{"schema_version":"bf_book_companion_v1","release_id":"20260418T162306Z","book":{"amazon_purchase_url":"https://www.amazon.com/dp/1570038430?tag=bookfrontier-20","asin":"1570038430","authors":["Guy L. Beck"],"book_id":"9781570038433","canonical_url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/sonic-theology-1570038430","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781570038433.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-19T10%3A16%3A55Z","description":"A comparative approach to understanding the centrality of sound to Hindu religious practices The Hindu world is permeated by sound: drums, bells, gongs, cymbals, conches, flutes, and an array of vocalizations play a central role in worship. Guy L. Beck contends that the traditional Western focus on Hinduism's visual component has often been at the expense of the religion's most important feature—its emphasis on sound. In Sonic Theology Beck addresses this longstanding imbalance, contending that Hinduism is essentially a sonic theology. Beck argues that sound participates at every level of the Hindu cosmos. Comparing the centrality of sound in Hindu theology to its place in other religions, Beck raises issues about sound and language that not only reshape our understanding of Hindu worship but also invite a fresh approach to comparative theology.","forthcoming":false,"isbn13":"9781570038433","publication_date":"20090423","publisher":"University of South Carolina Press","slug":"sonic-theology","subtitle":"Hinduism and Sacred Sound","title":"Sonic Theology"},"discovery":{"categories":{"all":[{"bisac_code":"REL032010","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Hindu History","score":0.76,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"REL032020","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Hindu Rituals & Practice","score":0.7509,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"REL032040","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Hindu Theology","score":0.7507,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"hint":[{"bisac_code":"REL032010","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Hindu History","score":0.76,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"REL032020","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Hindu Rituals & Practice","score":0.7509,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"REL032040","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Hindu Theology","score":0.7507,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"publisher":[{"bisac_code":"REL032040","confidence_band":"high","label":"Hindu Theology","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"}]},"genres":[{"label":"Hindu History","score":0.76,"slug":"hindu-history"},{"label":"Hindu Rituals & Practice","score":0.7509,"slug":"hindu-rituals-practice"},{"label":"Hindu Theology","score":0.7507,"slug":"hindu-theology"}],"reader_fit":["Good for readers who enjoy Hindu History","Good for readers interested in religion","Good for fans of Religion"],"related_lists":[],"series":null,"similar_books":[{"authors":["Amrutur V. 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He dedicated his life to the study and dissemination of Hindu philosophy and spiritu"],"book_id":"9789358561630","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9789358561630.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-19T10%3A16%3A55Z","score":12.425,"title":"Hinduism","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9789358561630"},{"authors":["Surendranath Dasgupta"],"book_id":"9781625584144","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781625584144.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-19T10%3A16%3A55Z","score":12.1071,"title":"Hindu Mysticism","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781625584144"},{"authors":["Gavin Flood","The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies","Gavin D. 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