This study conducts a lively and innovative exploration of the traditional Indian religions and cultures that have both fascinated and puzzled the West for centuries. The author uses a great variety of sources, and listens not only to what the learned philosopher or theologian in the classical Sanskrit texts has to say, but also to what folk cults express in stories, myths, and poetry. By focusing on the three universal human drives of power, love and wisdom, Hardy offers a colorful picture of the huge diversity that is Indian religion.