how their Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain authors thought about the nature of humanity and our role in a cosmos filled with divine and natural forces.
The Literary Life of Yājñavalkya
A literary and historical investigation into an ancient Indian religious thinker, tracing his rise in importance in the Hindu tradition.
Wonder in South Asia
A comparative study of wonder in South Asian religions.
The Festival of Indra
Details the textual and performative history of the South Asian festival of Indra and its role in the development of classical Hinduism.
The Truths and Lies of Nationalism as Narrated by Charvak
Rejects Hindu nationalism and pluralist secularism in favor of a revitalized politics of Indian federalism.
Hindutva and Violence
Examines the place of history in the political thought of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, one of the key architects of modern Hindu nationalism.
Nine Nights of Power
Explores the rich diversity of narratives, rituals, and participants connected with one of the most important celebrations for Hindus in South Asia and in the diaspora.
Singing the Goddess into Place
Explores how a folk ballad in southern India transforms the landscape and embeds the deities that are its subject within the social worlds of their devotees.
The Hagiographer and the Avatar
Examines the key role of a hagiographer within a charismatic religious movement.
Many Mahābhāratas
A major contribution to the study of South Asian literature, offering a landmark view of Mahābhārata studies.
Material Acts in Everyday Hindu Worlds
Broadens the parameters of religious studies by accounting for material acts that help shape religious worlds.
Tracing the Path of Yoga
A comprehensive and theory-rich investigation of the history and philosophy of yoga, from its Indian origins to the contemporary context.
Till Kingdom Come
The first book to offer a detailed framework, a fine-grained history, and an analytically nuanced understanding of one of the rarest branches of Hindu worship.
The Science of Satyug
The first in-depth study of the All World Gayatri Pariwar, a modern Indian religious movement.
The Other Rāma
A systematic analysis of the myth cycle of Paraśurāma (“Rāma with the Axe”), an avatára of Viṣṇu with a much darker reputation.
Words of Destiny
Investigates the professional practices of astrologers in urban India and their popularity among the educated middle and upper classes.
Fiction as History
Explains the Hindi novel’s role in anticipating and creating the story of middle-class modernity and modernization in North India.
Word, Chant, and Song
An accessible introduction to the centrality of word, chant, and song in the Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic, and Sikh traditions.
Essays of a Lifetime
A distillation of the historian’s finest writings on modern Indian historical themes.