Why I Wrote This Book

     Writing this book has been like playing the second inning of my life. The first inning was my medical career of over forty years in Mumbai, India. After retiring, my wife and I set up base in the United States. It was then that a friend gave me a book titled The Essentials of Hinduism by the learned Swami Bhaskarananda of Seattle, Washington. The book fascinated me so much that I read it many times and later developed a close relationship with the author. I resumed a childhood habit of reading extensively, but this time, my reading was not for just any book; rather, it was exclusively for works on Hinduism. There was an urge to explore and search the deeper meaning embedded in the Hindu faith.

    Over the past ten years, I have read more than one hundred books, taking notes and underlining the important passages, and I have devoted virtually all my resources to this passion of knowing more about Hinduism and doing inner reflection. I also discussed various  aspects of the Hindu religion with many spiritual masters, sages, swamis, and other academic scholars, which helped formulate the concept of this book. With the vast storehouse of information in many philosophical volumes, the different interpretations, and the mystic descriptions—some of which I am still unable to fully understand—it seemed like a Herculean task to make something out of this mountain of data, but I decided to take a very simple route. I have chosen to write a straightforward book that is easy to read and understand and to present it with the fewest controversies, complex theories, and critical judgment.

     In the bargain, I admittedly have compromised its academic authority. In fact, this book is not written as a scholarly treatise; it is more for nonacademics who would like to have some authentic information on Hinduism. It is designed to entice the young reader; in particular, the youthful Hindu Diaspora in America and othercountries where Hindus are now settling in large numbers. At the same time, I hope that many non-Hindus who would like to learn about Hindu philosophy and India will find this book useful.

    I am a person with a scientific background and as such have tried my best to present a book on religion that can pass the acid test of reason and rationality as far as possible. Above all, I have tried to present a book on religion that may be applicable to everyday living. It is my perception that the main purpose of religion is to impart moral guidance. It has been said repeatedly that Hinduism is not so much a set of dogmas as it is a way of life. There are, however, many pearls of wisdom offered as guiding principles but not as dos and don’ts. More important, Hinduism is a living faith of nearly one billion people and is perhaps the most ancient religion in the world. I therefore have given extensive coverage to religious teachings and principles in this book.

   I have liberally inserted many of the mantras, slokas, and important quotations from Hindu scriptures. Passages from the most learned sages, authors, and poets down through the ages are also included. Hinduism has an ancient past. Perhaps a great number of diverse tribal and ethnic groups converged together on the sacred land of India, and some of the highly evolved souls among them meditated profoundly in the quest of many enquiries. They discovered that all beings of creation, human as well as nonhuman, are connected with each other through eons of birth cycles as one large family of the divine, Vasudev Kutumbkam. Hindu thought repeatedly emphasizes this concept of spirituality. Across millennia, Hindu seers have propagated the idea of unity of all mankind regardless of faith and place. They perceived the Divine as the transcendental universal being pervading all the creation Ota-prota; they called it Brahman. All religions lead to the same destination. It will be my truthful endeavor to pursue this philosophy in the book.

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