Books on Hinduism
Hinduism is the world’s oldest organized religion, still in existence after more than 4500 years. Today, there are over one billion Hindus all over the world. Based on the ancient Vedic literature, Hinduism is a belief system in constant transition. Populated by an almost infinite number of gods, the faith is open to adopting any or all of the gods created by younger religions. Unity between brahman (transcendent reality) and atman (the individual soul) forms the core of Hindu religious practices. Reincarnation, duty, and karma (accountability for one’s deeds) are also fundamental components of Hinduism.
The following slides provide an overview of the some of the books on Hinduism by World Wisdom. For a complete list of terms and their definitions commonly found in this religion, please visit The Dictionary of Spiritual Terms.
Swami Ramdas was not only an extraordinary spiritual teacher but also a master of the English language. His books are among the leading classics of sacred literature because of their great inspirational value. Profound philosophical insights blend in well with moving devotional passages. Like a beautiful multicolored garland of fragrant flowers, this book is a collection of extracts from the writings of Ramdas that are arranged under 101 chapter headings.
“Now in a commemorative edition including an 8-page section of rare sepia photographs, a new foreword by Professor Rebecca Manring, samples of Swami Ramdas’ handwritings, an introduction to the life of Swami Ramdas by Susunaga Weeraperuma, and more, The Essential Swami Ramdas is an anthology of wisdom from revered Hindu saint Swami Ramdas (1884-1963). His message of deliverance through faithful remembrance of God permeates his writing, from his assessment that ‘work is worship when it is done selflessly’ to ‘immortality is the birth-right of mankind’. Each brief passage, skillfully selected and compiled into this digest by Susunaga Weeraperuma, contributes its own insight into a collective understanding of the power of the Divine and the inner wealth of pure love. A deeply spiritual treatise filled with spiritual life lessons that will prove valuable to readers of all faiths.”
—Midwest Book Review
The Essential Vedanta is the only comprehensive introduction to Advaita Vedanta that traces the history of this tradition by means of primary sources. The sources (in translation) are drawn from Sanskrit texts by some of the most important Advaitic thinkers. The editors have filled in the appropriate background materials to make this a book through which readers can understand Advaita Vedanta both in terms of cultural history and philosophy. The book reveals the classical form of this great tradition of thought, showing how it actually functioned in Indian culture, and demonstrates its distinctive philosophical achievements.
“[This book] is overall an excellent collection of Advaita philosophic literature, much of it quite inaccessible in translation (even some of the extant translations are now difficult to obtain), and ought to be in the library of everyone interested in the study of Indian philosophy.”
—Richard Brooks, writing in Philosophy East and West
There is more to life than our ordinary experience of it, and A Guide to Hindu Spirituality is intended to serve as a guide to help us explore that missing dimension. Spirituality is often viewed as something mysterious and Hindu spirituality even more so. But its central claim is really quite simple: that our normal life does not exhaust the experience of reality. The word spirituality is simply a signpost pointing to this unexplored religion. The various religions of the world provide their own roadmaps for exploring this region. A Guide to Hindu Spirituality, by Arvind Sharma, shows presents one such roadmap based on a well-known philosophical system of the Hindu tradition.
“It should be made clear at the outset that one does not have to be a Hindu to avail oneself of Hindu spirituality. Perhaps it is worth pointing out here that Hinduism actually discourages conversion from one religion to another. It does so not because it has some special gifts it will not share with non-Hindus, but because for it every religion is an occasion for universal hope. So one answer to the question: Who is a Hindu? given within Hinduism is: A Hindu is like anyone else, only more so.
“Then, does one need a guru? This raises the question: who is a guru? We normally tend to associate a guru with a person. This is taking too narrow a view according to some. Anything which sets one off on the spiritual path could qualify as a guru: an event, a conversation, even a book.
“…So there are no preconditions for embarking on Hindu spirituality.”
—Excerpt from A Guide to Hindu Spirituality
Timeless in Time: Sri Ramana Maharshi is a beautifully illustrated book on the life and message of an Indian saint of recent times. Sri Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950) was a unique spiritual teacher in India. He was the living embodiment of the Indian tradition of Advaita Vedanta, which focuses on the oneness of God with the human soul and all created things. The photographs, illustrations, and text combine to convey the powerful presence and teachings of this remarkable man whose legacy is still influential amongst generations of disciples and admirers in India and around the world.
Ramana was not a learned pundit or an accomplished academic philosopher; he was rather a living exemplar and embodiment of the deep spirituality and wisdom of the Advaita, or non-dualist, Vedantic tradition which has extended from the early Vedic writings, primarily the Upanisads, to the present. From early childhood, Ramana seemed obsessed with the central Advaitic question “Who am I”? and was able to answer it, as it were, in terms of his own state of realized consciousness of the undifferentiated oneness of being. He is said to have become enlightened when he was only sixteen years old.
Many people have found that the Advaita Bodha Deepika (Lamp of Non-Dual Knowledge) is the clearest, easiest to understand summary of the system of Hindu thought known as Advaita Vedanta. The Lamp of Non-Dual Knowledge is in the form of a dialogue between a seeker and his spiritual master, with the seeker posing many probing questions about the nature of existence, the universe, and humankind. Of course, these fundamental questions still puzzle people, and so these clear answers from the ancient past often strike home with readers today. Many additional points are covered of extreme interest to those seeking to undertake a path of “inquiry” toward realization.
The Kaivalya Navaneeta (The Cream of Liberation) is a classical Tamil book attributed to Tandavaraya Swami. It is a widely known Advaita classic. The Cream of Liberation outlines the basic philosophical principles of Advaita Vedanta and reviews these in a way intended to make them very clear to readers, again in the form of a dialogue between a master and devotee. It is in two sections: ‘The Exposition of the Truth’ (Tattva Vilakkappadalam) and ‘Doubts Cleared Away’ (Sandeham telitarppadalam). They explain the basic philosophical principles of Advaita Vedanta and do much to clarify points necessary to understand these principles fully.
Tripura Rahasya: The Secret of the Supreme Goddess, a favorite of Sri Ramana Maharshi from which he often quoted, is an ancient Sanskrit work and one of the greatest classics of Hindu spirituality.
It has been compared by the great scholar, Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, to Plato’s Republic, inasmuch as it outlines the ideal city-state of a characteristically Indian utopia. This is the “City of Resplendent Wisdom” ruled by a philosopher-king, understood in Hindu terminology as the man who is liberated in this life (jivan-mukta). The citizens of this city, seen allegorically, are all of the human faculties which have been illuminated by the supreme Goddess.
Ably translated into English by Swami Sri Ramananda Saraswathi, Tripura Rahasya: The Secret Of The Supreme Goddess is essentially a dialogue of instruction given by the guru Dattatreya to his the truth seeker Parasurama. Through a series of stories that can be read with amusement and the greatest of imaginative pleasures, the tales also provide a series of wisdoms and insights that illustrate and represent theological implications within Hindu theology and Goddess traditions. Tripura Rahasya is a confidently recommended addition to Comparative Religion collections in general, and Hindu Studies reading lists in particular.
— Midwest Book Review
