Hinduism (Lead Title) [Paperback] Sen, K. M.

My knowledge and idea about Hinduism would have remained incomplete and distorted without reading this book.This book helped me to develop a very broad and comprehensive notion about Hinduism.

A precise and short outline sketch oh Hindu religion.

Short but informative book. Excellent for beginners wanting to familiarise themselves with hinduism. sen is a reliable and well informed writer.

Published in 1957.Introduction of Hinduism.The points I liked about this book include:- Not blind love to Hinduism, rather logical analysis of it,- Including other religions and countries, about how they have influenced each other- Trying to introduce the outline of Hinduism understanding it is not very easy to cover all the details of varieties of the belief.Learned something about Hinduism from this book, I feel.

This is a masterpiece by the master. This is the most complete yet concise handbook on Hinduism. Only a scholar of Kshitimohan's stature could write with such lucidity

Excellent first hand brief and to the point guide not only for Hinduism but Indian Society as well. The author touches upon various aspects of our society and provides brief details from historical perspective in lucid language (Translated to english by Amartya Sen).

The book is very informative and removes too many mis-conception about Hinduism.

This is a classic book written by an eminent scholar of Hinduism and rendered into English by a non-observing Nobel-Laureate economist, who has presented the facts neutrally in an engaging, but non-judgmental manner. The initial chapters would be informative to newcomers to the study of Hinduism, but not to those who already have some knowledge of this religion/culture. However, the later chapters chronicle the evolution of Hinduism from the prehistoric times through the middle ages to the present time. This journey through the periods of history is educative, inspiring and even startling to even those who were raised as Hindus in modern India and are reasonably knowledgeable about Hinduism. The author has consciously kept the book short, which is good. The only regret is that more quotations from the Sanskrit scriptures were not used in support of the conclusions made by the author. This is a slight disappointment in view of the author's vast and deep scholarship in this field.Overall, this is a historical account of a religion, which is as captivating as a classic novel. In the opinion of this reader, this book is not to be missed, whether one is an observing Hindu or merely curious about the great cultural-spiritual phenomenon known as Hinduism.

As I am off to India again I thought I would read a little on Hinduism - beautifully written and is easy to read

Easy to read - explains all concepts clearly and a non biased expose on the foundations, history and development of Hinduism and Hindu thought in India and the world.

I am not an atheist. but mu parents are Hindus. I chose to read this book because I have great respect for Amartya Sen. This book is by his grandfather and the grandson has translated it. It is a short book (thankfully!), but gives the essentials. One is struck by the fact that there is not 'Hinduism', but many. Over time its philosophy and world view has need challenged from within resulting in many different trends, versions and editions. Who is to tell which of these is the 'correct'' one? I guess this is so with all religions, but many hang on to what they claim is the 'true version' of it and others argue endlessly about it. Hinduism gives you a choice. There has been a school of thought called Saangiam that is atheistic. The book covers the various schools of thought that come under the umbrella of Hinduism. With the Modi government espousing the the cause of Hinduism as the official philosophy of the country and the push to recognise the Gita holy book, it is important that people take the message of this book seriously, viz. Hinduism is not a monolithic philosophy, but embraces a multitude of faiths.One major criticism of this otherwise laudable book is it is soft on the caste system that is an integral part of Hinduism. And Hindu apologists cannot duck this issue. It has had, and continues to have, terrible consequences for Indian society. The domination of the priestly class, the Brahmins (the author is one, I presume) over Indian society over the last millennium or more has been understated in the book.In spite of these short comings, it is readable book, written by a Sanskrit scholar with a broad outlook and, in my view, gives a complete picture of Hinduism and not the bits that the author believes in. Undoubtedly it a liberal interpretation of Hinduism. If one wants an introduction to Hinduism, this is the book for you. Those who are of the Hindu faith may have to suspend their previous judements before embarking on the task of reading the book Sen has summarised Hinduism in a little more that 100 pages and at the same time given samples from the Vedas so that the reader gets a feel for the origin writings.What more does one want?