The present series of 75 volumes is compiled, edited and arranged in courntrywise alphabetical order dealing with various aspects of Buddha. Buddists, and Buddhiism, viz., psychology, philosophy, religion, socio-economic aspects, cosmology, ethics, mythology, non-violence, symbolism, art and architecture, ascetic practices of purification, language and literature-canonical and non-canonical, metaphysics and physics, building architecture, epigraph and inscriptions, archaeology, antiquities and monuments, fasts and festivals, rites and rituals, tantricism, sacred Buddhist centres, Buddha's life and teachings, biography of Buddhist philosophers, monks and nuns, theory of knowledge, evolution and development of Buddhism in global perspective, self-reality and starvation, Madhyamik philosophy, nature of Asian and European Buddhism, theory of causation and compassion, cosmic spirit, Buddhist sects, comparison of Buddhism and other religions of the world, Buddhist conception of space and time, social, political, economic, and cultural geography, eschatological concepts, chronology and history, solution of environmental crisis and peaceful co-existence of human being collected from various sources. The concluding Volume consists of INDEX of the complete series.

Hinduism is, in many respects a unique phenomenon in the History of World Religions. Unlike other religions, Hinduism does not regard the concept of God as being central to it. It is neither a system of theology nor makes any dogmatic affirmation regarding the nature of god. Hinduism does not insist on any particular religious practice as being obligatory nor does it accept any doctrine as its dogma. As a religion. There is no dogma or practice which can be said to be either universal or essential to Hinduism as a whole. Yet Hinduism has persisted through centuries as distinct religious entity. Hinduism is, in a sense, an ethnic religion. The Hindus are verily born and grown in Hinduism, and this condition of birth is so compulsive that many persons who are born of Hindu parents generally conform to Hinduism though they may not believe in many of its doctrines and practices.

Belief in the absolute validity of the Vedas is often mentioned as distinctive attribute of a Hindu. Strictly speaking, Hinduism as a religion must be distinguished from Hinduism as a social organization. If one might at all speak of any distinctive features of Hinduism, one cold mention the belief in the ideological complex of "Karma-Samsara-Moksa" on the metaphysico-ethical plane and the acceptance of the caste system on the socio-ethical plane.

The true glory of Hinduism consists in presenting all these polarities and paradoxes as also various levels of doctrine and practices as constituting a single well co-ordinated religious system.

Salient features of the Encyclopaedia are:
1. Vedic and Brahmanic Religio-Cultural Tradition.
2. Classical Hindu Religion and Civilization
3. Post-Classical Hindu Civilization
4. Hinduism in Modern Perspective.

Encyclopaedia of Gods and Goddesses is a vast collection and compilation of authoritative information on Gods and Goddesses worshipped in all religions of the world. The concept of Gods and Goddesses has developed in different ways in different settings of society.

In human religious experience, hierophanies (manifestations of sacred power) provide centres of meaning, order, worship, and ethics. Humans have always felt that real life is in close contact with sacred power as encountered in the form of divine beings. Ideas and experiences of these goddesses and gods thus are not so much intellectual reflections as existential concerns, revolving around the fundamental human question of how to live authentically in this world. Gods and Goddesses fit most aptly into what have been called polytheistic cultures, where the divine reality has not been unified into monistic or monotheistic systems. In looking at the history and morphology of diving beings, several considerations must be kept in mind. First of all, even though the goddesses and gods of a particular society necessarily reflect the values and traditions of that society, it is misleading to attempt to set up direct correspondences between the divine world and human society. Second, there has been much discussion of the "original' function of certain goddesses and gods, in contrast to added or accumulated functions. Typologies of gods and goddesses must span both the historical-cultural data and the morphological possibilities of these divine beings. Some societies may have very few of the possible types, while other societies may have a very full representation of the various forms of divinities. It is useful to adopt two different perspectives on gods and goddesses: a cosmic typology and a social typology. A classification of gods and goddesses can be as follows:

. Cosmic Gods and Goddesses
. The Sky Gods and Goddesses
. Meteorological Gods and Goddesses
. Gods and Goddesses of Social Functions
. Creators and Guardians of Society and Order
. Gods and Goddesses of Protection and War
. Gods and Goddesses of Esoteric Knowledge and Magic.

This continuing series is for the benefit of the students, teachers and researchers as well as laymen who wish to know about the origin and existence of all the Gods and Goddesses of world religions.

This multi-volumes encyclopaedia is a pioneering attempt to cover an in-depth and comprehensive information of life, philosophy and interpretation of eminent philosophers of the world since earliest time to present day. Philosophy has traditionally been the keenest critics of their own discipline. Hence, the idea of bringing out this Encyclopaedia for the first time is undoubtedly the noble endeavour of the editors which is timely and worth consideration. Here, we have sought to represent philosophers from the world over in the light of the different criteria which apply to different countries at different times. The present encyclopaedia is intended to include all important philosophers of east and west as well as many of the points of contact between their philosophy and other disciplines. This Encyclopaedia contains nearly 5,000 articles of ample length which can be of value to the specialist, while most of them are sufficiently explicit to be read with pleasure and profit by the intelligent non-specialist.

Throughout we have aimed at presentations which are authoritative, clear, comprehensive and interesting. Radical philosophers or thinkers are given their full due and most of the controversial issues are discussed at a great length. Many articles embody original research and in some instances treat topics which have not previously been the subject of scholarly investigations. Nothing can make philosophy into an easy subject, but by taking great pains, it is possible to offer a lucid presentation despite of extremely difficult and abstruse philosophical theories.

In first ten volumes of this encyclopaedia, we have widely discussed life, works and interpretations of three great ancient philosophers-Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.


An authentic, outstanding and wide informative multi-volume Encyclopaedia of the World Philosophers, is compiled, edited and arranged in consultation with reputed scholars.