Hinduism for Dummies – A Book Review

When Dr Srinivasan first mentioned the title of his recent book “Hinduism for Dummies” to me, I must admit I was somewhat skeptical. Being a student of “Hindu” culture, religion and history for the last several years, I was not at all sure that a such a vast and complex belief system as “Hinduism” can really be explained in the simple “… For Dummies” format.

I was wrong. Make it “very wrong”.

Because Dr Amrutur Srinivasan has achieved something remarkable in these 300-odd pages; something that I have not come across before. Without a doubt, this will count as one of the best books that can help someone understand “Hinduism” –particularly someone who is not a “Hindu” or has not grown up in a “Hindu” family or in the Indian milieu.

But even those who are intimate with little-known aspects of this complex philosophical and cultural “way of life” will find this book useful as a reference while responding to questions or to the curiosity of their friends or younger ones in the family.

The Book is divided in six parts, starting with Introducing Hinduism, then moving through the Hindu Pantheon, the Sacred Texts, the Rituals, Rites and Festivals before getting deeper into Hindu philosophical thought. It concludes with the delightful “The Part of Tens” section (Ten Common Questions, Ten Prayers and Ten+ Mandates) .

The sections are fairly stand-alone and therefore navigating through the book does not have to be a straight linear path. Meandering through the different sections and getting a flavor of them would be very worthwhile and enjoyable for the average reader, I think.  The first section “Introducing Hinduism” is probably the best place to start though.

It starts with an excellent introduction. The first few lines are worth quoting (emphasis added):

There are a billion plus Hindus around the world today..Still, Hinduism is not a household word in the West today. Mainstream Hinduism does not proselytize. Hindus have no interest in making you see their way because Hinduism’s fundamental belief is that God has many names. Hindus believe your way must be just as good, and that you and they will meet at the end of the journey. Hinduism lets you be. With such a detached outlook, no wonder the faith remains a mystery to most.

There are delightful nuggets of information scattered throughout the book – for example the “nugget” about Prabhasa, Vasishta and Nandini the Cow and how Prabhasa eventually “suffered” for his crime in the Battle of MahaBharat – as Bhishma – only attaining salvation after the War! Or the nugget about how Somerset Maugham took the title of his best-selling novel, “The Razor’s Edge” from the “Katha Upanishad” – from a specific passage that alludes to the path to salvation being as hard to tread and difficult to cross as a razor’s edge!

Dr Srinivasan has managed to unravel the complexity of “Hinduism” and overlay it in an easy-to-understand and very readable way. I found the explanations simple and lucid in style – particularly well suited to a student of Hinduism or to a young child. And it is worth noting that Dr Srinivasan has managed to do this without losing the essence of our ancient traditions.

Some themes and topics could have been dealt with in greater detail (such as the note on the festival of MahaShivratri) and it would have been helpful if the index was more comprehensive. But these are otherwise minor quibbles in what is an excellent compendium which will prove useful to large number of practicing Hindus – especially those living abroad – who may not have access to “in-house” knowledge that still dwells amongst our elders and in extended families in India.

For those who may not be familiar with his background, Dr Srinivasan is the primary founder and first president of the Connecticut Valley Hindu Temple Society. He regularly functions as a Hindu priest performing a wide variety of pujas (worships), weddings, and other ceremonies. He has written a book on traditions and rituals connected with Hindu weddings and another on the Yaksha Prashna.

Dr Srinivasan deserves kudos for this attempt to explain an extraordinarily complex subject as “Hinduism” in a lightly-worded (in the best sense of the term) 300-odd pages. I found the book engrossing and a delight to read and I am going to pass it on to my daughter after I am finished with it.

*Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of the book for this review.

Other Book Reviews by me: Nandan Nilekani’s “Imagining India” and Sanjeev Sabhlok’s “Breaking Free of Nehru”

Related Post: Reading the MahABhArat: DharmaRAj and Yaksha Prashna