Hinduism Books

CHAPTER I. SALAAM. The Western student is apt to be somewhat confused in his ideas regarding the Yogis and their philosophy and practice. Travelers to India have written great tales about the hordes of fakirs, mendicants and mountebanks who infest the great roads of India and the streets of its cities, and who impudently claim the title "Yogi." The Western student is scarcely to be blamed for... more...

THE HINDU RELIGION. INTRODUCTION. The system of religious belief which is generally called Hinduism is, on many accounts, Hinduism deserving of study.eminently deserving of study. If we desire to trace the history of the ancient religions of the widely extended Aryan or Indo-European race, to which we ourselves belong, we shall find in the earlier writings of the Hindus an exhibition of it decidedly... more...

LECTURE I. THE NEED OF UNDERSTANDING THE FALSE RELIGIONS It is said that the very latest among the sciences is the Science of Religion. Without pausing to inquire how far it admits of scientific treatment, certain reasons which may be urged for the study of the existing religions of the world will be considered in this lecture. It must be admitted in the outset that those who have been the pioneers in... more...

CHAPTER I. GENERAL REMARKS My dear children—When I was a little boy, my dear mother taught me, with the exception of the last line, the following prayer:"Now I lay me down to sleep,I pray the Lord my soul to keep;If I should die before I wake,I pray the Lord my soul to take;And this I ask for Jesus' sake." Though I am now more than fifty years old, I often like to say this prayer before... more...

Śrī Śrī Caṇḍī is a revered text among Śāktas, who follow Śaktism — a branch of Hinduism. It is read during the worship of Goddess Durgā and is especially popular in Eastern India, particularly in Bengal — a Śākta stronghold. Śrī Śrī Caṇḍī, also known as Devī Māhātmya or Durgā Saptaśatī, is an excerpt from the Mārkanḍeya Purāṇa, which is one of the 18... more...