Introduction 1
Part I: Introducing Hinduism 7
Chapter 1: A Quick Overview of Hinduism 9
Chapter 2: From Past to Present: A Condensed History of Hinduism 21
Chapter 3: Hinduism’s Core Beliefs and Values 37
Chapter 4: Major Hindu Denominations 51
Chapter 5: The Structure of Hindu Society 65
Part II: The Hindu Pantheon and Its Religious Leaders 79
Chapter 6: Pantheism to Polytheism: From the One to the Very Many 81
Chapter 7: Hindu Gods and Goddesses 89
Chapter 8: The Avatars of Vishnu: The Divine Descent 111
Chapter 9: Revering the Role of Religious Leadership 125
Part III: The Sacred Texts 141
Chapter 10: The Vedas: Centuries of Accumulated Treasures 143
Chapter 11: Gaining Higher Knowledge with the Upanishads 155
Chapter 12: Living with the Epics and Puranas 169
Chapter 13: The Song of the Lord: The Bhagavad Gita 193
Part IV: Hinduism in Practice 205
Chapter 14: Worshipping at Home 207
Chapter 15: Worshipping at Temples 221
Chapter 16: Holydays and Festivals 235
Chapter 17: Cradle to Cremation: The Life-Cycle Rites 255
Chapter 18: Taking a Pilgrimage 269
Part V: Delving Deeper into the Hindu Concept of Reality 287
Chapter 19: The Six Schools of Thought: The Darshanas 289
Chapter 20: Vedanta: The End of Knowledge 305
Chapter 21: The Yogic Path to Salvation 319
Part VI: The Part of Tens 331
Chapter 22: Ten Common Questions About Hindus 333
Chapter 23: Ten Common Prayers 337
Chapter 24: Ten (Plus) Traditional Mandates 343
Index 349
Dr. Amrutur V. Srinivasan , born in India, is primary founder and first president of the Connecticut Valley Hindu Temple Society. He has functioned as a Hindu priest performing a wide variety of pujas (worships), weddings, and other ceremonies since 1971.
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