Many Many Many Gods of Hinduism: Turning believers into non-believers and non-believers into believers

by Swami Achuthananda

"Religion is the opium of the people," said Karl Marx many centuries ago. For more than a billion people living in India and abroad, Hinduism is the religion and a way of life. In this book Swami Achuthananda cracks open the opium poppy pods, analyzes the causes for euphoria, and comes away with a deeper understanding of the people and their religion.

This is a comprehensive book on Hinduism. It tells you why Hindus do the things they do - and don't. Written in a casual style, the book guides you through the fundamentals of the religion. It then goes further and debunks a number of long-standing myths, some of them coming from the academia (of all places). While most books shy away from contentious issues, this book plunges headlong by taking on controversies, like the Aryan Invasion Theory, idol worship, RISA scholarship and many more. In fact one-third of the book is just on controversies that you rarely find in any other literature.

Genres: Religion, India, Hinduism, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Mythology, Philosophy

219 pages, Paperback

First published July 2, 2013

About the author

Swami Achuthananda is an award-winning Australian-based Indian author specialising in Hindu mythology. He is an exponent of Indian Carnatic music and researches Hindu mythology in his spare time.
He has published a number of books on Hinduism and Hindu deities. Achuthananda’s books are targeted towards the general audience. Readers vouch that his narratives are concise, well-researched, and delivered with a touch of humor. His books combine mythology with social and political issues and have occasionally been controversial.
When Swami is not discussing Indian mythology, he's seen talking about India's other greatest religion—cricket. Swami just published book 4 (Krishna) of the non-fiction series, The Galaxy of Hindu Gods, and is currently working on book 5 (Shiva).

Reviews

[Tom Bryson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did you know?
* That Hitler's concept of a `pure Aryan Race' was fatally flawed and based on inexact, prejudiced research.
* That the Hindu caste system was abolished in 1949?
* You can join Hinduism even of you want to retain your atheism. ("All paths lead to God").
* There is no such thing as "Sin" or "Hell".
* And "much, much, much" more...
These fascinating insights, and a host of others, are contained in this excellent and accessible book about the beliefs, history, social and geographical origins and evolution of Hinduism. (I hesitate to call it a book about the Hindu "religion", because Hinduism (and its "cousins" Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism are as much "philosophies" as "religions").
The book's title reflects the polytheistic belief systems in Hindu tradition, and yet can still accommodate monotheism -even atheism! Pragmatic and ever-evolving; Science and the Big Bang Theory are even accommodated in this all-embracing belief system. The sophisticated, elusive principle at the heart of Hinduism is "cosmic consciousness". Is this eclecticism all too good to be true? Well, there are sub-divisions and traditionalists who reject `modernist' tenets. Even Mahatma Gandhi was once refused permission to enter the great Hindu temple at Guruvayoor because he was accompanied by lower caste followers. An ancient temple in Kerala still has at the entrance, a sign that reads: "Non-Hindus not allowed".
The book is written as a series of essays covering the Culture, Concepts and Controversies in Hinduism, and explores and explains complex ideas in simple, often conversational prose. Sprinkled with human stories, parables and personal views (and occasional "peeves"), the writing is always engaging and at times delightfully controversial. There were moments when I wanted to leap up and pump the air with a balled fist and shout "yes, yes, yes"; at other times shake my head and mutter "No, no, no".
This book is more than a primer; it would make an excellent debating resource and is an invitation to further reading and learning. You will get behind the myths and misunderstandings that prevail about reincarnation, many gods yet one god, yoga, etc.
The essay on `The Milk Miracle' of 1995 strikes a balance between blind faith and scientific explanation, leavened with humour. In fact, a gentle irony runs through many of the essays.
`Contrast and Compare' type discussions are used to open up - and explain - differences and similarities with other mass religions like Islam, Christianity, Judaism.
Boxed quotes from historical and contemporary figures enrich and reflect the text e.g. after the essay on "The Search for Aryans", Margaret Attwood is quoted: "I hope that people will finally come to realize that there is only one race - the human race - and that we are all members of it."
Amen to that, I say.
In conclusion, I think the author, Swami Achutahnandu, takes the reader on a journey of understanding that embraces Hindu history, belief systems, nature, and geographical -even social - mobility. He does this like a friendly guide; sincere, knowledgeable and serious. Although he can get tetchy now and then (especially so in the case of academics obsessed with Freudian psychoanalysis) - you always feel there is a twinkle in his eyes and a sense of shared humanity. A first class read!
Namaste.
http://www.tombrysonwriter.wordpress.com

[Tani Mura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the one word that can fully describe this book is "beautiful." Firstly, the cover is stunning, which made me instantly excited to begin reading the book. Inside, the formatting and layout of the book are stylish yet simple - fits the tone of the book very well. And the writing - the writing is absolutely beautiful. "Many Many Many Gods of Hinduism" is filled with descriptive and creative word choices, which I think is a fair indicator of a good book in the spirituality and religion genre.

Short fables, stories, inspirational quotes, and personal accounts are intermixed with lessons on history, linguistics, political science, and theology. This book is not just about Hinduism itself, but also about how it developed and evolved, was shaped and molded, as it interacted with other civilizations, languages, cultures, and religions - and it continues to evolve today. As a student of political science, I enjoyed this greatly. As an agnostic who has dabbled with religious studies and theology, I was fascinated. As someone who knew nothing about Hinduism, this was mesmerizing and informative. I now have a new-found appreciation for the religion, and it is rare that such a short book can inspire one to gain a new understanding of something that has been around for centuries.

Humor is interspersed throughout (Would you expect a Neil Armstrong reference in a book on Hinduism? I didn't, but it's there!) - but the humor is light and not heavy handed, and it helps to maintain some air of levity and openness to an often serious and weighty topic. I very much enjoyed the fact that the chapters were all short, and the writing style was relatively terse and straightforward - there was no overly complex, ultra-academic writing here, which is often a big issue for me with non-fiction books.

I'm a fairly critical reader - and perhaps unfairly so for books in genres I don't normally read. But honestly, I found very little to criticize about this book, which is a very rare thing for me. A minor thing was that at times, I felt like I didn't have full control of my reading; I never had a concrete sense of where the book was going, or a sense that I was progressing from point A to point B in an organized manner. But I think this is also a testament to the author's ability to seamlessly take readers through each chapter, stopping for a little history here, a little lesson on scriptures there, and essentially wandering the realms of Hinduism. Overall, highly recommended!

[Najmus Sakib]

I've started this book to learn something about hinduism but just as I opened the book, I had to read the following:

"Although the timeless truths of the universe were revealed to us more than five thousand years ago, we no longer have the time to seek answers to the questions of life. Advancements in science were expected to bring us closer to the truth; instead, science has set us farther apart. Unless we are prepared to learn from history, we are bound to make the same mistakes over and over again."

Sorry I wanted to learn about hinduism, not to waste my time on some faith-head blabbering and whining over science and how their five thousand years old scripture possesses all the knowledge of the universe and how science is leading us astray.

[Michelle Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most Hindus don't understand their religion! The average Hindu knows more about the rituals but less about the religion than he realizes!!

This book has all the vital facts which every practicing Hindu must read. People interested in knowing more about India's formation in the past few centuries.

Best lines from the book:

The word "Hinduism" is only about 300 years old, even though the religion is more than five thousand years old.

The word Hindu itself is actually a Persian word coined by Cyrus the great in the 6th century BCE to describe people who lived beyond the river Sindhu (now Indus), which was the eastern boundary of the ancient Persian empire.

The Persians had a phonetic problem with the letter "S", and could only say it as "H". Hence Sindhu became Hindu....

The original term used to address the religious tradition of India was "Sanatana Dharma." From Sanskrit, this translates to eternal religion and is based on the natural laws that govern the cosmos.

Overall, a great read.

[Richard Hemingway · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well-researched book that the author has written with much passion. The author writes in a clear easy to read style. However, there are too many ideas and facts in this book for me to give an adequate review. I feel that this is a worthwhile book to read because Hinduism is a major religion that most of us know little about.
The author states that one out of every six people around the world is an Indian who can trace their root to India. He also states that 80% of all Indians throughout this planet are Hindus. Hinduism is the oldest of the world’s major religions. He makes the case that Hinduism is a serious religion that needs to be understood as equally important as the Christian, Jewish and Islam's religions. Moreover, the principles of Hinduism have over time spread throughout the world. In fact, almost every American has practiced one of the key principles of Hinduism at least once in their lives, even if they did not know one of their life long principles came from Hinduism.

“What goes around comes around” Just about all us have heard or uttered the previous sentence at least once in our life while at work or some other location. The author refers to this way of looking at life as Karma: a word most of us have uttered at one point in our life while never knowing that Karma plays an integral part of Hinduism. The author has stated:

“The law of karma states that your thoughts, words, and actions-good and bad- circle back to determine your future. Simply put, you are responsible for your own actions. If you plant goodness, you will reap goodness, but if you plant evil, it will come back and hurt you. It is the universal principle of cause and effect. “
Karma is not an abstract philosophical thought it is a practical way of looking at life. If you are a bad person, decent people don’t want to form friendships with you. The only people who will talk to you are other bad people. Of course in the end bad people will do to you the same thing that you like to do to decent people.
The author does a good job of contrasting and comparing Hinduism with the other major religions like Christianity and Islam. The author makes the point (I agree) that the other two religions believe in proselytizing or securing converts. Many times when these religions were introduced to native populations, they were accompanied by men with weapons. As a contrast Hinduism not only didn’t proselytize* but for much of the history of the religion wouldn’t accept you as a member of the Hindu religion if you weren’t born a Hindu. “Today” the author states, “you can become a Hindu by adopting a Hindu name.”
About the title: the author writes that despite what westerners believe, the Hindu religion only has one God. However, they also worship many different gods that are all manifestations of their one god (Brahman). I guess this is possible, but I have to wonder if sometimes people get caught up in their local god and think of the local god as the overall god.

*One big exception would be the Hare Krishna sect. This group was founded in New York City in 1966 a city that is the epic center of a country that excels at selling people anything. This is in keeping with the author’s point that in order to understand a religion you have to understand that religion in confluence with all the things that are brewing around that religion at its creation.

[Alex Meno · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read the dummies book and the idiot's guide on Hinduism some time back. Both are quite good, but none of them talks about the controversies as this book. I believe that's the best part in this highly entertaining book.

[Garrett Zecker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a bit conflicted about my feelings on this book. My love for the first two thirds of the book had me talking to people about my interest and engagement with it as I devoured its contents, and then for the final third very disappointed in some very specific ways.

The book began as a wonderful primer of Indian culture - a collection of short, friendly nonfiction essays on the history of the people and one of the oldest and most culturally diverse countries on the planet. With a light voice and an approachable tone, Achuthananda takes the reader on a journey of discovery and enlightenment in some unfamiliar and very non-common-knowledge areas. In the first part, it was about India and Indian Culture. The second section was an introduction to the gods and religious aspects of Hinduism. I learned a great deal from this very simple “layman” approach to a very long and colorful history. They are really a collection of easily-digestible columns that even made me do a little research about their origins as their quick, well structured approaches to the topics seemed to me to read as though they originated in a blog - something that is very attractive in modern reading for many audiences.

One thing that I was left wanting as someone who has written a great deal of nonfiction myself was where some of the data originated - and while all of it is interesting, there doesn’t appear to be a bibliography or works cited for the edition of this piece that I read. This makes the work a little less authoritative. While this makes the text no less interesting in the first two parts, the change of tone, data, structure, and approach becomes problematic in the third.

The third part of the book was a conflicted, unfortunate addition in my opinion. It seemed that the “controversies” section really had no place with the rest of the book after reading it. Simply because of the nature of what was written, there was a great deal of subjective, emotional language and opinion that were based in facts but contained a lot of opinion. While I understand that the author may have had a disagreement with the opinions in the controversies mentioned (strictly in terms of the academics mentioned by name, I understand that many other people also did according to what little research I did as I read this book) and he has every right to respond, I felt the way they were portrayed in the author’s writing was uncalled in several very specific references that had nothing to do with their work but what appeared to me to have very negative connotations about their personal lives.

In conclusion, while I enjoyed the first two sections (heightening my own desire to learn more about Hinduism and visit India), the third I did not as it was significantly more subjective and contained some language and approaches to the subject matter that are easily controversial in their own right.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

What’s interesting is that as a Christian in present day America, one might not even really realize the amount of influence Hinduism has had on our culture and how it is not necessarily some strange foreign religion, but one that touches most of our lives whether we realize it or not. From the popular practice of yoga, to the belief in “karma” (thanks for fully explaining that, btw), it’s funny to see that Hinduism isn’t necessarily a culture that is “over there” but can be felt right here as well. I need to say that I am confused by the title about the believers into non-believers and vice-versa—but everything else was very good. The ending seemed really abrupt though, and almost a little snarky. Overall the message of the book was very informative and positive, although there were some times that the tone became tense and angry, which to me didn’t add to the benefits of the book, and almost undermined it. But in the end I took away a lot so for that it was a very good read I would recommend to others.

[Sheena Gayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not only about Hinduism, it's also about human perspective to something different. We fear what we don't understand and this book in every respect, shows that we practice a lot of Hinduism more than we are willing to admit. I love how the author put Hinduism into perspective through clear and simple language. Prior to reading this book I can honestly admit I knew nothing about Hinduism other than limited information of Gandhi. I am more enlightened and informed about the different aspects of this religion and I have grown an appreciation of the difference it represents. It helps you to see Hinduism beyond the scope of famous philosophers who incorporated its teachings in their daily lives.

[Abe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rarely will you find a friendlier writing style - Achuthananda addresses the reader as if he were a close friend.

As an intro to Hinduism for someone who has read nothing whatsoever about the religion, the first third of the book should prove rewarding.

The second third of the book delves more into Hindu cosmology and theistic structure, which based on the book's title, I thought ALL the book would be about. This middle section is certainly what I got the most out of.

The third section is a sort of randomly chosen potpourri of "controversies" in Hinduism, which are essentially debate over who exactly Aryans are, and the author bemoaning Western academics who in his view unjustly superimpose sexual elements of psychoanalysis over both Hindu myths and more modern Eastern scholars in an effort to get published writing something controversial. While it's a fascinating topic of discussion, why Achuthananda chooses to specifically respond to a handful of rather esoteric arguments in an introductory book is beyond me. If I were a publisher trying to fill for space, I might have asked for more chapters on more Hindu myths and gods!

[Scott Spotson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! What a fascinating book! I love the way he writes, just drawing me more and more into the complexity and staggering depth of the Indian culture and religion. This is not really a book about religion, although there is a lot of engrossing detail on such. Rather, it seems like a conversation with an educated professional, who happens to be a friend of yours, and who happens to be a long-time resident of India, born and bred there, all the way to the bone.

As I mentioned, this book is not just about religion. It's about culture, geography, world status, anecdotes, trivia, history, and personal observations, all about India.

I really like the author's approach to life. He says there is no one true path to redemption; he says there are many paths. He says many of the religions in India accept everyone - believers or non-believers. I like that! I have a much increased respect for the vastness of religion in India, having known nothing about it before.

Let's make a deal. Just joking, I am just speaking off the cuff here, but I say to the author: drop the one reference to the Holocaust, since it should only be referred to in comparison to something equally as horrible, or in the context of World War II or German modern history. Now, drop Chapters 58 to 63, since they're clearly aimed at professors or researchers who, over the extended term, "shall pass." It's not worth the ink. Hinduism is by far, without doubt, too strong and too vigorous to even consider the opinions of a few contemporary naysayers who will become yesterday's news in decades from now. Let it go. Your book would be nearly perfect once you drop these passages. I'd award it five stars then. Again, speaking hypothetically. Also, drop your own quotes (although not excessively many) from this book. They're called quotes for a reason - they're other people's words.

What a feast! I love this book!

[Katarina Nolte · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book. It tells us how historical and prehistorical facts of life become myths over time and space. This book can be useful to those who believe in Jesus because of the ancient Krista (Krishna) and similar religious constructs (Krst, Horus, Orpheus, Dionysus, Mithra, Krishna, Adonis, Tammuz, Hercules, etc.) which have been more or less popular since the dawn of patriarchy. In order for patriarchy to take hold of the world, it needed to make people worship male spirits, something that had been unheard of outside of ancestral worship prior to this (then) novel concept.
In ancient times, each divine spirit possessed a set of characteristics which would be used to describe a personality, an event or an era. Accordingly, if one believed that a certain spiritual energy was exactly what was needed for a desired turn of events, one would direct one’s worship toward that spirit until the desired goal was achieved. ... Book Review: Many Many Many Gods of Hinduism: Turning believers into non believers and non believers into believers By Swami Achuthananda » Katarina Nolte
http://katarinanolte.com/WordPressBlo...

[Darren Stock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many Many Many Gods of Hinduism is a well written, well formatted and very easy to read Kindle book. Not knowing too much about Hinduism and the religion as a whole - this was the sole reason I read this book. I'm based in the UK and being of Western origin I was keen to discover and broaden my religion knowledge of Hinduism.

What I liked about this book is the clear illustrations and diagrams together with the easy to read writing style. Its clear that the author thought out their planning before writing this book since its written in a basic style which allows a newbie to Hinduism like me, to take in what is said.

If like me you are looking to learn about the Hindu religion, I recommend you pick this one up.

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this serves well as a Hinduism For Dummies type of sweeping introduction. The author meanders a bit from time to time, and the book has absolutely zero citations. A lot of the accounts appear to be anecdotal. It was extremely interesting, and I felt I had learned a little about a lot of things, but in the end I'll hold out for something more scholarly.

[John Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent introduction to Hinduism by an extremely bold Swami. Great writing and I came away with a good understanding of the religion.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Generally I have difficulty staying with books about religions other than my own. Most of them, including my own religion are usually hard to read and understand. Swami Achuthananda changed this with his book Many, Many, Many Gods of Hinduism. It was easy to read and understand and was delightfully humorous while being very serious at the same time. I came away with a better understanding of Hinduism.
Hinduism is the only religion that accepts everyone and has no rituals to follow to allow someone to be accepted. It believes all religions are paths that lead to the road of the true God. As the third largest religion in the world, it is one that is greatly overlooked by many. A most interesting chapter was Chapter 3 which was a list of facts about the religion: 1) the third largest religion in the world; 2) it has no specific founder; 3) it has no specific book or Bible to follow; 4) there are no holy places; and 5) it has no specific doctrine. It goes on to list a number of other interesting facts along with an explanation of each. The examples given here and in other chapters come from a variety of sources over many thousands of years.
The book was very easy to read and the language was such that it made it easy to understand. The amount of detailed information made it necessary to read in sections to allow thinking and sorting of this information. I believe it would be an excellent book to be used in a World Religion class or for a teacher who has to teach religions as part of a history class.

[Michael J. Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as a free copy.

To gain a true understanding of Hinduism, I feel as if I don't need to look any further. This book was enlightening and informative and had me glued to every page. And I found that the author describes what might seem like complex philosophies and concepts, regarding Hinduism, in a simple manner. His writing style makes this book easy for anyone to understand and very fun to read.

This book made me clearly understand how the many, many, many Gods of Hinduism are simply manifestations or representations of a whole. I also like how the author took the time out to talk about many aspects of Indian culture such as the Namaste greeting, Chakras, the bobble head, etc. And things such as the bobble head which might seem or appear to be odd will seem perfectly logical and normal and will be well-understood, after reading this book.

The author debunks any Western misguided beliefs or perceptions about Indian culture one might have. He educates you.

I could go on and on about what I liked about this book and what I learned from it, but I'll stop here. Overall, it is an excellent read for anyone wanting to know more about Hinduism. And for anyone doing research, I would say that it is a great resource. Read it for yourself and experience how good this book is, experience a part of Indian culture through well-written word.

[Tori · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars, but rounding down.

There is something deeply off-putting about the author’s self-insertions and ad hoc asides, and the book itself reads like a bunch of blog articles written by an armchair enthusiast...

But. I tend to agree with the overarching idea that Western culture and religion have too long been in power; that Hinduism and Indian culture deserve to take their places amongst the great accomplishments of human civilization.

However, there are a lot of large claims made with no supporting citations, and I just can’t take the author too seriously when he condemns the West for behaving as if it is the be-all-end-all, then turns round and does exactly what he is complaining about.

I can’t get past the agenda and the flimsy corroboration, even though this isn’t perhaps meant to be a scholarly work. I did, however, enjoy the first two sections. As Hindu, it is nice to hear other perspectives. I could have done without the “Controversies” bit; airing grumpy laundry just invalidates every good thing that came before.

Really odd to see so many white folks loving this though... Strange!

[Heath Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many Many Many Gods of Hinduism is not a quick read but instead something that makes you think. This is not a book I plan to delete, but keep to re-read as a reference. Being from the west I know of Gandhi, I know the benefits of Yoga and I certainly know the major tourist attractions, but I admit my ignorance when it comes to the religion and some customs. The book makes reference to a number of sayings and appropriate quotes "Life doesn't make sense" How true is that! Some make me think, others made me chuckle.
'What goes around comes around.' Even as a Christian, I'm a firm believer of of karma. Certain chapters simply put a different spin on my way of thinking. Hum! A perfect example was chapter 45.
I recommend this book to anyone that travels or has contact with people with different ethnic back grounds.
Yes, I simply recommend this book. I have no qualms giving it a 5 star rating

[Hina Hashmi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some years ago it was the movie Slumdog Millionaire. Now it is 'Many Many Many Gods of Hinduism'. I just finished reading the book and have to say this is one of the rare books on religion that I found interesting, engaging, and provocative. Nothing was more exciting than the section entitled 'controversies' that occupy about one-third of the book. Unlike many writers, Swami is not afraid to speak his mind. Among Hindu gods, he must be Shiva, the dancing destroyer. Among religious books, this is a revolution.

[Jen Panda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This should help travelers to India or students of Religious Studies to gain a new understanding of Hinduism. The extremely well-written book goes into the history, culture and religion in detail. The exploration of some of the controversies surrounding Hinduism is also done in the book.

I really enjoyed reading this book.

I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in learning about Hinduism.

[Deepak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hinduism has been an intriguing religion and difficult to comprehend. Swami advises to spend 10 minutes a day to learn about the religion, so did I. The chapters were engaging and I forgot that I was “reading” the book. If you want to learn about Hinduism, but you're afraid of being dragged along by a boring book, you will be glad to come across this one.

[S.S. Buro · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful thing is Hinduism! Many Many Many Gods of Hinduism is very informative, my understanding of this gentle culture after reading Swami Achuthanada's book was so much deeper. Everyone can take something away from this book, no matter their beliefs. Thank you for this experience!

[Nancy McQueen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good introduction to the very basics of Indian culture. Could have used more depth and context.

[Diego · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is obvious political propaganda disguised as an introduction to Hinduism.

While the two first sections of the book may be useful for readers with no previous knowledge of Hinduism or for those wanting to revisit and get a more rounded understanding of the basics of the religion, the third section (which amounts to half of the total text) ruins the book by taking a quite aggressive and sometimes even offensive stand on scholars, ideas or religions the author disagrees with. Achuthananda's view on highly debated issues like the Indo-Aryan Invasion Theory or the geographic location of the perhaps mythical Saraswati river are taken for granted as sure facts, with no other acknowledgement of different theories apart from the trashing of everyone who disagrees with the author's hidden agenda. For someone who proclaims to be a true member of a religion that indeed promotes tolerance and open-mindedness, Achuthananda seems way too dogmatic and radical, probably a consequence of the evident political contamination of his religious beliefs. If all that wasn't enough, the book is plagued with emoticons, no bibliography at all is provided and most of its claims are sourced in Rajiv Malhotra (a Hindutva-biased blogger and author with no religious or scholarly training at all, and possibly Achuthananda's model and hero).

My impression was that this book was written as an intent to manipulate non-Hindu readers with no knowledge of the religion and the political situation of India into accepting many of the dogmas of the Hindutva movement, a conservative political and religious movement that has been compared to fascism by plenty of Indian experts. And that is done under the cover of a friendly introduction to one of the most fascinating, misunderstood and open religions of this world, a trick which personally I find much more insulting and low than any of the psychoanalytic takes on Hinduism Achuthananda is so mad about. Hinduism is about going beyond ignorance, and ignorance is exactly what this book purposely tries to promote.

If Achuthananda is so worried about what Hinduism is perhaps he should ponder the karmic consequences of obvious (and quite clumsy) manipulation and the possibility of giving up meat and his beloved prawn curry, instead of worrying so much about what others write. Change starts inside oneself, pal.

[Nikky Raney · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Do I sound crazy? Do I look stupid to you? Believe me, every Indian you meet is crazy or stupid from another cultural perspective. Get in step with cultural lunacy, and soon you’ll unravel the mystery of the religion.”

I loved this book so so much!! I love the way the author breaks it down into very digestible sections. I enjoy the way he calls out the colonizers & really shows how Hinduism is sOo inclusive to all… even remarking that if you don’t feel like you can fit in that’s of your own doing because it’s a totally open practice. There are traditions of course, but the author is mindful of how traditions change and how these practices evolve over time. I loved the quotes sprinkled throughout from Mark Twain, Einstein, etc reminding us how important India is to humanity as a whole. There’s so much rich history in India that gets overlooked from colonization… I cannot wait to go to India one day & I love learning more about Hinduism. I definitely feel more connected and have soooooo much respect for this ancient wisdom that we still benefit from and immensely today. This is a book I’ll keep revisiting!!

[L.M. Valiram · Rating 5 out of 5]

India is the bedrock of one of the world’s oldest religions and home to a diverse spectrum of cultures and dialects. Someone once said to me, there are a hundred Indias within the one India. Nowhere have I seen this as accurately demonstrated as in this book. The length, depth and sheer clarity of the author’s knowledge on the subject is mind boggling. Clearly, Swami has done extensive research and some of the facts and figures in his book are astounding. I loved the little quotes scattered through the book by prominent figures like Mark Twain, Vivekananda and Winston Churchill. And the author’s catchy sense of humor kept me turning the pages.
I learned much about the multifarious beliefs, idols and deities in Hinduism.
I loved the writing style, it is forthright and unpretentious. There is no fluff, no unnecessary paragraphs, no wasted word count. I know I will be reading this one again some time soon.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to glimpse into one of the most complex religions/civilizations in the world. I walked away from this book feeling nourished and satisfied. Truly a feast for the hungry mind.

[Laura Emery · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a lover of history and culture I found this book on Hindusim fascinating. Unlike most highly academic non-fiction books, it is highly palatable, divided up in bite sized chunks for easy consumption of this complicated topic. The author infuses lots of humor:
“At the top of a roller coaster ride in Disneyland, California, a petrified Indian closes his eyes and invokes the names of Hindu gods, “Yamakandeshwara, Muruga, Paremeshwara. Please be on my side.” Not too far away, you can hear his or her Western counterpart screech, “Bloody hell, this is $#%@% awesome!”
This was a topic I did not know much about and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read this book. I feel the author is truly enlightened on his topic and could feel his desire to enlighten us all.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally finished a book over the Summer Woo Hoo!!!!! It's called Many Many Many Gods of Hinduism by Swami Achuthananda. I always thought Hinduism was polytheistic but he argues that it actually isn't, he says that all the gods are only aspects of the one God Brahman which, to me, seems more like Einstein's God or even the Tao of Taoism, kind of like a grand universal consciousness that permeates all things and is a part of all thing including us. There is much more to it but it was a pretty interesting read, though he doesn't have a high opinion of Western Academics that, in his words, project their personal biases and psychological issues upon the subject.

[Deepti Swami · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up in a Brahmin family and thought that I know a lot about Hinduism. This book has been eye opener for me. To be a Hindu you don’t have to be born as Hindu. Hinduism doesn’t believe in converting people into Hinduism. Hinduism believes there is just one god and many paths to achieve salvation (Moksha).. Every individual is free to choose their path. God can not be seen and cannot be described in words. Millions of gods are the manifestation of single supreme spirit called Brahman. All this and so much more. I am glad that I picked up this book.