First published in 1943, this outstanding book represents in many ways the most complete achievement of Ananda K. Coomaraswamy (1877-1947), one of the main modern representatives of the Hindu tradition. Displaying an unequaled mastery of Sanskrit, Pali, Greek, Latin, and medieval German and Italian sources, Coomaraswamy shows that "the Indian tradition is one of the forms of the Philosophia Perennis, and as such, embodies those universal truths to which no one people or age can make exclusive claim."
The present edition (Golden Elixir Press, 2011) does not contain errors found in other recent editions of this masterful work. The entire text has been carefully checked word by word against the original English edition - including terms and passages in Sanskrit, Greek, and other languages - and endnotes have been changed to footnotes. In addition, the present edition is the only one that includes all the additions and changes that the Author contributed, shortly before his death, to the French translation of his work.