Religion as Knowledge: The Hindu Concept

This book is a serious attempt at informing the average Indian, and particularly the Hindu, of his philosophy, culture and heritage. Although India’s is the oldest continuous civilization, for various reasons the Hindu today is largely ignorant of his heritage. While some of the reasons for this ignorance are historical viz. the loss of freedom etc., some of it is due to our own neglect. Religion is not meant for the next world but this world itself, Hindu philosophy was concerned with knowledge, which meant a study of all material ‘image’, to search for its relevance and meaning. On the basis of this philosophy the ancient Hindu thinkers worked out a practical and dynamic pattern of living based on a Law, Order and a Work Ethic. The Hindu philosophy relating knowledge to action will be seen to have helped Hindus adapt to each age and place. It has given Hinduism its demonstrable staying power. It provided the essential needs of a civilization. Hindu thought concerns the whole. Dharma, Artha and Kama with the final goal of Moksa are the four aims of man’s existence. The chapters cover the most prominent of the Dharmasastra works and the literature that influenced the Dharmasastras. This book consists of 20 chapters apart from the Introduction. The chapters are, A Brief Historical Background, Sanatana Dharma, Veda, Upanishad, Smriti, Purana, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita, Aarthasastra, Kamasastra, Karma, Chaturvarna, The Six Philosophical Systems, Saints, Women in Hinduism, Meanings and Symbols in Hinduism, Hindu Contribution to World Knowledge, Some problems of Indology, and Conclusion. If this book inculcates in the reader the desire to know more the need for purity in thought, word and deed, the need for honesty and discrimination in the pursuit of knowledge, the necessity of unselfish conduct, generosity, courage, devotion and hard work which is the message of religion, then the book will have more than served its purpose.