Customer Reviews

The Essentials of Hinduism: A Comprehensive Overview of the World's Oldest Religion

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book was exactly what I was looking for: something to help me understand the basics of Hinduism without either oversimplifying or overcomplicating things. I had previously thought that Hinduism was difficult to understand, but it turns out that it just needed to be explained properly, something this book does far better than any others I have encountered. Bhaskarananda fills the pages with colorful stories and analogies, and sets up much of the book in a question-and-answer format, making it a delight to read. I found that almost all of the basic questions I had about Hinduism were answered. Questions are given in large, bold headings organized by topic, and are then answered in a concise but clear manner. Since Essentials of Hinduism is organized so well, it is excellent for keeping on the bookshelf as a quick reference. If you only buy one book on Hinduism, this should be it.

This is a concise and comprehensive introduction to a complex subject. I have read a few books on Hinduism, and this is by far the most understandable. The author has a gift of making even obtuse concepts appear simple by means of his lucid writing style and apt analogies. Students of Hinduism of all levels should benefit from this reference book.

In August of 1997, during my visit to India from England, I was travelling with my [...] daughter from Benaras to Delhi by train. Our first class, air conditioned compartment was completely full. With us there were many lecturers and professors from the Benaras Hindu University. They were discussing different intellectual topics and we were listening to them with interest.

When the topic of Hinduism arose, one lady opened her hand bag and took out a book. She raised the book in her hand and showed it to everybody around and said, "This is the best book on Hinduism that I've ever read, I always carry this book in my hand bag." It was "The Essentials of Hinduism" by Swami Bhaskarananda. That lady said that she was the professor of Anatomy in Benaras Hindu University.

My daughter and I were overjoyed to hear what she had said, because we also had the same opinion about that book. When we first read the book in 1994, my husband said ,"This is the best book to learn about Hinduism," and started recommending the
book to all his friends in England who wanted to know about that religion.

When looking to study the Hindu religion, I searched high and low for resources. I found them sorely lacking, unless I wanted to learn Sanskrit and plow through all of the original script. This book was a wonderful overview of the religion within the context of cultural understanding. It gave not only the basics of the religion in theory but also great insight into how it is practiced. It is amazingly comprehensive for as short as it is. It is well-written and conversational in style. I have recommended this book to many friends that are curious about other religions and cultures, and I have even bought it as a gift.

As a young student of Hindu heritage arrived in USA about 3 decades ago, I had always carried a sense of guilt with me. Though I grew up with the ritualistic world of Hinduism but was never attracted to Hindu Philosophy, partly because the subject is complex, and appeared arcane. Eventually my guilt turned in to shame, when my young daughter started asking questions about Hinduism and I could not answer them. I desperately searched for a comprehensive book on Hinduism and finally got one in the Essentials of Hinduism by Swami Bhaskrananda. Using a layman's language Swami described those difficult concepts of Hinduism in a way, which became pellucid for the first time. After reading this book my guilt disappeared and experienced pure joy. In those intervening years, my daughter too (now twenty something) has read this book, and feels proud to be a part of both worlds (east and west).

Last but not the least. I will recommend to the reader another book by the Swami on Meditation, wherein, he has unveiled the mysteries of mind. The Mind-what it is, how it works, and the means to control it? Another great piece of work by Swami Bhaskarananda!

One of the obstacles in studying Hinduism is finding a book that doesn't inundate each sentence with difficult Sanskrit words.

Thankfully, although this book does have some Sanskrit, every single word is promptly defined and sometimes even more than once. Advanced concepts that have a Sanskrit term are often broken down with modern-day analogies, which I frequently found to be extremely helpful. Honestly, some of the analogies I've read in this book are among the best I've come across.

As if that weren't enough, there is a glossary in the back for quick reference. I rarely had to use it as the in-book definitions were often sufficient.

A quick look at the table of contents shows how thorough this book is in explaining Hinduism. It certainly revealed the basics of Hinduism faster than trying to wade through the many couplets of the Rigveda Samhita on my own.

To accompany the text are several diagrams and pictures, my personal favorite being the chart that shows the staggering amount of Hindu scriptures and how they all break down.

The chapters on Karma and Reincarnation, potentially some of the most difficult to grasp, were explained very well and at length.
However, I was disappointed at the brevity of the chapter on Predestination (a measly page).

On the scholarly side, there are frequent footnotes referring to the Upanishads, Rig Veda and other texts, but they're not exhaustive. For example, page 186 says that "Hindu scriptures speak of two goals pursued by man: the pleasant and the good". Unfortunately, there is no reference for either of these. I'm sure there is one, but it'd be nice to have a footnote referring to it so one can see for themselves.

Having studied other cults and religions, I found these three things of great interest:
Page 125 mentions "Samskaras", which, when you read about them, sound eerily familiar to the engrams mentioned in Scientology.
Page 140, where it mentions the purification of objects, reminded me of similar practices in Wiccan tradition.
In addition, I was amazed at the shared beliefs between Hinduism and Christianity (love thy enemy, body as temple, etc).

For one who wishes to understand Hinduism, in my estimation this is not a perfect book on the subject, but definitely touches all the major subjects and explains things in plain English exceptionally well.

The title of the book says it all. Even though the book is only about 200 pages it is EXTREMELY dense with information. Much more information than than I had anticipated when I ordered the book.

If you are interested in learning about Hinduism this is the book to get.

This book offers a concise analysis of Hinduism from both its theoretical and practical aspects. In very clear language, Swami Bhaskarananda describes the spiritual concepts that created and
supported Indian civilization for thousands of years. Furthermore, the author dispels many of the standard myths associated with Hinduism. By leading the reader step by step through the fundamental principles of
Hinduism, the religion is shown to take on a unifying spirit that is thoroughly accessible for modern times. By filling the gap in the current literature, Swami Bhaskarananda has produced a book that is ideal for introductory courses on Hinduism found in colleges and universities. The author's subsequent book, "Meditation, Mind, and Patanjali's Yoga", would make an ideal companion. Highly recommended!

This is the book that I bought when I began to be fascinated with Indian culture in general. This is also the first book I ever read on Hinduism, and to be perfectly honest, it's not very hard to understand. The information is precise, the narrative flow is never complex, and the visuals are lovely to look at. And although there are a few words here that need to be looked up in the dictionary, "The Essentials of Hinduism" is still a fantastic read. Highly recommended for those who are interested in the world's oldest religion, or in Indian culture in general.

The proof of the indisputable inherent strength, vitality and resilience of the Hindu religion lies in the fact, that the faith has splendidly sustained its believers through eight centuries of repeated foreign invasions and domination, like a healthy and strong, yet remarkably supple tree - that only bends, but never breaks - in a passing storm.
It is no wonder, that in such a religion some of the concepts can certainly be perplexing, and even bewildering. This is true not only for those who are raised in other major faiths, and whose tenets are based on a single founder, but also for many who are born in the Hindu religion itself.
The skill, ingenuity and ease, with which the author Swami Bhaskarananda has rendered those abstruse concepts clear and comprehensible, are indeed praiseworthy. The author has at the same time kept the size of the book very inviting and not intimidating. "The Essentials of Hinduism" would undoubtedly be my first choice to recommend for anyone who wants to get a clear and unambiguous understanding of the religion.

Dr. Kidoor K.N. Bhat, Surgeon (retd.)
President, The Vivekananda Vedanta Society of British Columbia
Vancouver, Canada