Introducing Hinduism

by Hillary P. Rodrigues

Introducing Hinduism is the ideal starting point for students wishing to undertake a comprehensive study of this fascinating religion. This lively introduction explores the complexities of Hinduism, including its social structures, especially its caste system, its rituals and many scriptures, its vast mythology and varieties of deities, and its religious philosophies. Hillary Rodrigues, an experienced teacher of the Hindu tradition, emphasises the importance of Hindu rituals and practice, subjects of particular interest in contemporary scholarship. Illustrated throughout, the book also includes text boxes, summary charts, a glossary and a list of further reading to aid students' understanding and revision. The accompanying webstie to this book can be found at

Genres: Hinduism, Religion

416 pages, Paperback

First published September 6, 2006

About the author

Hillary P. Rodrigues (PhD, McMaster University) is professor of religious studies at the University of Lethbridge.

Reviews

[Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The more I read in the series, the more and more impressed I grow with Routledge's "World Religions" titles. Rodrigues continues the tradition of the other two I've read (Introducing Daoism and Introducing Japanese Religions) with a well-crafted introduction to Hinduism.

The book starts off by placing the reader in a scenario on the banks of the Ganges river, then spends the rest of the time attempting to define "Hindu" and "Hinduism". The author comes to the reasonable conclusion that there is no single type of "Hinduism", and that it could perhaps be considered a multitude of religions with common themes.

Despite this, Rodrigues discusses the different types and branches of Hinduism quite well. He talks about the philosophical branches and the =theologically-oriented branches, as well as approaches to enlightenment from both. He discusses the Epics as well as the creation of the Hindu "scriptures", and the cosmography and mythology of Hinduism. Towards the end of the book, he discusses how Hinduism is reflected outside of India, including other countries in South-East Asia as well as in the West. He concludes with a chapter discussing how Hindus are approaching modernity, which is a fitting end. Throughout the book, he talks about famous Hindus and uses them to provide real-life examples of the concepts he is discussing.

Since this book is an academic textbook, it can be dry at points. By virtue of being an academic book, it also includes a huge bibliography at the end of every chapter. This is a much-appreciated feature that gives the reader a plethora of academic sources if they wish to dive deeper into Hinduism. Overall, this book is quite informative and much better than The Complete Idiot's Guide to Hinduism that I had previously read.

[Bumbierītis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am surprised that I am giving 5 stars to a non-fiction book, but I really liked it! I am not sure if it is the quality of writing, or just how interesting Hinduism is, or some combination of both, but it was a great read!

I picked this book up after my trip to Southeast Asia, where I noticed that a lot of Buddhist temples also had Hindu deities, which intrigued me and made me realize that I really don't know much about Hinduism at all.

Wow, and what a world opened up to me! Hinduism is so diverse and complex, and has influenced so much (for example, Buddhism seems to be an offshoot of Hinduism similar to how Christianity is an offshoot of Judaism). It was like reading a good fiction book with all the gods, and philosophies, and human relationships, but all in the wider cultural context of our planet. I feel like I learned and understood so much - e.g. now I know what is Hanuman, Krishna, Vishnu. Why Krishna and Vishnu are actually the same. Now I understand why the cows are holy and why the deities are all in different colours. And so much more.

If all the books in this series are as good as this one and also the Buddhism one, I think I will eventually have to read all of them, such great cultural learnings.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An overall pretty good introduction to Hinduism. This book isn't a difficult read at all and it gives a nice general overview for the religion. Admittedly, it was a little bit stale at points but I did enjoy the case studies that the author presented which did help with making me put myself in one's place.

[Jacob Bornheimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic introduction to Hinduism. Read for my Hinduism class under Dr. Richard Mann. Chock full of Sanskrit terms for just about anything you would want to know about. A decent length too. I would have read this even if I wasn't taking a class. It definitely inspired me to continue to study more about the subject.

[Nadège · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book if your into different religious.

[Psykeactiv1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dry, but indeed informative.. excellent for a sneak peek inside the culture of India & eastern philosophy