Hinduism

Great Religions of Modern Man

by Louis Renou (Editor)

This volume presents the spiritual teachings of Hinduism - a major force in some of the most crucial areas of the world today.

Here, in a wide selection from classical and modern texts, is the full sweep of its historical development and influence. From the earliest known hymns, epics, and moral treatises, through the writings of Tagore, Gandhi and Radhakrishnan, the spirit of Hinuism as a way of life is clearly presented.

Arranged historically, the selections are each prefaced by an informative introduction.

Genres: Religion, Hinduism, India, Nonfiction, Theology, History

255 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1951

About the author

Dr. Louis Renou was Professor of Sanskrit and Indian Literature at the Sorbonne, Paris and a member of the Institue. A world-renowned specialist, he has published over 40 works on the subject, including Religions of Ancient India

In 1952-53 Dr. Renou was visiting professor at Yale University, and he has served as lecturer and director at a number of leading centers of learning. A member of the Academies of Holland, Denmark, and Japan, he was also a honorary member of many learned societies including the American Oriental Society.

Reviews

[Berry Muhl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have liked to see a deeper treatment of the pantheon of Hindu gods, including some essential mythology, but this was otherwise a reasonably comprehensive guide to the religion. I suppose it's all but impossible to characterize such a diverse set of practices in a single volume.

This is one of several such books in a boxed set my parents have owned for decades, and I'm only now getting around to checking them out. I started with the Hinduism book because it touches on some research I've been doing for a fiction project. The book's focus on the cultural trappings, how the religion operates in everyday life, is of use in this regard, but from a mythological standpoint, which is what I'm really interested in, it's a bit shallow.

The work is organized such that there is a description of concepts and rituals up front, with the bulk of the remaining material composed of readings from various sacred texts, in more or less historical order. The idea seems to be to convey how Hindu practices (or, more specifically, Hindu concepts) have evolved since the pre-Hindu "Vedic" era up to the modern day. One can certainly get the flavor of the religion from the readings, but if you're trying to dive deep into Hindu mythology, you'll want to supplement your studies with something more purpose-built.

[Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was pretty good but not exactly whats needed for an absolute beginner. If this is you real entrance into Hindu studies then you will be bogged down with all of the foreign names and swaths of the book will be painful to read.

[მთვრალი ჯიხვი · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fast read, but it included too much biased language & opinionated writing.

[Dilruba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sıkıcı bir ders kitabı niteliğinde.
Hinduizm ile ilgili Türkçe kaynak kısıtlılığı sebebiyle kitabı görür görmez almıştım yıllar önce. Sonrasında Asya kıtasında yaptığım seyahatlerde birçok kez hinduist tapınağa girip,çıktım. Birçok kez Hinduizme dair ritüeller gördüm. Ancak inanç sistemine dair anladıklarım çok kısıtlı oldu. Her şey gözüme çok gizemli gözüküyordu. Tek tanrıcı düşünce sistemiyle yetiştirilmiş bir zihniyet için her şey çok farklıydı. Zaten her gittiğim ülkede de farklı bir Hinduizmle karşılaştığım hissi geliyordu. Bu kitapta da bir şey anladıysam o da Hinduizmin çeşitliliğidir. İnancın tarihsel gelişimini biraz anlamakla birlikte sürekli bilmediğim kelimelere boğulduğum, dini uygulamaların anlatımına pekte yer verilmeyen bir kaynaktı. Kafamda birçok soru oluşması açısından işe yarar olmakla birlikte kafamdaki sorulara da cevap alamadım. Sorularımla baş başa kaldığım için de sürükleyicilikten çok uzaktı benim için. Belki araştırma yapmak için ön kaynak olarak kullanılması daha doğru olabilir. Kitabın kullanımında içindeki isimleri, tanımlamaları ayrı bir platformda araştırarak ilerlemek daha akılcı bir yol gibi görünüyor.

[Onyx · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is simply a collection of Hindu texts. Commentary is sparse if provided at all, and no explanations for the more elusive writings are given. While all the sources were interesting in themselves, the book as a whole didn't improve my understanding of Hinduism as an outsider to the religion.

[Stephen Bedard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a decent but not in-depth introduction to Hinduism. Reading this will not make you an expert but will help situate you for further study. The emphasis of this book is presenting samples of Hindu texts from the oldest Vedas to authors of the 20th century.

[Armando Oliveira · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fast read, but it included too much biased language & opinionated writing.

[Martin Bihl · Rating 1 out of 5]

i was actually quite disappointed in this book. i was hoping for an overview into this fascinating religion, and insight into understanding it. instead, this book is full of short selections from Hinduism's long literary life, which, while often beautiful, are fairly incomprehensible to the novice.

[James Violand · Rating 3 out of 5]

A synopsis of a faith that is all-encompassing of any spiritual tradition. Unfortunately, this book is a difficult read due to poor editing. The reader begins with an elemental summary of the faith, then is dropped into an academic expose. Terms are undefined and concepts unexplained.

[Nádia Rodrigues · Rating 4 out of 5]

Análise de grande qualidade em que as conclusões e ideias-base são apresentadas de forma simples e perceptivel. Peca, como é obvio, por alguma desactualização, uma vez que foi redigido há mais de três décadas.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fast read, but it included too much biased language & opinionated writing.

[K · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a very informative book for the novice

[Ross Heinricy]

This is the first book I have ever read on the religion of Hinduism, and by far it was a very interesting read. The book covered their many different god's, their many different castes etc. I learned some valuable information, and I truly have come to realize that all religions are superficially the same and fundamentally different.