Am I A Hindu? The Hinduism Primer

by Ed Viswanathan

The question and answer format of this book provides an overview of the Hindu religion for those practicing the religion and those interested in learning about it

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Hinduism, Spirituality

321 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1992

Reviews

[Ami · Rating 3 out of 5]

As one would expect from a religion that has millions of practitioners & has been around for hundreds of years, Hinduism is an intensely complex theology. It doesn't really help that the author skips around so much. The question & answer format makes for an enjoyable read. I really liked how he compared Hinduism to science, particularly in the beginning & very end of the book. I wasn't fond of some of his explanations, particularly that Hindus believe less fortunate people are enacting their previously accrued karma, and then extending that to the Jews persecuted in the Holocaust, but I also don't believe that he is able to speak for all Hindus (despite his authoritative tone), nor are they a monolithic group all having the same beliefs. A decent primer.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book in the young adult section of my library. I really enjoyed this book. The only real drawback to it is that sometimes he goes into detail where he doesn't really need to, and doesn't go far enough with some of the questions that his "14 year old son" (dude, I want a 14 year old son like that...) asks him. I found so much good information in this book that I'm sure I'll be looking up more information on all the stuff I wrote down from it on the internet for months...

Although I did not like all the explanations for things, I realize that he was approaching it from a "traditional" Hindu viewpoint. As he says time and time again, Hinduism is a very open minded religion, there is a lot of room for interpretation with many of the ideas contained, and within Hinduism you will find many schools of thought that disagree with one another. I especially liked his comparisons of Hindu ideas with scientific and Christian ones.

[S.Ach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alternative "Title" suggestions for this book.
1) Hinduism for Dummies
2) An Idiot's guide to Hinduism
3) Interesting trivia on Hinduism - A must for the newly inducted Yoga enthusiasts in our NewYork Yoga Camp
4) 90 trivia on Hinduism in 9 USD
5) Authoritative answers to the questions you always wanted to ask about Hinduism, and didn't know who to ask

Well, you get the picture.

A good reference book, nonetheless.

[AALOK SHARMA · Rating 5 out of 5]

I strongly recommend this book to everyone who wants to know about Hindu Religion. It's in a form of dialogue between Father and Son, it explains and clears your mind of many doubts & questions, one may have about Hinduism. Definitely a must read, especially for Hindus who themselves will discover so much about their Faith.

[Shreeda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a good on-hand introduction to Hinduism. I first read it when I was maybe 13 or 14 years old? This worked well because the book is written as a dialogue between a father (the one who provides explanation) and his Indian American teenage son (the one who asks the questions).

[Surender Negi · Rating 2 out of 5]

________________________________________
About Book
“Am I a Hindu?” written by Mr. Ed Viswanathan is nice book to know about Hinduism but I have seen lots of problem in this book. I advise reader to do not believed on content written in this book.
________________________________________
Good Points
1. Short explanation of different kind of Shastra, dharma sutra.
2. Try to cover almost every aspect of Hinduism. (But surly not fully explained).
3. Writer explain in question answer manner so easy to understand.
4. Writer has basic knowledge of various topics discussed into book, but failed in History and understanding basic foundation of Hinduism, Vedas.

________________________________________
Criticism:
There is no particular criticism about this book because its almost very handy or helpful for youngster to know about Hinduism. But I would like to recommend that, please don't relay entirely on this book because inside this I have found many contradictory lines. I am just highlighting these issues page wise and giving very short answer for my criticism.

1. Page 5, from this book explain ...So in Hinduism, you can worship the almighty, which is formless and timeless as Krishna, jejus, allah, moses or anyone or anything.....
Krishana was not claimed he is supreme being god, he just said he is one of avtar of supreme being and hindu can worship in verities of ways like pooja, dharshana, tapshya, sadhana or bhakti. but requirement of worshiping jejus and allah is abolistly different. So yes hindu can worship any way which is mentioned above but they can not or shouldn't worship any god just because author think Hinduism has open structure. What is the point of being hindu, if he started to worship others god or if he started what is logic to worshiping them without their theology. its an attempt to diluting hindus identity into universalism created by west. Can an muslim and christen worship krishana and brahman if they are same?

2.Page 8, book said ...cheraman perumal converted to islam, left india and died in mecca... This is not entirely true, he has visited madina but that was for trade purpose. so auhor claim is based on one myths.
From Wikipedia, The land on which the Cheramun Jami Masjid stands, was donated to the Muslims by Hindu King Cheramun Perumal of Kerala. According to legends, Cherman Perumal, travelled to Madina to visit with the Islamic prophetMuhammad. BuPerumal and the pickle.But some other sources deny that, he rather visited Medina for trade purpose.He died on his way back and is now buried in Salalah, Oman.

3. Page 9, Book said ...saint Thomas, came all the way to madras, and died in mylapore in madras...
Pope itself declare that saint john never crossed Indus civilization and died somewhere in north India (now in Pakistan). 14 CEPortuguese has created the church of saint Thomas in 15 -16 CE and started Christianity in India. All these theory has been developed by European orientalist and Church to misguide and create Dravid Christianity as a tool to break India.

4. page 14, ...In rig veda, we see a nomad community just getting settling on the bank of indus, worshiping all natural gods and ....
...Rig Vedic period the Aryans was constantly engaged in battles, and drinking and gambling were part and parcel of their culture...
Entire rig Vedas and other vedas never mentioned about any foregion selltelment of other nomad people. I have studied vedas for 3 yearsm this myths has been taken from Aryan invasion theory by writer which is failed by Harvard study of genetic code of indian cast. they have taken more than 63000 samples of genes and compare it with people around india 9including north and south) found that there is no changein genetic code from 4200 BCE to till date. hence author misinformed reader about this fact. Fact is that rig ved itself contain word arya only 64 times in more than 5500 verse and its clearly claimed in Rig ved, its an pronounciation like bhrya which means wife, similar like arya (means oh noble men).
..gambling is discover in india and were not part of any foregion Aryan system. there is no Aryan invasion in history of India.
http://hms.harvard.edu/news/genetics-...

5. In Page 16, Author is being patriotic towards Christianity by claiming that author of Book why I am not Christian should had change his book name. I am confused, what it has to do with Hinduism. There is an book of Kancha illaya, why I am not Hindu is exactly copy paste of same book.

6. The whole chapter on Christianity in India is full of false statement. For example..
...70 A.D. Christen were worshing in India.....
...65 AD Malabar had many Christians...
....original text of gospel is found in 1945...
I have checked every evidence regarding these statement but failed. all these statement are mentioned only either evangelical churches which is doing conversion in masses and supported of fake Dravid Christianity or European orientalist who supported that idea to prove that Indians are B grade race of European and British. Now, question is that why should an Hindu believed on statement of an organization which is responsible for cultural genocide for conversion. author seems to influenced by many writer which were actually evangelist in form of Hindu preachers.

7. Page 21, Writer is so obsessed with ayaran invasion theory that he don't want to miss any chance to prove his point, Un-till o page 21 he has mentioned fact of Aryan invasion theory more than 10 times. He introduced here term Dravididans which were never mentioned before 17 CE cause these term had been invented earliest colonist based on skin color and liguastic diversity. that time they used their philogical lenses of race science and denoted south indian peoples as dravidians. British Indologist like Max muller, John Williams and Lord Risely actually created this idea...Please read "The Battle For Sanskrit, By Rajiv Malhotra" to know more about This.

8. Page 23 and 24, writer tried to said that…..all south Indians and Dravidians were Shiva Bhakta and has hated Vishnu bhakti based on Aryans color (paraphrased) .. while reality is that itself Shiva sidhanta talk about adobe of Lord shiva in kailash which is part of north India. here author tried to distorted the fact that Shiva was well know north Indian deities in south and funny fact is that Vishnu in Vishnu Puran talk about adobe of Vishnu into sheer sea which might be indication of Indian ocean. There is no doubt that there were clash between with these groups but it might be normal authority war over temples and area.

9. Page 24, ….most saivites today do not give much important to Bhagwat gita… This is not even closed to truth. Most of early translation of Bhagwat Gita has been done by south Indians Like C. Rajagopal Chari etc. Bhagwat Gita is universal book beyond country, race, and religion.

10. Page 30, Jesus has nothing to do with Yoga, it’s all western church frame to digest Indian intelligence.

11. Page 40, Writer forget to mention about “John Williams” first Indologist who discriminate against Indians and Muslim. He called as “The one who give Hindu & Muslim law to India”.

12. Page 42, In Vedic system there is no exorcism, one side writer claim that Hinduism doesn’t believed in devil and second side he asked about exorcism in Hinduism.

13. Page 45, Rig Vedas has no single verse about settling down about Arayans, they only used word “Arya” for people who are intelligent & its similar like “Dear, Wise”.

14. Page 46, No cast system mentioned in Rig Vedas. The only system mentioned in it is Varna system which means, social divide on basis of labor in which people are very flexible.

15. Page 54, writer mentioned about some rituals which he concluded that only Brahman do these rituals. But Dhrama Sutra says, all rituals like Upanayana, Viveha, Anthyeshti shall be done by all people.

16. Page 55 to 60 writer try to portray manusmriti in very negative shade, like shudra & women oppressive. While manusmriti itself agreed that rules and moral can be fluctuated and change according to time, country and will of people. Manu smriti give many privilege to women like equal share of properties, power of home and said that country which doesn’t have respect for women can be prosperous. This is long discussion I will write a separate blog for this.

17. Page 208, and many other places writer talk about an tribe “Thug” which he consider man eater tribes. But I do not agree with writer and I think he has very ill knowledge about this tribe. Please read below blogs regarding this.

18. Page 237, talk about Sati Pratha which is social evil generated during Mugal invasion in India. There is no scriptural account for this customs. Writer try hard to shade this custom in negative but the real story behind sati customs is when mugals try to capture an state, they raped with many rajpoot women and sold them in market for multiple rape or as a sex salve (Like ISIS is doing), for saving herself that humiliation, women will force to burn with their husbands death body. This is most brutal customs started due to Mugals torture and later become issue of male dominant societies.

There is many mistakes in this book so reader should care full read books on Hinduism cause they have been either written by leftist historian and writer who has none interest in Hinduism and outsiders who see Hinduism as an subject rather than vibrant religion. They will do praise and criticism which is contradictory at same time.

[Aditi]

I don't want to rate this like I would rate fiction, but I will say that I read this very quickly and found myself very fascinated by the intricacies of Hindu scriptures and beliefs (past what I already knew). I obviously disagree with the author on several points, but I found myself surprisingly agreeing with the majority of what was written. Also, it was quite engaging because of the format it was written in!

[Ajitabh Pandey · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent primer on Hinduism presented in the form of questions and answers between father and son. In summary you can call this FAQ of Hinduism. It explains various historical facts about Hinduism and how it evolved over a period of time. The information presented in this book shows that the author has done a significant amount of research on this religion or way of life.

This book can be made a ready reckoner and quick reference book about the Hindu religion.

A must read for all curious people interested in knowing more about the religion and parents must make their children read this in order to give them a broader and scientific perspective.

[Whitney Blackburn-Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book with my 14 year old son. At times the language felt very young and at other times it was clear that it was not for a general audience as the words were specific to the culture. Over all I felt like this was a good introduction, though I would like to have known more about the rituals and practices of Hinduism. I would have liked more of the stories and a less less of what felt like comparative religion.

[Anshul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive and simple summary of the vastness of Hinduism. This book can be the springboard from which further study of specific aspects/scriptures of Hinduism can then be studied deeply.
The Q&A format is quite good.
The many analogies from daily life, e.g. a person meaning different things to different people yet being in reality just the one person etc, are also insighful.

[Ritika Gupta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would rate it 2.5 stars, this book is a good start for people who do not know anything about Hinduism. Easy to read and gives you a starting point. If one wants to read Hinduism in depth, this book can be considered as the Table of Contents though it gets repetitive after a while.

[Shivam Sharma · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book to know about Hindu Traditions and why to follow them. Why different religions came into existence and how they all say the same thing but in different languages.

[Manuel-Antonio Monteagudo Gauvrit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought this book in a library in Varanasi, looking for a text that helps me begin to understand the vastness and complexity of Hindu religion.
This is by no means a perfect book: its format is quite naive and sometims a little schmalzy, the author seems far too eager to appease the fears of a very specific public (namely conservative christian americans) and finally the author makes some uninformed and even shocking declarations about science or world history (Mayans visiting India? The spanish inquisition in 1483 Mexico? And don't get me started on his conclusions about karma and the holocaust...)

However, if one ignores these gaping flaws, this book can be a fine stepping stone to start exploring the complexities of Hinduism. Just do not stop researching after having read this book. I surely won't.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as I am concerned, studying Hinduism is like looking through a giant kaleidoscope. Each time you shake a kaleidoscope, you see a different picture. Similarly, each time you study Hinduism you will come across a different thought. I feel that being truthful to oneself is the most important aspect of Hinduism.

Looking at it in one way, Hinduism is the relentless pursuit after truth. As such, it is the religion forever. There is only one God and one truth. The Hindu Vedas proclaim, "Ekam Sat, Viprah Bahudha Vadanti" (There is one truth, only men describe it in different ways). So a Christian, a Hindu, a Muslim and a Jew are all one and the same. Looking at it in another way, Hinduism is not a religion but a way of life. For argument's sake, one can state that if all Hindu scriptures are destroyed one day, this age-old religion will still come back to life again within a few years, since it pursues only absolute truth. Right now, Hinduism is more a culture than a religion.

I have always been fascinated by the philosophy and wide-open wholeheartedness of the religion. It felt like I belonged, we belonged, everyone belonged to a global consciousness. Hinduism has over one-billion practitioners worldwide, although only the majority in the countries of India, Nepal, and Mauritius. The Hindu American Foundation describes the world’s oldest living religion as founded on a belief of the oneness of existence and pluralism. Pluralism seems like it is me, I am plural, I contain multitudes, we all do, or can if we try.

Viswanathan, writing in the form of questions and answers to his son, writes that the myriad threads of Hinduism, encompassing all types of philosophies and beliefs, remain relevant and appealing since it allows the ‘coexistence of all kinds of thoughts.’ Those are magic words for me, defining a dizzying breadth of all the ways we are human, practicing our brains and our hearts in trying to explaining our place in the universe. How can anything else be true, but a harmonic coexistence of all kinds of thoughts?

Viswanathan also has a knack for creating metaphors that are accessible and meaningful to our modern societies to help explain some of the esoteric wisdom:

When I talk about the "fifth generation of computers," you may think about robots and all those space adventure movies. If I talk about God, there is nothing to compare it with, so we try to compare it with natural powers like lightning and thunder or try to visualize the image of Jesus, Krishna, Moses, Buddha or Mahavira. So we all know how limited languages are in conveying truths, and as such, scriptures are not at fault if we cannot grasp the truths from them.

He writes that the Hindu sages and saints are called “scientists,” and describes how well suited for the age of reason Hinduism remains since it can be studied like the sciences, and in fact, incorporate multiple disciplines into new ways of explaining the tradition:

Believe it or not, Hinduism recharges itself with modern thoughts. Technology, psychology, parapsychology, modern astronomy, the new physics and genetics all enrich Hinduism. Within Hinduism, you can think and argue on any subject. You can even make statements like "There is no Krishna or Rama" and still be a Hindu. It has no hierarchy, it has no establishment, and it has no governing body.

I remember feeling such a reverence for world religions as I was learning more, and I wondered if you could worship the way humans worship the divine, stretching across the globe from village to village, which seems to fit perfectly into Hinduism, as different strains even deny the existence of god.

[Karan Jaidka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice primer, more like an FAQ section on Hinduism. I initially thought the question-answer style of writing would work but it became a little tedious and forced for me as we moved along. I would have enjoyed a more casual conversation kind of tone to this primer, not a direct Q&A session. Some of the detailing is good, but some aspects there is way too much detailing, which could have been avoided. The information in the book is good though. The author tries not to compare Hinduism with other religions, but he ends up drawing parallels with Christianity and Buddhism mainly, which one may or may not appreciate. Wondering why this level of comparison wasn't carried out with Islam, since Islam is such a major religion of the world.

Good read overall because of the information, else style of delivery could have been better no doubt.

[Annette Abbott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though it is written in a Q&A format of a conversation between a 14 year old American-born Indian and his father, it is by no means a "for Dummies" book.

I wouldn't recommend this for someone who has absolutely no knowledge of Hinduism. Though Sanskrit terms are explained, I think the author assumes the reader has basic knowledge of gods, practices, and beliefs.

It may not be everyone's "cup of tea," but for me it was a case of not too watered-down/not too deep. Just right.

Topics include Vedas, epics, avatars, laws of karma and reincarnation, aum, mantras, gurus, cows, temple construction, status of women, the Ganges, Hindu diet, pilgrimage, festivals, marriage, symbols, chakras, kundalini, rituals, Hare Krishnas, and science of Hinduism.

[Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the question/answer format drove me a bit crazy, the information in this book is direct and can be easily found due to the formatting of the text. Enjoyable overall if you enjoy a scholarly read.

[Kunal · Rating 5 out of 5]

just a wonderful way to know so much about Hinduism 26covers almost all those areas which one can and cannot dare imagine on the subject 26a must read to know about the thing which one is primarily expected to know..

[Saurabh Patki · Rating 3 out of 5]

a nice read which the some of the basic questions on Hinduism. covers a wide area of topics in question and answer format which can help clear some doubts. written in a very easy language with a lot of facts which may surprise us

[Marium F. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a very basic account of hinduism. The book is very dry and goes into a lot of detail. However, to have any kind of glimpse into this ancient relgion, this much detail is needed.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good primer on introduction to Hinduism

[Hema Harshini · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the book says, a good primer. That’s it!

[Vandhana Uday · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Am I a Hindu?" is a thought-provoking exploration of Hinduism and personal identity. The author, delves into the essence of Hinduism, its philosophies, practices, and its relevance in the modern world. He discusses the diversity within Hinduism, its inclusivity, and its ability to adapt to different cultural and societal contexts. The most intriguing aspect of this book is its Q&A format, where a 14-year-old son queries his father about Hinduism and related subjects.

This book truly serves as a primer for anyone interested in learning about Hinduism, including its culture, practices, scriptures, and ideas. It portrays Hinduism not just as a religion but as a way of life, offering insights into its deeper meaning. However, it does not cover every aspect of Hinduism, and readers should not view it as a guide to blindly follow. The author presents information in a way that helps us understand the reasons behind Hindu practices, beliefs, and traditions. It is not a religious text or a book for those seeking a comprehensive study of Hinduism as a religion, but it defenitely has some content that will help in the process.

[Ayush Agrawal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the crash course on Hinduism.
And I believe it's been written with absolute honesty. I didn't found it was trying to glorify Hinduism. It offered a very analytical view on various aspects of Hinduism like Raja Yoga, Pranayama, Multiple Gods, paths of God-realisation, code of Manu, mythology, souls etc.
Thus book was very very helpful in opening my mind, and alleviating me from prejudices.
And obviously, you will find some flwas in every book, thus one may think that it doesnt offers much insight into some aspects of Hinduism, and just tells us what we already know. But that section is just 5%. I believe you will find, may be useless, but something definetely new in every page.
It's a light read and explainations are of low to middle difficulty.
Even though it may not be your life's pririty to know about reliegions and stuffs, but I would still recommend you to atleast read a few pages from it. You will definetely pick it up.
Happy reading!

[Kenny Kidd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good stuff!! Gives a Whole Damn Lot of information about what may be the most historically rich and incredibly complex religion/belief system/practice on earth, and the one I’ve known the least about.

Only issue with it is something that probably can’t be solved with this kind of book, which is that the Sheer Amount of information covered in it makes it feel near impossible to absorb it all as well as I’d like 🤷‍♂️ But then again, this is a 300-page primer on a millennia-old faith system with some of the wildest, most inclusive, and most intricately varied practices imaginable, so really what more could I expect

[Mashaekh Hassan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could it be any vaguer? The book itself contained multiple paradoxes, some of which were on the same page distanced by a para. Quite a convenient way of not taking responsibility was applied, given that at the very beginning the dad (author) acknowledged of him not being a scholar. He tried to explain topics, some with philosophical approach and others with a historical one.
The latter approach aside, many delineations made based on his personal philosophy were paradoxical that at one point the book lost its ethical appeal.

[Aarushi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This author is Christian and very adamant about it, making unnecessary comparisons between the two religions (e.g. calling the Bhagvad Gita the Hindu holy bible… when in fact the comparison is not valid), and praises St. Xavier and other Christians throughout the book for their violent conversion of Indians.

He also talks about Aryan invasion theory and differentiates them to so-called Dravidians — outdated terminology that has been disproven.

There are other things as well, but these are just a few. Somewhat decent primer though.

[Pawan Chahar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very happy that I read the book. It is introduction to Hinduism, before reading this I knew more about Christianity and Islam than Hinduism! Gives great insight on how Hinduism started, philosophies and beliefs. Also liked the question answer format of the book. Good comparisons drawn (though at elementary level) with other religions. Unbiased view of Hinduism, weighs well on curse’s like sati, child marriage, caste system etc. good book.

[Steve Urick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not especially deep, but the word "primer" is in the title. Not exclusionist, like so much other religious stuff, but inclusivist in a way that sometimes seems to say "Our religion is the best, but other religions have aimed at the same path." For a religious pluralist like me, this is disappointing.

[Shreyas Srivastava · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is good for anyone wanting to know the insights of Hinduism, good for a brief Introduction of Hinduism. But it has a lot of corrections to be made. I strongly disagree with some facts written in the book.