Encyclopedias

By MAULANA MOHAMMAD RAZI KHAN AFRIDI MOHAMMAD ILYAS NAVAID

Holy Quran, the divine book is a great treasure of knowledge and wisdom. It is the original source. This Holy book is the original source of inspiration for the whole mankind. Holy Quran stands for peace—peace for all, not for the Muslims, alone. In fact, Holy Quran, when interpreted, incorporated in its fold, safety and security for the whole mankind. Holy Quran, the divine scripture addresses all human beings, not only the Muslims. Prophet of Islam, Hadrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) is known as the benefactor of mankind. Thus, Islam’s message is for the whole universe and Allah (god) is the Lord of all the worlds. Islam is universal in its nature, essence, belief, philosophy, ideology, approach and practice.

By G. J. Larson

Samkhya is one of India's oldest philosophical systems, and this volume of the Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies, coedited by Gernald James Larson and Ram Shankar Bhattacharya, and under the general editorship of Karl H. Potter, traces the history of the system from its beginnings in the third or fourth century B.C.E. up through the twentieth century. The volume includes a lengthy Introduction (written by G.J. Larsen) which discusses the history of the system and its philosophical contours overall. The remainder of the volume includes summaries in English of all extant Sanskrit texts of the Samkhya system. Many of the summaries are of texts that have never been edited, translated of studied before, most notably extensive treatments of the Yuktidipika, the Samkhyavrtti and the Samkhyasaptativrtti. The volume is designed for philosophers, cultural historians and students of comparative studies generally. In addition, since the volume contains so much material that has never been published before, it will also prove to be of interest to area specialists, Indologists and Sanskritists.

By Dr.K.M.Suresh

ABOUT THE BOOK The ‘Encyclopaedia of Indian Temple Architecture’ comprises a vast research on the architectural features of Indian temples spread all over the Indian subcontinent. This encyclopaedic study is divided into forty-five chapters which delineate the various characteristics of temple architecture starting from the Gupta period (4th c.A.D.) to the Kashi Vi„vanÈtha temple rebuilt by Rani Ahilyabai of Indore (1776 A.D.).