Vedic Religion and Philosophy

by Prabhavananda

This book of Swami Prabhavananda is a good overview of the basic scriptures of Hinduism which provides a brief but comprehensive overview of the Vedas, the Upanisads and the Bhagavad Gita. The theoretical and practical aspects are covered. A very good book for beginners.

Genres: Religion, Philosophy

172 pages

First published December 1, 1936

About the author

Swami Prabhavananda was an Indian philosopher, monk of the Ramakrishna Order, and religious teacher.

Born in India, he joined the Ramakrishna Order after graduating from Calcutta university in 1914. He was initiated by Swami Brahmananda.
In 1923, he was sent to the United States of America. Initially he worked as an assistant minister of the Vedanta Society of San Francisco. After two years, he established the Vedanta Society of Portland. In December 1929, he moved to Los Angeles where he founded the Vedanta Society of Southern California in 1930.
Under his administration the Vedanta Society of Southern California grew over the years to become the largest Vedanta Society in the West, with monasteries in Hollywood and Trabuco Canyon and convents in Hollywood and Santa Barbara.
Swami Prabhavananda was a scholar who authored a number of books on Vedanta and Indian religious scriptures and commentary. He was assisted on several of the projects by Christopher Isherwood or Frederick Manchester. His comprehensive knowledge of philosophy and religion attracted such disciples as Aldous Huxley and Gerald Heard.
Swami Prabhavananda died on the bicentennial of America's independence, July 4, 1976, and on the 74th anniversary of the death, or mahasamadhi, of Swami Vivekananda, the founder of the Ramakrishna Order in India and many of the Vedanta centers in America and Europe.
Christopher Isherwood wrote a book, My guru and his disciple,[3] that described his more than three decades (1939–76) as a student of Swami Prabhavananda

Reviews

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short and concise overview of Hindu scriptures and the origins of Indian philosophy. It's written for a Western audience from the perspective of a scholar who doesn't distance himself from his own belief, but still manages to maintain scholarly objectivity. The result is both honest and illuminating, especially when Prabhavananda compares the subject with Western philosophy and Christian doctrines. A lot of the conceptual references went over my head (the only way for a novice to keep track of names and concepts is to take notes), but it is a very thought provoking book.