Wendy donigers book is at once deeply engaged with textual details, historical sweep, theoretical concerns, and contemporary politics. Hinduism includes a diversity of ideas on spirituality and traditions, but has no ecclesiastical order, no unquestionable religious authorities, no governing body, no prophets nor any binding holy book. Hinduism is the faith followed by majority of people in india and by most of the indians living around the world. Unlike her previous work this was specifically aimed at the indian audience. Fight back and reclaim wendy donigers valuable book taken away from you by a spineless publisher and the fundamentalists they made a deal with. In this magisterial volume of essays, wendy doniger enhances our. Since 1979 the international magazine hinduism today has been producing a treasury of educational features on all aspects of sanatana dharma. The canon of books and poems that define hinduism were written in sanskrit and are of ancient origin. Origins of hinduism most scholars believe hinduism started somewhere between 2300 b.
Religion is a way of life in india, where hinduism is practiced by over eighty percent of the population. Hindus live with a legacy of domination by muslim and christian rulers that stretches back many centuriesin northern india, to the delhi sultanate established at the beginning of the th century. One of the oldest living religions in the world, hinduism is unique among the world religions in that it had no single founder but grew over a period of 4,000 years in syncretism with the religious and cultural movements of the indian subcontinent. Includes more than 60 essays and lectures spanning the decadeslong career of one of hinduism s most prominent scholars. In addition, it should be noted that most scholars of indian religions who have not directly addressed this questionand even sever.
Which are the best books on origin and history of hinduism. There are several, split into two categories shruti reavealed by brahma to wise men, who heard them and smriti made up by humans to explain complex nature of shruti texts, these also detail the stories of the numerous gods. Mar 10, 2017 the best and most authentic books are as follows for indian or hindu philosophy. The flow of hinduism can be divided roughly into major periods of change and development. Over the past decade, many scholars have put forward the claim that hinduism was constructed, invented, or imagined by british scholars and colonial administrators in the nineteenth century and did not exist, in any meaningful sense, before this date. More than a billion people are followers of indias eternal faith.
As a discrete indic religion among others, however, hinduism was probably first imagined by the british in the early part of the nine. An introduction to hinduism, the new book by bestselling author shashi tharoor, whose last three books have sold over a quarter of a million. Since the early 19th century, when the scholarly investigation of hinduism began to take shape as a modern academic discipline, hindu studies has evolved from its concentration on description and analysis to an emphasis on understanding hindu traditions in the. Around 1750 bc aryan invaders from central asia settled in north west india and introduced their own religious.
It is a polytheist anthropomorphic religion with a highly ritualized form of worship. I was brought up thinking of hinduism as a series of rituals. She has authored many translations of sanskrit texts and books on hinduism. While most major religions derive from new ideas taught by a charismatic leader, hinduism is simply the religion of the people of india.
Hinduism allows absolute freedom to the rational mind of man. Hindus value many sacred writings as opposed to one holy book. For those who already know and admire wendy donigers work, this is a handy if hefty compendium of. Summary of some periods in the history of hinduism. The complete decipherment of the indus valley script on steatite seals will help. A religion of the indian subcontinent, encompassing many different traditions. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers.
Hinduism flows from the misty past some 6000 to 7000 years ago. It is available for free in pdf on himalayan acacamyshinduism todays website. The mahabharata is an important source of information on the development of hinduism between 400 bce and 200 ce and is regarded by hindus as both a text about dharma hindu moral law and a history itihasa, literally thats what happened. The book, which was first published in 1947, has now been rearranged in a more convenient form, with useful additions here and. While most major religions derive from new ideas taught by a charismatic leader, hinduism is simply the religion of the people of india, which has gradually developed over four thousand years. Twenty months later, the book returned to the indian market under a different publisher, speaking tiger books. It is delving into spiritual and philosophical knowledge comprehended and assembled since antiquity. Yogic knowledge of the stars and planetary forces and how to control them to our advantage see other formats the hindu book astrology or yogic knowledge or the stars and planetary forces and how to control thett to our advantage by bhakti seva the blissful prophet v qf the diversity published by the new. Swami vivekananda, the 19thcentury hindu monk and vedantist, stated that the bhagavad gita may be old but it was mostly unknown in the indian history till early 8th century when adi shankara shankaracharya made it famous by writing his muchfollowed commentary on it. For anyone seeking a deeper and more nuanced understanding of hinduism, this book is a must read. This is also when the idea of karma was written in text.
However, for the best and most readable discussion of hinduism, i highly recommend chapter 1 of huston smiths classic, the worlds religions, to which this entry owes much. The earliest literary source for the history of hinduism is the rigveda, consisting of hymns that were composed chiefly during the last two or three centuries of. Dating back some five thousand years, hinduism is the dominant faith of india and an increasingly powerful spiritual force in the west. Mar 17, 2015 hindu history the history of hinduism is unique among the world religions in that it has no founder or date of origin. Hinduism teaches that there is no particular way or book to reach god or heaven. The vedic period dates from the aryan invasion of india and the vedas date from that period. Since there are so many books about hinduism, the author of yet another one has a duty to answer the potential readers passover question. India is changing fast, and hinduism is keeping up. Of all the basic books on hinduism, this rather thin volume of 160 pages is the most balanced introduction to the religion. It is available for free in pdf on himalayan acacamys hinduism todays website.
Please do not comment this is material for a world religions course and not intended for public critique. Hinduism may not be called religion its dharma a way of living or a way of life followed since antiquity, i. Introduction hinduism stands for the faith and the way of life most of the people who live in india. This book gives clearly written explanations of the basic ideas and practices of hinduism and its culture. Use the practice questions as a pretest, and inlesson study guide, and. Hindus can choose to be polytheistic, pantheistic, panentheistic, pandeistic, henotheistic, monotheistic, monistic, agnostic, atheistic or. Philosophy and identity in indian intellectual history is a book andrew j. Publishers weekly clear and direct this will stand as a reliable resource to return to frequently. Hindu relations with islam and christianity are in some ways quite different from the ties and tensions that bind together religions of indian origin. All are available for purchase on click book images for details. Hinduism is a religion from the indian subcontinent.
A selective list of persons, works, and events are are drawn from hinduisms four thousand year history. The worlds religions chapter ii, hinduism, what people. Examines a rich array of hindu conceptspolytheism, death, gender, art, contemporary puritanism, nonviolence, and many more. Guided by the founder, satguru sivaya subramuniyaswami, the magazines editors, who are initiated monks of the kauais hindu monastery, collaborated with holy men and women and experts around the world in creating graphically rich guides to virtually. Hinduism is the largest and oldest religion on earth almost 5,000 years old. The answer to this question is that actually there is no single founder of hinduism as hinduism was not founded as a religion. Its very difficult to recommend one book which will serve this purpose. It allows the widest freedom in matters of faith and worship. My book, hinduism beyond rituals, customs and traditions, is not an academic research paper, nor is it an attempt to be motivational to offer teachings in the faith. The wild misconceptions that most nonhindus have of hinduism need to be counteracted by demonstrating the richness and human depth of hindu texts and practices.
The book, which was first published in 1947, has now been rearranged in a more convenient form, with useful additions here and there, and is now released in its fifth edition. Today not the external dead or alive rather our own internal enemies are more active, vibrant and powerful to defame, demoralized and destroy the grand and beautiful heritage of hinduism, it has been made just a religion of reaction, violence and easily hurt sensation. It is the largest third religion in the world, and also one of the worlds oldest religions still in practice. Hinduism never demands any undue restraint upon the freedom of human reason, the freedom of thought, feeling and will of man. Exploring hinduism beyond rituals progressive hindu dialogue. She is an american indologist with dozens of publication under her name. Yogic knowledge of the stars and planetary forces and how to control them to our advantage see other formats the hindu book astrology or yogic knowledge or the stars and planetary forces and how to control thett to our advantage by bhakti seva the blissful prophet v qf the diversity published by the new york magazine of mysteries 22 north. Discover the best history of hinduism in best sellers. But it is an unusually diverse religionone divided by caste, community, language, and regionand is thus quite difficult for outsiders to grasp. All about hinduism is intended to meet the needs of those who want to be introduced to the various facets of the crystal that is hinduism. An alternative history 2009, professor wendy doniger explains the purpose of writing this book which, on surface, appears a very noble one.
The book was initially published by viking penguin in 2009 and later in india by penguins indian subsidiary, penguin india. The primary sacred texts, known as the vedas, were. List of books and articles about hinduism online research. Jul 02, 2014 please do not comment this is material for a world religions course and not intended for public critique. It is a concise yet comprehensive view of hinduism which embraces and explains its history, tenets. Summary of hinduism in one page reason and meaning. I was introduced to this wonderfully and beautifully written text about hinduism. Show your understanding of hinduism with this quiz and printable worksheet. We have regular temple sessions called hindu chintan kendra and are using your book to promote understanding of our faith. An alternative history is a book by american indologist, wendy doniger which the author describes as an alternative to the narrative of hindu history that they tell. It would be easy to understand who is the founder of hinduism if. On hinduism fills a gap in the written history of world religion, philosophy, mythology and culture.
Includes more than 60 essays and lectures spanning the decadeslong career of one of hinduisms most prominent scholars. She is scholarly, persuasive in her interpretations, especially bringing to light the suppressed presence of women, tribals, and untouchables, and witty, providing great reading pleasure and knowledge. Where the vedas gave a foundation for the direction of hinduism, the upanishads filled in the gaps. A list of the 50 biggest enemies of hindus dead or alive. A collection of handselected books on hinduism, chosen on the basis of apparent usefulness and quality. The best and most authentic books are as follows for indian or hindu philosophy. Buy on hinduism book online at low prices in india on hinduism.
The upanishads by anonymous, the gita way secret recipe to achieve the purpose of life by shweta chandra, autobiography of a. Hinduism is such an ancient religion that it had many types of beliefs and religious practices. It is believed that it is the first religion established near indus valley where civilization emerged in human life. Religionfacts does not necessarily endorse the contents of these books. This book is a collection of essays on hinduism by the author wendy doniger. Just who invented hinduism first is a matter of scholarly debate. It is perhaps the best book for someone who has no prior knowledge of the religion, a stable stepping stone for the student of religious studies, and an eyeopener for the practicing hindu. The history of hinduism in india can be traced to about 1500 bce. In this text, leading scholars from around the world take stock of two centuries of international intellectual investment in hinduism. The rigveda is a collection of hymns dedicated to 33 gods especially to indri and agni. Nicholson on indian philosophy, describing the philosophical. Assuming that hinduism means sanatan dharma for you, because the term hindu has very controversial meaning and origin.
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