‘Hinduism Explained’ by Dr R Neerunjun Gopee
Is Hinduism but a meaningless mass of rituals – as even many Hindus tend to believe?
No, says ‘Hinduism Explained’- there is a rationale underlying the customs and practices, and way of living, based on the Hindu world view of the fundamental unity of existence.
Read ‘Hinduism Explained’ to understand the basics such as Karma, the Law of Karma and reincarnation, and Dharma as the ethical foundation of righteous living. What are the four stages or ashramas of our life? What is puja, and why do we do offerings during its performance? Where does the universe come from, what is birth, what is death? Is death the end of everything? What are the Hindu scriptures, how are they related to each other?
Answers to these questions are to be found in the teachings of the Spiritual Gurus whom the author has been blessed to learn from, which he shared on the occasion of Mahashivaratri in 2017 in a series of short TV talks in French. The positive responses he got from a number of friends and acquaintances as well as queries about Hinduism from others, both non-Hindu and Hindu, encouraged him to expand on these talks and render them in book form in English. The essential concepts of Hinduism are put across in simple and reader-friendly language, aimed at the general reader, but should appeal to the young generation in particular: they are the ones most frequently confronted with questions about their religion.
The book starts with an ‘Overview of Hinduism’, followed by a short statement of what it means to be a Hindu; this will be useful to the many Hindus, students in particular, who often do not know how to give a concise answer when they are asked this question. Then come the short and easy to read chapters, each new chapter being a logical sequence to the previous one.
The chapters are as follows: ‘Introduction: Who we are, Purpose of Life’, ‘A Roadmap for Life’, ‘Dharma’, ‘Karma’, ‘What is Puja? Why do we make offerings?’, ‘Festivals and Celebrations in Hinduism’, ‘Symbolism in Hinduism ’, ‘Scriptures of Hinduism’.
The book ends with an ‘Appendix: Hindus and Beef-Eating’ which clears a number of misconceptions about this issue and a ‘Selective Bibliography’ for those who would wish to explore the subject matter in greater depth.
Feel free to share the book with your family, relatives and friends and anyone who wants to know about the wonderful tradition and way of thinking that is Hinduism.
The author would welcome any suggestions, queries and feedback, which may be sent to him at: ngopee@intnet.mu
Download: ‘Hinduism Explained’
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