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Author: Gavin Flood
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
If you are looking for a general reference book on Hinduism
this book may be a useful starting point. Gavin Flood has written
a book that is a helpful aid to the beginner student of Hinduism
or the general reader who wants to gain a deeper insight into the
cultures and traditions of India's majority religion. It comprehensively
details the main concepts of Hinduism, explaining them clearly and
concisely.
I found this book particularly useful in understanding the many
different roots and influences on Hinduism, how different traditions
began, and are influenced and changed by parallel traditions and
cultures. The continually developing nature of the Hindu traditions
was fascinating; for example, the information on how South Indian
Tamil culture developed rich artistic traditions independently of
the North Indian Sanskritic bhraminical culture was very interesting.
This was no more apparent than in Tamil literarature. Early Caikam
literature has a strong tradition of emotional expression; this
allowed for a whole-hearted adoption of bhakti (devotion
to a deity) when it was brought to the south, and the development
of bhakti traditions in the south went on to significantly
influence northern Hindu culture in the future. Examples such as
these enabled me to comprehend the dynamics of the development of
such a multifaceted religion. In fact, this book is a good general
starting point for anyone desiring to understand the origins and
development of the Vaishnava traditions and the various different
schools of thought. As a Vaishnava it helped me understand where
Gaudiya Vaishnavism fits into the larger picture of the Vaishnava
Tradition, as well as helping me get an idea of the teachings of
the two other major strands within Hinduism: Shaivism and Shaktism.
I found the final section on Hinduism in modern times the most
useful in gaining an understanding of how Hinduism has developed
during, and since the British Raj in India. This section was indispensable
in succinctly outlining the more recent political changes and influences
in Hinduism. This is achieved by an examination of the key figures
that have made an impact on the face of the culture. The lives and
teachings of religious leaders and the organisations which they
founded such as Ram Mohan Roy, founder of the Bhramo Samaj, Dayananda
Sarasvati and the Arya Samaj, Rama Krishna and Vivekananda and the
Vedanta Society, as well as Mahatma Gandhi's enormous influence.
A brief account is given of their life stories and the development
of their philosophies, together with the influence they had in forming
Hindu self-identity in India and how the perceptions of westerners
of Hinduism was changed by them.
This introductory survey of Hinduism is presented from a historical
context. It allows the general reader to understand certain values
and beliefs in an applied context. Gavin Flood explains how dharma
is one of the key aspects in the role of Hindu kingship. He explains
usefully how dharma dictates the rites and duties of kings-governing
the status and behaviour of kings in political as well as domestic
affairs which includes social relationships with his subjects and
peers. Although he was more important in the capacity as a ritual
figure in close proximity to the Divine, he was not an autocratic
ruler as his function was also an integrated part within the whole
kingdom, and this in turn encapsulated all within it, right down
to his relationship with the villager.
An Introduction to Hinduism is also useful for general facts
and figures about Hinduism and alerting the reader to areas of contemporary
debate in the study of Hinduism. Gavin Flood offers sensitive and
considered discussions which can draw the reader to further reading.
A good general introductory book.
Arti Kachhia
Arti Kachhia is a life-long congregational member of ISKCON in
England. She read History at Trinity College, Cambridge University.
She has a particular interest in interfaith dialogue and is currently
working as an editor for the ISKCON Communications Journal.
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