Explains the basics of Hinduism, covering the religion's history, founders, and practices.

Dating back over three thousand years, Hinduism is a rich religion with more than nine hundred million practitioners worldwide. Unlike most world religions, Hinduism has no single founder or religious text. Instead, Hindus revere a body of texts known as the Veda and share sets of practices and beliefs including nonviolence, reincarnation, and the holidays of Diwali and Holi. Central tenets of Hinduism are covered in this photograph-filled, elementary-level...

Krishna Charitra is a famous Bengali classic where Bankim Chandra endeavours to discover Sri Krishna, the real person, behind centuries of myths and legends. Written in 1886, this was the first instance where the character of Krishna is studied from a pragmatic and questioning perspective. Like his novel Ananda Math, Krishna Charitra originates from Bankim Chandra's passionate feeling of patriotism. He wanted to uphold Sri Krishna as not just a mythological...

It is estimated that the origins of the "Bhagavad Gita", a 700 verse Hindu scripture which is part of the larger "Mahabharata" was originally composed as early as the 9th century BC. Ascribed to the Sage Vyasa, the "Bhagavad Gita" is a classic work of Hindu scripture which relates the story of Prince Arjuna who is faced with a decision with serious moral consequence, whether or not to go to war. With the armies arrayed on the battlefield, Arjuna in...

In the eight lectures included in this volume, Swami Rama offers a series of perspectives on man's most significant responsibility-that of self-understanding. Analyzing the mechanisms of karma and the functioning of mind, Swamiji demonstrates the kind of self-study each student of life must undertake to gain liberation and attain freedom from the bondage of karma.

An inspiring in-depth look at the nineteenth-century Godman of India and Prophet of Harmony. Sri Ramakrishna, one of the greatest spiritual personalities of our time, is widely recognized as the Prophet of the Harmony of Religions. After perfecting the practice of several religions-including Christianity, Islam and various traditions of Hinduism-he declared, "As many faiths, so many paths." For the first time, two classic biographies-Dhan Gopal Mukerji's...

Be the Change. Drawn from Gandhi's own words, this collection shares one man's philosophy that changed world history. When the Indian people, inspired by the words of Mahatma Gandhi, overthrew British rule, they proved that great political change could exist without violence. Revered both as a saint and a master politician in his native country, Gandhi proffered a philosophy that combined Thoreau's doctrine of civil disobedience with many Hindu beliefs....

Choose the Yoga path that best suits you, and you choose the way to know God. The philosophy of Yoga tells us that the root cause of our sorrows and suffering is loss of contact with our true Self. Our recovery is only possible by reestablishing contact with our innermost Self, the Reality of all realities, and by recognizing that knowledge of Self is our salvation. In this comprehensive guide, Swami Adiswarananda introduces the four spiritual paths...

Understand authentic Hinduism directly from one of the most revered Hindu spiritual leaders of the twentieth century. This book consists of selections from the more than 2,000 discourses of Kanchi Sankaracharya (1894-1994). This book has the distinction of introducing both, the sage and his spiritual legacy to the Western world in the form of an irreplaceable introduction to Hinduism.

The story of Krishna enchants and attracts everyone! All the playful pastimes of Lord Krishna is narrated in a style that attracts young adults. There are many questions, which arise in the mind of young adults regarding certain pastimes of the Lord like the Rasa Leela; in this book the esoteric meaning of these pastimes have been examined.