Old World Encounters • al-Biruni • Synopsis of the Chapters

al-Biruni • Kitab al-Hind

CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER SYNOPSIS

^[i.9] CHAPTER ONE ON THE HINDUS IN GENERAL, AS AN INTRODUCTION TO OUR ACCOUNT OF THEM	i.17-26
CHAPTER TWO ON THE BELIEF OF THE HINDUS IN GOD (^ᴐ ALLĀH)	i.27-32
CHAPTER THREE ON THE HINDU BELIEF AS TO THE CREATED THINGS, BOTH INTELLIGIBILIA AND SENSIBILIA	i.33-44
CHAPTER FOUR FROM WHAT CAUSE ACTION ORIGINATES, AND HOW THE SOUL IS CONNECTED WITH MATTER	i.45-49
CHAPTER FIVE ON THE STATE OF THE SOULS, AND THEIR MIGRATION THROUGH THE WORLD IN THE METEMPSYCHOSIS	i.50-58
CHAPTER SIX ON THE DIFFERENT WORLDS, AND ON THE PLACES OF RETRIBUTION IN PARADISE AND HELL	i.59-67
CHAPTER SEVEN ON THE NATURE OF LIBERATION FROM THE WORLD, AND ON THE PATH LEADING THERETO	i.68-88
^[i.10] CHAPTER EIGHT ON THE DIFFERENT CLASSES OF CREATED BEINGS, AND ON THEIR NAMES	i.89-98
CHAPTER NINE ON THE CASTES, CALLED VARṆA ('COLORS'), AND ON THE CLASSES BELOW THEM	i.99-104
CHAPTER TEN ON THE SOURCE OF THEIR RELIGIOUS AND CIVIL LAW, ON PROPHETS, AND ON THE QUESTION WHETHER SINGLE LAWS CAN BE ABROGATED OR NOT	i.105-110
CHAPTER ELEVEN ABOUT THE BEGINNING OF IDOL-WORSHIP, AND A DESCRIPTION OF THE INDIVIDUAL IDOLS	i.111-124
CHAPTER TWELVE ON THE VEDA, THE PURĀṆAS , AND OTHER KINDS OF THEIR NATIONAL LITERATURE	i.125-134
CHAPTER THIRTEEN THEIR GRAMMATICAL AND METRICAL LITERATURE	i.135-151
CHAPTER FOURTEEN HINDU LITERATURE IN THE OTHER SCIENCES-ASTRONOMY, ASTROLOGY, ETC.	i.152-159
CHAPTER FIFTEEN NOTES ON HINDU METROLOGY, INTENDED TO FACILITATE THE UNDERSTANDING OF ALL KINDS OF MEASUREMENTS WHICH OCCUR IN THIS BOOK	i.160-169
CHAPTER SIXTEEN NOTES ON THE WRITING OF THE HINDUS, ON THEIR ARITHMETIC AND RELATED SUBJECTS, AND ON CERTAIN STRANGE MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THEIRS	i.170-186
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN ON HINDU SCIENCES WHICH PREY ON THE IGNORANCE OF PEOPLE	i.187-195
^[i.11] CHAPTER EIGHTEEN VARIOUS NOTES ON THEIR COUNTRY, THEIR RIVERS, AND THEIR OCEAN- ITINERARIES OF THE DISTANCES BETWEEN THEIR SEVERAL KINGDOMS, AND BETWEEN THE BOUNDARIES OF THEIR COUNTRY	i.196-212
CHAPTER NINTEEN ON THE NAMES OF THE PLANETS, THE SIGNS OF THE ZODIAC, THE LUNAR STATIONS, AND RELATED SUBJECTS	i.213-220
CHAPTER TWENTY ON THE BRAHMĀṆḌA	i.221-227
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE DESCRIPTION OF EARTH AND HEAVEN ACCORDING TO THE RELIGIOUS VIEWS OF THE HINDUS, BASED UPON THEIR TRADITIONAL LITERATURE	i.228-238
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO TRADITIONS RELATING TO THE POLE	i.239-242
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE ON MOUNT MERU ACCORDING TO THE BELIEF OF THE AUTHORS OF THE PURĀṆAS AND OF OTHERS	i.243-250
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR TRADITIONS OF THE PURĀṆAS REGARDING EACH OF THE SEVEN DVĪPAS	i.251-256
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE ON THE RIVERS OF INDIA, THEIR SOURCES AND COURSES	i.257-262
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX ON THE SHAPE OF THE HEAVEN AND EARTH ACCORDING TO THE HINDU ASTRONOMERS	i.263-277
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN ON THE FIRST TWO MOTIONS OF THE UNIVERSE (THAT FROM EAST TO WEST ACCORDING TO THE ANCIENT ASTRONOMERS, AND THE PRECISION OF THE EQUINOXES) BOTH ACCORDING TO THE HINDU ASTRONOMIES AND THE AUTHORS OF THE PURĀṆAS	i.278-288
^[i.12] CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT ON THE DEFINITION OF THE TEN DIRECTIONS	i.289-293
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE DEFINITION OF THE INHABITABLE EARTH ( œcumenē) ACCORDING TO THE HINDUS	i.294-305
CHAPTER THIRTY ON LAṄKĀ, OR THE CUPOLA OF THE EARTH	i.306-310
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE ON THAT DIFFERENCE OF VARIOUS PLACES WHICH WE CALL THE DIFFERENCE OF LONGITUDE	i.311-318
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO ON THE NOTIONS OF DURATION AND TIME IN GENERAL, AND ON THE CREATION OF THE WORLD AND ITS DESTRUCTION	i.319-326
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE ON THE VARIOUS KINDS OF DAY OR NYCHTHEMERON, AND ON DAY AND NIGHT IN PARTICULAR	i.327-333
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR ON THE DIVISION OF THE NYCHTHEMERON INTO MINOR PARTICLES OF TIME	i.334-345
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE ON THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF MONTHS AND YEARS	i.346-352
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX ON THE FOUR MEASURES OF TIME CALLED MĀNA	i.353-355
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN ON THE PARTS OF THE MONTH AND THE YEAR	i.356-358
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT ON THE VARIOUS MEASURES OF TIME COMPOSED OF DAYS, THE 'LIFE OF BRAHMAN' INCLUDED	i.359-360
^[i.13] CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE ON MEASURES OF TIME WHICH ARE LARGER THAN THE 'LIFE OF BRAHMAN'	i.361-363
CHAPTER FORTY ON THE SAṀDHI , THE INTERVAL BETWEEN TWO PERIODS OF TIME, FORMING THE CONNECTING LINK BETWEEN THEM	i.364-367
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE DEFINITION OF THE TERMS KALPA AND CATUR-YUGA AND AN EXPLICATION OF THE ONE BY THE OTHER	i.368-371
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO ON THE DIVISION OF THE CATUR-YUGA INTO YUGAS , AND THE DIFFERENT OPINIONS REGARDING THE LATTER	i.372-377
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE A DESCRIPTION OF THE FOUR YUGAS , AND OF ALL THAT IS EXPECTED TO TAKE PLACE AT THE END OF THE FOURTH YUGA	i.378-385
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR ON THE MANVANTARAS	i.386-388
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE ON THE CONSTELLATION OF THE GREAT BEAR	i.389-394
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX ON NĀRĀYAṆA, HIS APPEARANCE AT DIFFERENT TIMES, AND HIS NAMES	i.395-399
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN ON VĀSUDĒVA AND THE WARS OF THE BHĀRATA	i.400-406
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT AN EXPLANATION OF THE MEASURE OF AN AKSHAUHIṆĪ	i.407-408
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE A SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF THE ERAS	ii.1-14
^[i.14] CHAPTER FIFTY HOW MANY STAR-CYCLES THERE ARE IN A KALPA AND IN A CATURYUGA	ii.15-19
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE AN EXPLANATION OF THE TERMS ADHIMĀSA, ŪNARĀTRA, AND THE AHARGANAS , AS REPRESENTING DIFFERENT SUMS OF DAYS	ii.20-26
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO ON THE CALCULATION OF AHARGANA IN GENERAL, THAT IS, THE RESOLUTION OF YEARS AND MONTHS INTO DAYS, AND, VICE VERSA, THE COMPOSITION OF YEARS AND MONTHS OUT OF DAYS	ii.27-45
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE ON THE AHARGANA , OR THE RESOLUTION OF YEARS INTO MONTHS, ACCORDING TO SPECIAL RULES WHICH ARE ADOPTED IN THE CALENDARS FOR CERTAIN DATES OR MOMENTS OF TIME	ii.46-56
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR ON THE COMPUTATION OF THE MEAN PLACES OF THE PLANETS	ii.57-61
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE ON THE ORDER OF THE PLANETS, THEIR DISTANCES AND SIZES	ii.62-80
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX ON THE STATIONS OF THE MOON	ii.81-89
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN ON THE HELIACAL RISINGS OF THE STARS, AND ON THE CEREMONIES AND RITES WHICH THE HINDUS PRACTICE AT SUCH A MOMENT	ii.90-100
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT HOW EBB AND FLOW FOLLOW EACH OTHER IN THE OCEAN	ii.101-106
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE ON THE SOLAR AND LUNAR ECLIPSES	ii.107-114
^[i.15] CHAPTER SIXTY ON THE PARVAN	ii.115-117
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE ON THE DOMINANTS OF THE DIFFERENT MEASURES OF TIME IN BOTH RELIGIOUS AND ASTRONOMICAL RELATIONS, AND ON CONNECTED SUBJECTS	ii.118-122
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO ON THE SIXTY YEARS SAMVATSARA, ALSO CALLED SHASHṬYABDA	ii.123-129
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE ON THAT WHICH ESPECIALLY CONCERNS THE BRĀHMAṆS, AND WHAT THEY ARE OBLIGED TO DO DURING THEIR WHOLE LIFE	ii.130-135
CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR ON THE RITES AND CUSTOMS WHICH THE OTHER CASTES, BESIDES THE BRĀHMAṆS, PRACTICE DURING THEIR LIFETIME	ii.136-138
CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE ON THE SACRIFICES	ii.139-141
CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX ON PILGRIMAGE AND THE VISITING OF SACRED PLACES	ii.142-148
CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN ON ALMS, AND HOW A MAN MUST SPEND WHAT HE EARNS	ii.149-150
CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT ON WHAT IS ALLOWED AND FORBIDDEN IN EATING AND DRINKING	ii.151-153
CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE ON MATRIMONY, THE MENSTRUAL COURSES, EMBRYOS, AND CHILDREN	ii.154-157
^[i.16] CHAPTER SEVENTY ON LAWSUITS	ii.158-160
CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE ON PUNISHMENTS AND EXPIATIONS	ii.161-163
CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO ON INHERITANCE, AND WHAT CLAIM THE DECEASED PERSON HAS ON IT	ii.164-166
CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE ON WHAT IS DUE TO THE BODIES OF THE DEAD AND OF THE LIVING (THAT IS, ABOUT BURYING AND SUICIDE)	ii.167-171
CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR ON FASTING, AND THE VARIOUS KINDS OF IT	ii.172-174
CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE ON THE DETERMINATION OF THE FAST-DAYS	ii.175-177
CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX ON THE FESTIVALS AND FESTIVE DAYS	ii.178-194
CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN ON DAYS WHICH ARE HELD IN SPECIAL VENERATION, ON LUCKY AND UNLUCKY TIMES, AND ON SUCH TIMES AS ARE PARTICULARLY FAVORABLE FOR ACQUIRING IN THEM BLISS IN HEAVEN	ii.185-193
CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT ON THE KARAṆAS	ii.194-203
CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE ON THE YOGAS	ii.204-210
CHAPTER EIGHTY ON THE INTRODUCTORY PRINCIPLES OF HINDU ASTROLOGY, WITH A SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THEIR METHODS OF ASTROLOGICAL CALCULATIONS	ii.211-246

Old World Encounters • Interdisciplinary Humanities • Howard University
instructor: Brien Garnand | webmaster: Jyohomson Dawadi