$18.99 $10.99
This “Hinduism A Primer” is intended to fill the needs of enquirers, learners and seekers of Hinduism. It unfolds the eternal esoteric concepts of this world’s oldest religion in a simple lucid and easily understandable format.
This “Hinduism A Primer” is intended to fill the needs of enquirers, learners and seekers of Hinduism. It unfolds the eternal esoteric concepts of this world’s oldest religion in a simple lucid and easily understandable format. It provides a bird’s eye view of this eternal religion (Sanatana Dharma) and provides the deeper meaning (Vedic meaning) for the Hindu practices and concepts.
This information is based on years of learning, studying, reasoning, intuition and direct experience.
It is envisioned that the reader of this primer will develop a clear understanding of concepts of Hinduism and develop appreciation of the unique inclusivity of this great religion. It is also hoped that this primer will stimulate inquisitiveness for further expanded reading of the Hindu scriptures that will pave a way for furthering their knowledge, practice and experience.
| TABLE OF CONTENTS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
| 1. OM – Radiating Energies 2. River 3. Modes of transportation-on foot 4. Modes of Transportation-by bus 5. Modes of Transportation-by airplane 6. Modes of Transportation-by s hip 7. Devotional singing 8. Service activities-Playing with the Blind 9. Service activities-Feeding the poor 10. Service activities-Medical Service 11. Service activities-Medical Service 12. Reading spiritual books 13. Meditation 14. Chakrās 15. Madhwāchārya 16. Ramānujāchārya 17. Sankarāchārya 18. Hindu worship ritual 19. Ten Avatārās of Vishnu (Dasāvatār) 20. Dasāvatārs 21. Brahma (Creator) 22. Vishnu (Protector) 23. Maheswara (Destroyer) 24. Dakshināmurty 25. Dattātreya 26. Veda Vyāsa 27. Ādi Sankarāchārya 28. Dr. Prasad with Sathya Sai Bābā 29. Vegetarian food 30. Sacred cows 31. Cow and Calf 32. Saivism 33. Vaishnavism 34. Saktism 35. Jainism-Mahāvir 36. Jainism-Five Mahāvratās 37. Buddhism-Sāranāth Stupa 38. Buddhism- Celebration 39. Sikhism-Golden Temple 40. Sikhism-Musicians 41. Hindu Marriage-Fire Offering 42. Hindu Marriage-Pouring Saffron Rice 43. Hindu Marriage-Blessings from Parents 44. Hindu Funeral-Body being carried to Cremation Ground 45. Hindu Funeral-Manikarnika Ghat, Vāranāsi 46. OM Symbol 47. Sacred Dot (Bindi) 48. Red Tilaka Powder in Market 49. Sacred Ash (Vibhuti) 50. Siva Lingam in Vāranāsi Temple 51. Siva Lingam in Madhurai Temple 52. Lakshmi 53. Saraswati 54. Durga 55. Nataraja 56. Vishnu 57. Ganesa 58. Prārabdha Karma 59. Birth to Self Realization Cycle 60. Reincarnation 61. Journey of Soul 62. Birth Rebirth Cycle-Reincarnation 63. Vishnu-Brahma-Creation 64. Creation as a Ripple 65. Māya Illustration-Sun’s reflection in the lake 66. Five sheaths (Pancha Kosās) 67. Cosmic Wheel- Kāla Chakra 68. Lunar Cycle 69. Caste Pyramid 70. Bhāgavata- Krishna lifting Goverdhana 71. Bhāgavata- Vishnu blessing Dhruva 72. Bhāgavata- Krishna- Kaliya Mardhana 73. Rāmāyana- Rāma’s Coronation 74. Rāmāyana- Rāma, Lakshmana and Sita in Forest 75. Rāmāyana- Rāma’s anger over Sāgara 76. Popularity of Regional Rāmāyanās 77. Māha Bhārata-Manuscript Illustration of Kurukshetra War 78. Bhagavad Gita- Arjuna and Krishna on Chariot 79. Guru’s Feet 80. Sri Chakra (Yantra) 81. Mother Gāyatri 82. Ātman Merger into Paramātman-Merger of river into ocean 83. Ugādi-Chutney Ingredients 84. Ugādi-Chutney 85. Rakshā Bandhan-Tray 86. Rakshā Bandhan-Tying Rākhi 87. Rakshā Bandhan-Rākhi 88. Krishna Janmāshtami-Breaking Dahi Hundi 89. Krishna Janmāshtami-Bāla Krishna 90. Ganesh Chaturthi-Water Immersion 91. Ganesh Chaturthi-Celebration 92. Ganesh Chaturthi-Procession 93. Navarātri -Cultural Program 94. Navarātri -Cultural Program 95. Dasarā -Display of Durga 96. Dasarā -Toy Display 97. Dasarā -Rāvana Effigy Burning 98. Deepāvali-Fire Works Display 99. Deepāvali- Family Fire Works 100. Deepāvali-Diwāli Lamps 101. Deepāvali-Diwāli Cityscape 102. Sankrānti-Floral Design 103. Sankrānti-Artist Rendering 104. Sankrānti-Kite Shop 105. Mahā Sivarātri -Siva 106. Mahā Sivarātri -Siva Lingam 107. Holi-Colored Powders 108. Holi-Marigold Floral Shop 109. Holi-Color Sprinkling 110. Sri Rāma Navami-Rāma, Lakshmana and Sita 111. Sri Rāma Navami-Rāma 112. Sri Rāma Navami-Rāma with Guha 113. Drāvida Temple-Sri Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala 114. Drāvida Temple-Hindu temple, Kualalumpur 115. Drāvida Temple-Venkateswara Temple, Malibu, USA 116. Nāgara Temple-Khujaraho Temple 117. Vasara Temple-Ankor Wat Temple, Cambodia 118. Kalinga Temple-Jagannāth Temple, Puri, Orissa, India 119. Temple Schematic Drawing 120. Hindu Priest-DFW Temple, Irving, Texas, USA 121. Hindu Preacher-Swāmi Chinmayānanda 122. Dr. Raghavendra S. Prasad |
|
|||||
 |
|||||
| Destiny – Prārabdha Karma | |||||
|
Among these three kinds of Karmās, Sanchita and Agāmi Karmās could be wiped out (burnt) by Jnāna or Self Realization, where as the Prārabdha Karma is inescapable. This is the reason why self realized souls like Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Ramana Maharshi suffered through worldly physical ailments. Prārabdha Karma can only be burnt by going through it. God in His mercy hastens the experience of Prārabdha Karma for his devotees. He also anaesthetizes them from the suffering of Prārabdha Karma. |
|||||
|
|||||
| The illusionary force of creation | |||||
| According to Adwaita School, there is only One and that One appears as many due to illusion created by God. This illusionary force, created by God prevents the experience of God, as Sun creates clouds and the clouds cover that Sun from view; the amber creates the ashes and the ashes cover the amber, the eye creates discharge in the eye and discharge covers vision of the eye. | |||||
 |
|||||
| Māya: Mala- Vikshepa- Āvarana: Sun’s refection in the lake | |||||
|
Truth is the ultimate reality. Truth is defined as something that does not change with time and space. If we use this standard for all the things we see, feel, touch, nothing the senses perceive is fit to be true. The one that does not change and is beyond time and space is defined as Truth and God. Then what is the world we see, feel, and touch every day. This contemporary reality is called illusion (Māya). In order to make that single and simple ‘white light’ appear as many colors of rainbow, an intervention of a glass prism is necessary. This glass prism is Māya. In order to make the One appear as many, the illusionary force was created at the beginning of creation. This illusionary force is called “Māya”. This Māya has three characters detailed as below through which it blocks the vision of God. |
|||||
|
Mala: Vikshepa: Āvarana: Example: In order to see the reflection of the Sun (Ātman) clearly in a lake, the impurities in the water have to be cleared (Mala), the agitations of water have to be stilled (Vikshepa) and the covering leaves on the top of waters have to uncovered (Āvarana). When the water is purified of impurities (Mala), the agitations in water are stilled (Vikshepa), and the covering layers are removed (Āvarana), the reflection of Sun (Ātman) is seen clearly. For a dreaming person, the dream is very real and he goes through all emotions of the dream characters in the dream. It is only when he wakes up from dream state, he realizes that all he has seen, experienced is unreal. Similarly for a realized person (Awakened Soul) this world is unreal and illusion (Māya). Likewise, this world of contemporary reality is the dream state of God. When he wakes up from dream, all that remains is, oneness . |
|||||
|
Delusion will vanish as the light becomes more and more effulgent, load after load of ignorance will vanish, and then will come a time when all else has disappeared and the sun alone shines. Swami Vivekananda |
| Weight | 450 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 30 x 20 x 3 cm |
You must be logged in to post a review.
Viswayogi Viswamjee Maharaj – :
A must read for spiritual seekers and all who wish to know more about Hinduism, the world’s oldest religion. This primer distills the essence of the Hindu faith, which is practiced by millions around the world, and presents it in an easy-to-read format. This book answers the most common questions people have about Hinduism and its practices.
Dr. Raghavendra Prasad’s “Hinduism – A primer” is a must for anyone desiring to know about Sanatana Dharma and the rich Vedic tradition. The author is to be commended for covering such a wide range of topics and in such a slim volume – a real achievement in itself. —- The sheer range of topics and their coverage is enlightening.—- . Those who are familiar with Hinduism or Sanatana Dharma too will find many golden nuggets of wisdom which are also very practical in their scope.
Satguru Sri Paripurnanada Giri Swamy – :
I was impressed by its simplicity and clarity. I find the rendering just superb and marvelous. ———— Dr. Prasad has drawn upon his experiences and broad knowledge of Hinduism to produce a comprehensive primer which distills the essence of the world’s oldest religion. This book is a trove of information for anyone wishing to understand the basic tenets of Sanatana Dharma. This book is a must book to have in home and public libraries.
Swami Bodhananda Saraswati – :
“A comprehensive taxonomy of Hindu Dharma Tradition, this slim volume serves the purpose of a teaching note for teachers of Hinduism and as a reference book of salient features of Hinduism for the lay Hindu believers. Dr. Prasad, fusing insights from his personal religious practices, wide reading of Hindu scriptures, association with great Hindu spiritual leaders and discipline of his scientific training, has produced a powerful package of wisdom and knowledge as a gift for the one billion strong global Hindu community.”