A Tribute in Hinduism: Thoughts and Wisdom Spanning Continents and Time About India and Her Culture

Since times immemorial, India has been synonymous with spiritual knowledge and people have been drawn to her sacred land. Some were philosophers, poets, writers, historians, scientists, and travelers. Some came to India; others read translations about her rich and imaginative literature and felt genuine enthusiasm for her. The fourth Caliph in the seventh century is reported to have said, "The land where books were first written and from where wisdom and knowledge sprang is India." Despite the wars and imperialism, ancient India’s spiritual influence and wisdom has had considerable impact on the West, especially on its imagination, Science, and literature: English Romantic poetry in particular. Scientists, scholars, poets, writers, and philosophers all have paid the highest compliment to India’s wonderful metaphysical, religious, artistic, linguistic, and cultural genius by imitating and incorporating some of these ideas and theories into their own work. Hinduism has been like the rainforest of the spirit, always rejuvenating, evolving, and transforming over the millennia. With an ever expanding globalization today there is a growing disquiet in the rich countries of the west, a feeling that western way of life is itself no longer morally or practically supportable because of environmentally destructive activities. It was India which taught us long ago that the lust for possession and control will destroy and that all life is sacred. In a world of finite resources, India and her ancient religious traditions speak to us with great urgency about our destructive twentieth century. It is imperative and critical for the health of our planet that Hinduism should not only survive but flourish. Like an elegance of an exquisite seamless sari which unfolds with supreme grace to showcase its intricate pattern, so does A Tribute to Hinduism. This book is a collection of positive and inspired gems of thoughts and wisdom from the writings of eminent philosophers, scientists, thinkers, historians, and authors from the West and the East on Hinduism and India. It catalogs their thoughts and the inspiration that they have drawn from Hinduism’s rich philosophy.