The first is the Indus phase, then come the Vedic phase, the Upanishadic phase, the Buddhist phase, the Puranic phase, the Bhakti phase, the Orientalist phase and finally the modern phase. Relics from the Indus–Saraswati civilization reveal ancient iconography that is considered sacred in Hinduism even today. But much of the knowledge of that period remains speculative. The subsequent three phases constitute Vedic Hinduism, when there were no temples and the idea of God was rather abstract. The final four phases constitute Puranic Hinduism, characterized by the rise of temples and belief in a personal god, either Shiva, or one of his sons; Vishnu, or one of his avatars; or the Goddess, in her many local forms. We can go so far as to call Vedic Hinduism pre-Gita Hinduism and Puranic Hinduism post-Gita, to indicate the pivotal role of The Gita in Hindu history.
Highlight(yellow)Page: 21Location: 156
History seeks to be everyone’s truth, but is limited by available facts. More often than not, what is passed off as history is mythology, someone’s understanding of truth shaped by memory, feelings and desire, available facts notwithstanding. However, it is never fantasy, or no one’s truth.
Highlight(yellow)Page: 23Location: 173
We must also guard against a masculine view of history based on conflict and triumph alone:
Highlight(yellow)Page: 23Location: 177
Masculine Way of thinking
NotePage: 23Location: 177
An alternate, feminine view of history looks at every event as the fruit of the past(karma-phala) as well as the seed of future tendencies(karma-bija), without the need to play judge.
Highlight(yellow)Page: 24Location: 182
Feminine Way of thinking
NotePage: 24Location: 183
The narratives by ‘Vyasa’ were called the Puranas, or chronicles, which included the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata that spoke of family quarrels over property.
Highlight(yellow)Page: 29Location: 232
The translators were Christian and, like Muslims, immersed in Abrahamic monotheistic mythology, who saw God as the primary source of knowledge and humans as sinners who needed to follow the way of God. Naturally, they saw The Gita’s God as judge, even though such a concept was alien to Hinduism.
Highlight(yellow)Page: 34Location: 286
We are also aware that any study of The Gita eventually becomes a study of how humans see the world, how Indians saw the world, how the West wants to see India, how India wants to see India and how we want to see The Gita.
Highlight(yellow)Page: 36Location: 315