The book is journey through 5000 years of evolution of Hinduism, and is outcome of seven years of study to understand the roots of Hinduism. Tracing the genesis of Hinduism to pre-Indus Valley period, the book explains Hindu, Hinduism and Sanatana Dharma, before it takes one through Hinduism's oldest scriptures - the four Vedas, the four components of each Veda, and what they contain. How all original translations of Vedic texts were done by Western Sanskrit scholars, and why their works have left scope for doubt about the fidelity of translations. The yajnas (yagya) like Ashvamedha, Rajsooya, Vajpeya, etc., about which we only hear on TV serials and talk shows, have been demystified. The reader will be taken aback reading the sheer size and scale of Soma yajna, described step by step, in great detail. Hinduism's journey to the Age of Reason, the Upanishads, its encounter with Buddhism, and its transformation into idol worshipping society with many gods and a multitude of stories about its millions of gods is lucidly explained. Puranas, what they contain and what was the reason they were created, has been described and explained next. Hinduism's journey to its modern form - idol worship, the modern puja, detailed description of puja and Sanskaras like Vivaha, their detailed description, the meaning of each action and how they are conducted, the gift to the priest, types of idols, their consecration, all are explained to help a reader understand the why and the how of what we do as a Hindu. The book concludes with a discussion of - Do mantras have power? & Do rituals have meaning?
Reviews:
Ashok Mishra's Hinduism magnum opus on Hinduism makes - even if one does not agree with all its content - for compelling reading. - Pavan K Varma, Author, Diplomat & Former Press Secretary to President of India
Shri Ashok Mishra ji is a professional scholar who has removed the misconceptions regarding the Vedic rituals and Samskaras and I congratulate him for his great work. - Dr. G U Thite, Eminent Sanskritist and Indologist | Emeritus Professor, Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, Pune | General Editor, Mahabharata Cultural Index, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute | Ex Professor and Head of the Department of Sanskrit and Prakrit languages, University of Pune. An International Seminar was arranged at Berkeley, University Of California, USA on Dr. G U Thite.
The author has done his research in the fields of history and vedic concepts surrounding the Brahmanical and Puranic religion as I would like to call it. - Dr. Vibha Tripathi, Emeritus Professor, Department of Ancient History, Culture and Archaeology, Banaras Hindu University. She is an established authority in the field of Proto-historic & Early–historic Archaeometallurgy and has published 100+ research papers.
With one crore 18 lakh results in 39 seconds when one searches for Hinduism books, this book stands out from the rest so I congratulate the author who places bare facts before the readers without being coloured politically. - Dr. Madhavi Narsalay, Professor and Former HOD, Sanskrit, University of Mumbai. Her area of Specialization are Veda & Vedanta, Indian Aesthetics and Mythology
An excellent contribution to our knowledge on the effectiveness of Hindu religious beliefs, rituals and practices as they have evolved over time. - Subhash C. Kashyap, Padma Bhushan | Authored 100+ books | Former Secretary General of Lok Sabha.
Those who are curious and inquisitive about Hinduism, Sanatan Dharma and related aspects must go through this book. -Rakesh Tewari, Former Director General, Archaeological Survey of India
Engaging, simply structured, yet explains profound concepts - this book makes you think through various dimensions of our culture and traditions. - Dr. Radhakrishnan Pillai, Deputy Director, CIILS, University of Mumbai | Bestselling author of Chanakya series of books
6 Best New Hinduism History Books To Read In 2021 - As featured by BookAuthority which is used by millions of book lovers and is featured on CNN, Forbes and Inc. BookAuthority identifies and rates the best books in the world, based on recommendations by thought leaders and experts.
What made you write this book?
In short – my wife’s biting remark!
During the tonsure ceremony (mundan) of my grandniece, her father wanted to skip head-shaving, and start feasting, because the child started crying. When I objected, and explained -mundana, like marriage (vivaha), is a samskara, part of Hindu life - most youngsters of family said they did not know what are samskaras, or their significance in Hindu’s life. In response to my critical comment about their ignorance, my wife made the biting observation that I have time to read and write about other religions, but I do not have time to write a book on Hinduism which can explain in simple terms Hindu rituals, beliefs and the reason behind them.
How much time did you take to complete the book?
It took me little more than seven years to complete the book.
Once I started collecting material and preparing notes, I realised that in order to do justice to the work that I had undertaken, one has to go through the ancient Scriptures – the Vedas, some of the more important of the Puranas, Dharma shastras, and some of the key Smritis, and at least a working knowledge of Sanskrit. What appeared, in the beginning, a fairly straightforward task of making notes and writing a book, suddenly became a serious time management issue; I was a director in International Consultancy and CEO of electronic manufacturing company. My childhood habit, and passion- reading, came to my rescue, and what at one time appeared an impossible task was finally accomplished!
Can we say this book is an eye-opener for an individual?
As an author of the book, it will not be proper for me to comment on this.
However what I can say without hesitation is that modern generation will find - between the covers -an authentic account of evolution of Hinduism from pre-Vedic period till now. How Sanatana Dharma- popularly known as Hinduism changed, from a yajna based society into its modern avatara of idol worship, temple visits, and Satyanarayana puja. More importantly the Vedic literature, what do they contain, the rituals of the period, and their gradual transformation over 5000 years is explained giving proper references.
In today’s world, where all of us tend to take the knowledge circulating on social media, particularly the whatsApp University, as ‘the truth’, the book will tell the reader how our rituals, the customs, the beliefs, and the philosophy of this most ancient religion- Hindism- evolved. It tries and answer - Why we do, what we do as a Hindu.
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