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

by Bhaskarananda

This book gives clearly written explanations of the basic ideas and practices of Hinduism and its culture. It answers so many questions Do the Hindus worship many gods? Are the Hindus idol worshippers? What is the purpose of life? What are Hinduism's spiritual practices? and so on, covering the most mundane to the most profound ideas and questions of Hinduism.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Hinduism, Spirituality, India, History, Philosophy

247 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Aashish Satyajith · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is written with the western audience in mind. The author seems to do justice to the title.

However, when Bhaskarananda says "Essentials", he means it. An introduction to the vast, vast array of Hindu literature gets over in a mere ten pages. That said, the book covers a broad spectrum of topics under the umbrella of Hinduism, and you will really learn a lot about it, breadth-wise.

The book also tries to clear many misconceptions and misunderstandings that the West (or even the East, for that matter) may have about Hinduism. Well thought-out analogies help in the same regard, in addition to clarifying various concepts from the Hindu philosophy.

Now, a word of caution. The numerous appearances of the word "God", "soul" etc. might be unsettling for people with a rational bend of mind. It will take more than an open mind for such people to go through the book.

One thing is clear: if you're unsure whether or not delving into Hinduism is worth it, by the time you're done with this book, you will have an answer.

[Anil · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good book. It provides introduction to almost all aspects of Hinduism. Either for the existing generation Hindus or foriegners to Hinduism, it sets the right path to explore Hinduism. The book is very well written with small, simple and effective examples to make one understand the complexities of the elite thoughts in Hinduism.
Unlike other religion books (and the religion themselves), this book nowhere showcases how Hinduism is better than other religions in any way. This book just talks about the basics of Hinduism.
Definitely this book will plant the seeds of divinity in the reader if his/her mind is open for goodness.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is good introduction to Hinduism. The most important thing I learned is that, contrary to the belief of most Westerners, Hinduism is not a polytheistic religion. Hindus often refer to God as singular, and they mean the one great all-pervading God, Nirguna Brahman. The three major gods of Hindu worship, Brahmā, Vishnu, and Shiva, are really just personifications of aspects of Brahman and not separate, independent gods. Each of these big-three has both male and female aspects or avatars, which in turn have many of their own avatars or incarnations representing various powers and responsibilities. Essentials of Hinduism says surprisingly little about the dozens of Hindu gods because ultimately they are all just aspects of Brahman. The focus of the book is on broader issues, including the nature of God, God realization, Hindu society and way of life, creation, ethics, karma, reincarnation, spiritual paths, methods of worship, yogas, and moksha or liberation from cycles of reincarnation.

[Steve Minard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect introduction to Hinduism for someone who previously knew very little (and probably had several misconceptions). I had no idea just how many similarities Hinduism has with my other main Eastern interests, Buddhism and Taoism. This book explained the history, practice, and philosophy of Hinduism in a very simple, straightforward manner that was thorough, yet easy-to-understand for a newcomer. Highly recommended for anyone interested in Eastern religion and philosophy who has yet to seriously explore Hinduism. Great intro.

[Ashok · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good book. it tells all about what is Hinduism and more.Even if you are Hindu, you will love since it has more information which you don't know about hinduism

[Rikas Basheer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book to get an overview, relationship of various concepts and a timeline of important events in the evolution of Hinduism that I have been exposed to growing up. One has to admit that it's pretty challenging to present a vast number of complex concepts of Hinduism in a book of this size. Overall, the book felt more like an academic textbook, less interesting and cohesive. Some parts of the book were, certainly, interesting. But the book did serve the purpose of what I wanted to learn. By providing both positives and criticisms of Hinduism, the Author does gain the trust of the reader in being unbiased. The Author goes into detail on the subject of Dalit and Women's treatment in Hindu scriptures and how the reality has been different and continue to evolve from them. I felt that the author could have gone into a bit more detail on the cultural assimilation between Aryan and Dravidian population over the years. After having finished the book, I still end up with some questions, for example, how Hinduism migrated to the south of India and how indigenous traditions and practices became a part of Hinduism. The book is filled with a lot of facts, definitions, key figures, information on different sects and timelines of events. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to gain a basic understanding of Hinduism, especially, the western audience.

[Frank Jude · Rating 4 out of 5]

Right off the bat I would recommend this easy to read, very accessible "comprehensive overview of the world's oldest religion" to anyone interested, teaching or practicing yoga in a western environment. Being "comprehensive" and purposefully written for lay-readers, it doesn't go into very great depth and detail, though I was surprised at how detailed it is!

Also, the only caveat is that, as it is written by a senior monk of the Ramakrishna Order, it lacks any real critical thought about Hinduism and serves a bit as an apologetic when addressing mostly superficial criticisms leveled at Hinduism.

Still, that said, this book serves as a wonderful introduction to the densely varied world of Indian philosophical/theological thought known as Hinduism. I can imagine how many mis-perceptions and distortions promulgated by western trained (200-hour!) yoga teachers could be nipped in the bud if they were required to read this book as part of their training.

[Jeremiah Hopkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Partially inspired from reading up on the history of religion and its roles in civilization as we know it, I thought it fitting to dive into other systems of belief that I may not be as familiar with. This overview of Hinduism, while not as detailed as other works, gives a well-informed and historic summary of this religion, how it was formed, and what modern Hinduism believes and values. I respect the spiritual disciplines and ritualistic dedication that Hindus exude to outwardly show their reverence for their god.

“An unbiased study of Hinduism reveals that it is neither pessimistic nor overly optimistic. Too much optimism causes frequent disappointments, while pessimism robs people of their initiative. Neither is encouraged by Hinduism. Hinduism is purely realistic. It encourages its followers to recognize the true nature of the world and act accordingly.”

7.4/10

[Robert J. Gallo · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Essential Explanation of Hinduism

This author provides an essential outline of Hindu culture and religious practice. The explanation of karma, reincarnation and other esoteric aspects of the East are well developed and presented. A very enlightening read.

[Forrest Yoder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well done, brief overview of the lifestyle that is hinduism

Well written gateway into understanding hinduism. Dispells many of the myths and much of the misinformation surrounding hinduism. Greatly enlightening.

[Jonathan Drnjevic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very clear writing with excellent list of suggested further reading, glossary, and index. A fine volume for anyone looking for the basics of Hinduism.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent overview of Hindu thought and practice.

[Krishnan Ranganathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very simple, easy to understand at the same time comprehensive enough to cover the entire spectrum of Hindu philosophy and beliefs. An essential book to be read by today's busy children and adults.

[Pradyuman Singh Rajput · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book to Hinduism Principles

[Satish Grampurohit]

Excellent book to get a quick view of Hinduism.

[Roman Vilensky · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clearly written and logically organized introduction into Hinduism for complete newbies. Can also be used as a quick reference when beginning to practice Hinduism or studying it more in depth.

[Dedrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is very informative although it is a bit dry. However it covers some of the different variations within Hinduism as well as the overall themes and philosophies.

[Stevejs298 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This an excellent, digestible introduction to Hinduism. The author utilizes a number of helpful analogies to explain complicated subjects.

[Vashti Braha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Manages to say a lot in a distilled and very readable way. I'd recommend this if you were only going to read one book on the subject.

[Rajat TWIT · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent overview of Hindu religion, this book is a great read. No doubt Swami Bhaskarananda has come up with a gem of work to tell the complex history/evolution of world's oldest religion. Not being very preachy, he has covered all the important aspects with a very clear stance and has given reader's just enough, that should be known. I was particularly happy to read that some stupid and useless tradition that are being followed currently were never a part of hinduism and that many a rituals are actually either wrongly perceived or executed in wrong way! World has changed a big time from the early Vedic era when great sages and saints discovered the eternal and supersensuous truths of life, but the path of realization has not changed. Hence the importance of this great religion Hinduism.
Kudos to Swamiji to give us such a beautiful work on Hinduism.

[dave dykhouse]

vishnu? i don't know - vishnu with you? i began to appreciate hinduism more after reading paramhansa yogananda's "autobiogrqaphy of a yogi." although still supporting and encouraging the caste system and its abuses in india, hinduism is at least not at odds with science, respects the spark of divinity in everyone and believes in quiet contemplation rather than screaming for believer donations on tertiary cable channels. this volume reviews all the main teachings of hinduism, most of which are inexplicable to westerners, but ironically their survival as a religion after these many thousands of years just may lie in the fact that they are the only major world religion (in fact, the oldest extant) that was not based on the teachings of one messianic founder. think about it.

[Awdhesh Singh · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a good book to provide a bird's eye view to Hinduism. The book is written for the people who are unfamiliar with Hinduism. Therefore, many Hindu readers would find many aspects of Hinduism repetitive as they already know them. However, everyone would something new in this book. It is a basic book of Hinduism and one can always refer to other books of his interest after reading "The essentials of Hinduism".

[Lizzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A text book for a World Religions class I took. I now live in an apartment complex that is 95% Indian. I've gone back to this book a lot to find out interesting facts. Like what holiday is it when my neighbor is drawing on the door?

[Sarahdactyl ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in 2010.

I really love reading about the Hindu religion. It is complex, but this book was very easy to understand. I'd recommend it to anyone who wanted to know more about Hinduism.

[Annette Abbott · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want a good introduction to Hinduism, look no further. I started reading this with some knowledge of the religion, but I think someone with no knowledge of it could easily pick it up and understand it. Easy to understand without being oversimplified.

[Haili Hillin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, simple understanding of a and extremely intricate and beautiful religion and culture.

[Lisa Eskra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Straight-forward, easy to read and understand.

[Michaeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly good interpretation of Hinduism. Well written with a good step-by-step process that provides the basics before getting deeper into the belief system.

[Adam Bricker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I wasn't a fan. I enjoyed Light on Life much more.

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overview of a lot of information! The book includes a glossary, list of Holidays and brief explanations, and sources for further info.