This Work On The Essentials Of Hinduism Focuses On The Anthropocosmic Nature Of The Religion The Cosmic Law Of Nature And Culture On Which It Is Founded. It Balances Social Reality And Scriptural Description With A Dynamic Analysis Of The Interacting Elements To Remove Many Popular Misconceptions About Hinduism.

Hinduism Clarified and Simplified is the best book on Hinduism written so far; and most exclusive and exhaustive one. Almost everything worth mentioning has been included in it. SanAeAtana Dharma, the Eternal Religion, is now called Hinduism. According to Manusmriti, it is MAeAnava Dharma: Human Religion, the Religion for all human beings. Hinduism as the MAeAnava Dharma wishes all to be happy and healthy: sarve bhawantu sukhinah. Hinduism as Eternal Religion asks all to grow from inside and absorb cosmic energy; to know the self and the Creator Brahman; and to get united to that Absolute God through pure deeds, moral acts, penance and meditation for moksha (Salvation). Read, think, and follow the dictates of sublime and divine visionary rishis for knowledge, control, balance, hope and faith; for complete living through dharma, artha, kAeAma and moksha; for health, happiness, peace, pleasure, prosperity, revelation and enlightenment; and freedom from the endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth. #v&spublishers

The evolution of Hinduism has been a saga of continuous progression from the unreal to the real, from the profane to the profound, in successive stages of human development. Hinduism has withstood challenges of all hues, both within and without. It has had its periods of light and shade, occurring concurrently, through the course of history. Sometimes shady aspects assumed vast proportions and enveloped the lofty ideals of the Vedas, but prophetic souls appeared to redeem the society of evil, from Adi Shankaracarya to Bhakti reformers of medieval India, and from Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Swami Dayananda and Swami Vivekananda to Mahatma Gandhi. Like any other human faith, Hinduism has its philosophical and practical sides, called “the kernel and the husk” respectively. The survival of Hinduism has been due to its ability to separate the former from the latter, in an unending process, and to withstand challenges of all types by adhering to the timeless principles of truth (satya) and righteousness (dharma). Hinduism has been open, flexible and adaptable. It has discarded outworn ideas and institutions, absorbed the best elements of fellow cultures, and reinterpreted itself in changing milieus. The present publication by Advaita Ashrama, a branch of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math, India is an attempt to explain the quintessential of Hinduism within the orbit of time and beyond it, involving an explication of the eternal values and principles which sustain existence. It explores the dynamics of Hinduism in religio-historical framework through the second millennium of the common era. About the Cover:The image of Lord Shiva as Nataraja, the king of dancers. As the Cosmic Dancer, his dance represents the five cosmic activities of creation, preservation, destruction, concealment of Truth behind apparitions, and divine grace. He dances on the prostate body of the demon, Apasmara. Apasmara symbolises man's ignorance or forgetfulness of Truth. Shiva is Time (kala), and he is also the Great Time (maha kala), i.e. Eternity. This is the dance of the Cosmic Being, eternally going on.

The interdisciplinary approaches presented here investigate food in India and Sri Lanka for its wide ranging cultural meaning and uses. The authors examine food in religious and literary contexts, where saints, ritualists, poets, and the divine often provide grounds for a practically inexhaustible hermeneutics. The Eternal Food focuses on reflexive cultural expressions and personal experiences that food elicits in the region. Concerned with food as an "essence" and as an essential experience, the authors give special attention to Hindu saints for whom food, firmly grounded in moral ideals and practice, represents a cosmic divine principle at one level, and a most immediate and intimate material reality at another. In the cultural diversity of India, the authors work with several conceptual models and meanings of food. They demonstrate how it reflects common social understandings about social caste, the cure and prevention of ailments, its ability to alter moods and motivations, or affect innate personal dispositions, personal spiritual pursuits and attainments. In its sweep and depth, food presents a powerful cultural lens for seeing how practical, ritual, and spiritual spheres of life conjoin.

Hinduism existed before Ram as well as Krishn. Hinduism is neither started by any one person nor based on one book. Hinduism has always been and shall always be. It is truly an eternal religion. Hinduism is a philosophical system or paradigm which is based on relationship of individual with the cosmos in a non-adversarial manner. Man (including woman) is part of the cosmos. An individual has no existence independent of one's family, society and the whole cosmos. Hindu thought emphasizes each one living in a manner that contributes to the growth of the larger whole. Hinduism with its emphasis on relationship with the cosmos may well said to be a nature-based religion. Respecting and nurturing nature is essential to Hinduism. A Hindu sees the sun, the moon, trees, earth, rivers, mountains, fire and all one's fellow human beings as manifestations of the cosmic reality of which man is a part.Hinduism is truly a global religion. In some form or the other a thousand years ago it existed in every part of the world. Shintoism of Japan, Taoism of China, religions of American natives, various African religions and so-called pagan religions of Europe - all are different forms of Hinduism even though their followers today may not like to look at it that way. Sadly, even Hindus do not see their religion in that way. Some so-called Hindu organizations of India wish to restrict Hinduism to people living in or having allegiance to the landmass known as India. They claim to be well-wishers of Hinduism but are in fact doing damage to the great eternal global religion by restricting it to a country.While it is true that India was an important and even central place for Hindu thoughts through centuries, the thought and scholarship had contributions from every part of the world. Indian universities exchanged thoughts without any boundaries. This book Fundamentals of Eternal Hinduism treats Hinduism as a comprehensive philosophical system which treats the cosmos and individual as one. The book is divided in two parts. The first part gives the theoretical framework which defines Hinduism. The second part gives practical direction about living one's life.This is a religious book like no other. Hinduism in this book is a practical down-to-earth religion without any fancy esoteric parts. In a way, Hinduism of this book is non-spiritual. There is no talk of discovering oneself or meditation or aiming for life beyond this world. Noticeably, this book does not promise to lead the readers towards moksh or salvation. In fact, the author does not seem to even accept moksh. He sees moksh or salvation as a Buddhist imposition on Hinduism.The book also rejects Vedanta, the commonly accepted ideology which is considered by some as essential philosophy of Hinduism. The author blames Vedanta for the downfall that Hinduism has experienced over the past thousand years. Hinduism, in this book, is about relationships, resources and pleasures of life. The primary priority is surely relationships but wealth and prosperity are not deprecated. Being rich is seen as a worthwhile objective. Hinduism, unlike Christianity, does not treat sexual relations as sin. One's sexual desires must be lower on the priority scale as compared to one's duties and one's efforts for resource accumulation; but denying the desires is a clear no-no. Celibacy as a way of life is alien to Hinduism described in this book.This book will change your attitude to life and also to everyone around you. It will help you be a more balanced person contributing to the well-being of your family, your society and also your country and the world. In short, the Hinduism of this book is about living life to the fullest as a man / woman of the world.

Your hands-on guide to one of the world's major religions The dominant religion of India, "Hinduism" refers to a wide variety of religious traditions and philosophies that have developed over thousands of years. Today, the United States is home to approximately one million Hindus. If you've heard of this ancient religion and are looking for a reference that explains the intricacies of the customs, practices, and teachings of this ancient spiritual system, Hinduism For Dummies is for you! Provides a thorough introduction to this earliest and popular world belief system Information on the rites, rituals, deities, and teachings associated with the practice of Hinduism Explores the history and teachings of the Vedas, Brahmans, and Upanishads Offers insight into the modern daily practice of Hinduism around the world Continuing the Dummies tradition of making the world's religions engaging and accessible to everyone, Hinduism For Dummies is your hands-on, friendly guide to this fascinating religion.