Contents; Abbreviations; Prologue; I. INTRODUCTION; 1. Meaning and Method; 2. Background and Context; II. THE EARLY PERIOD; 3. The Origins; 4. Ingredients of Change; III. THE CLASSICAL PERIOD; 5. The Classical Asrama System; 6. Development of the Classical System; 7. The Asramas and Other Brahmanical Institutions; 8. The Asrama System in Medieval Theology; Epilogue; Bibliography; Index; A; B; C; D; E; F; G; H; I; J; K; L; M; N; O; P; R; S; T; U; V; W; Y; Z
Summary
A study of the Asrama system, a Hindu construct consisting of four legitimate ways of leading a religious life. The author traces its early history and explains how Asrama gradually established connections with other Hindu religious institutions to emerge as a central tenet of the Hindu dharma
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (p. 247-262) and index
