This book examines the widespread perception that Hindu religion is largely inegalitarian, and demonstrates that such a conclusion is only supported by a part of the evidence, and not by the entire range of evidentiary material which can be brought to bear on the point. Moreover, those parts of the evidence on which such a conclusion is based do not, upon investigation, always support it. Finally, it also emerges that the present view lacks theoretical nuance. It does not define egalitarianism adequately and does not distinguish sufficiently between various forms of egalitarianism, such as proportional and radical egalitarianism.

The book demonstrates that when egalitarianism is more rigorously defined and a wider slice of evidence from within Hinduism taken into account, then the existence of the struggle for equality is as clearly discernible in Hinduism as elsewhere.

Formerly of the IAS, Arvind Sharma is currently the Birks Professor of Comparative Religion in the Faculty of Religious Studies at McGill University, Montreal, Canada. He has also taught in Australia and the United States and has published over fifty books and five hundred papers. His recent books include: Hinduism and Human Rights and Modern Hindu Thought: An Introduction. He is currently engaged in promoting the adoption of a UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS BY THE WORLD'S RELIGIONS.