• Preface; Part I. Power: the Challenges of the External World: 1. Consulting the oracle once again; 2. Oceans of milk and treacle; 3. Navigating the sea of earthly existence; 4. Safe havens; 5. Violence, aggression and heroism; 6. Manipulating space, time and matter. 7. Entering forbidden realms; 8. Unleashing the powers of the self; Part II. Love: the Rhythms of the Interior World: 9. The missing colour; 10. The landscape of the heart; 11. The deadly weapons of Mara; 12. Beyond the fleeting moment; 13. Cosmic desire; 14. Love abiding in stone; 15. The melting of the heart; 16. Return to the world; Part III. Wisdom: Commuting within One World; 17. All the valleys filled with corpses; 18. Strategic initiatives; 19. Encompassing the galaxies; 20. The all-pervasive mind; 21. Striking a balance; 22. Beyond prosaic words; 23. Irreducible particulars; 24. The head in the world; Notes; Index.

'I think this is an excellent book. There is nothing really like it in scope or presentation, a panoramic view of Indian religion which meets the highest scholarly standards while preserving a distinctive personal tone throughout. It is likely to appeal to virtually anyone who is interested in Hinduism, Buddhism or Jainism at any academic level. It will greatly enrich popular perceptions of the variety of Indian religion, but it manages, I think, not to bewilder the reader with that variety. I commend it with enthusiasm.' Richard Gombrich, University of Oxford