Ed Viswanathan
Amazing Secrets Of Hinduism: Hindu Culture and Incredible India Paperback – July 17, 2019
by Ed Viswanathan (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 71 ratings
4.1 on Goodreads
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After two international bestsellers, Am I a Hindu? and Amazing Secrets of the Bhagavad Gita, Ed Viswanathan’s third book is an equally thought-provoking and educational book on Hindu culture and the history of India. The whole idea behind this book is to educate people about India and Hinduism from a cultural and historical perspective, in simple language. The narrative is presented in the form of topics that focus on explaining key concepts such as Karma, Maya, Heaven and Hell; and questions such as ‘Who is a Hindu?’, ‘Why should I be a Hindu?’ and ‘What makes Hinduism great?’. This book is a must-read, especially for cynics, as the author invites readers to investigate and question everything in the book, since a true seeker will only search for truth.
A Conversation with Ed Viswanathan
Did you know that dissent is a very important part of Hinduism? Even atheists have the right to condemn Hinduism in public and still proudly proclaim that they are Hindus. Did you know that Rishis suggested “Murti”or “Vigraha” worship of God? This is because they considered the fact that God has no name or form (nama-roopa) and man cannot concentrate on anything without a name and form.
Hinduism is a culture, not just a religion, says Ed Viswanathan, the author of, Am I a Hindu? and Amazing Secrets of the Bhagavat Gita. In his new book, Amazing Secrets of Hinduism, Ed explains in a very simple and easy to understand language the concepts most of us are familiar with but don’t understand, including Karma, Maya, Dharma, why women wear a bindi etc.
There are many books on Hinduism. Tell us about what made you write this book.
The whole idea behind writing this book is to educate everyone about India and Hinduism, providing cultural and historical perspectives in simple sentences—one or two paragraphs maximum answering each topic.
I have purposely limited each answer to a page, since young people do not have time or patience to read more than one page at a time.
What are the five biggest myths about Hinduism?
Sadly, even today there are many myths about Hinduism, all over the world.
A. To begin with, Hindus do not worship idols like the way Old Testament (Holy Bible) forbids. Hindus use “Murti” or “Vigraha” to worship God, who is nameless and formless, during the initial stages of devotion, since man cannot concentrate on anything without a name and form.
B. Hindus will never say “Rest In Peace – RIP” when someone dies, since the meaning of RIP is “rest in peace until Jesus comes back”. When someone dies, Hindus pray for “Atma Shanti”, for the soul to attain salvation and never to take another birth again.
C. Hindus do not worship many gods. Hindus worship one and only God Brahman, which expresses itself in trillions of forms. By worshiping any god, a Hindu is indirectly worshiping the only God, Brahman.
D. A Hindu will never ever say, “I am a sinner.” According to Hindu scriptures, sin only means the false belief that one is the perishable material body and not the immortal soul within.
E. “Namaste” as well as “Hindu salvation concepts” are based on the firm belief that the soul within the body is immortal and is called Atman. Other religions do not believe soul is immortal.
What are the tenets of the religion that inspire you the most?
Absolute freedom of thoughts and actions, which is cardinal principle of Hinduism, inspires me the most. Our Rishis were scientists of the ancient past and they were not preachers. They were only interested in the truth and that is the reason why they even allowed atheists to openly put down the Vedas and mock Hindu deities.
Why did you write that anyone is free to question the contents of the book?
To begin with, I wrote this book for everyone who is searching after truth all over the world. I have done my part of research but it is possible I might have made mistakes. So, the reader has the right to question everything I wrote and find out the real truth.
We should never fear truth. Mundaka Upanishad states, “Satya Meva Jayathe” meaning “Truth alone Triumphs, never falsehood.” Like Rishis, Jesus also said:”…the truth shall set you free…”
What are your hopes from this book?
Rishis said: “Ignorance is the root cause of all evils and knowledge eradicates ignorance.’
There is a lot of misunderstanding about Hinduism and I want people to really understand the truth about the Hindu culture as well as have a bird’s eye view of the history of India from reading this book.
I want people to purchase copies of this book and give as gifts, especially to those who either fear Hinduism or have a lot of questions about Hinduism and what it stands for.
We have to eradicate “fake news” about Hinduism all over the world. I hope and pray, my book will help in that effort.
What was your favourite part of writing this book?
I have dealt with thousands of youngsters from all over the globe for the last 30 years. So, the favourite part of writing this book is to write a book to please those millions of youngsters desperately looking for answers. While writing I thought, “If we do not actively feed the appetite for truth among the youth, we will lose them forever.” Once again, this book is for everyone who is searching after truth, and not exclusively for Hindus.
Product details
Publisher : Rupa Publications; 2019th edition (July 17, 2019)
Language : English
Paperback : 197 pages
ISBN-10 : 9353335302
ISBN-13 : 978-9353335304
Item Weight : 8.4 ounces
Dimensions : 5.51 x 0.5 x 8.5 inchesBest Sellers Rank: #1,527,905 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)#3,839 in Hinduism (Books)
#667,510 in Literature & Fiction (Books)Customer Reviews:
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 71 ratings
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manoj kumar
4.0 out of 5 stars Must read book for all HinduReviewed in India on October 16, 2023
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A bird eye view of Hinduism and related religion is given. Content should have been elaborative. However, appreciate the effort of the Author.
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Dhawal gehlot
5.0 out of 5 stars how to swim in hindu literatureReviewed in India on December 13, 2021
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many questions are flying in our mind related to hinduism, this book gives you a way to introduction.
must read
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Hari
3.0 out of 5 stars Brief and compelling but not heavyReviewed in India on August 28, 2023
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It's a book for absolute beginners only. Doesn't contain a lot of content and explanation. Buy only if you need a birds eye view
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Sanjay
4.0 out of 5 stars Hindus must readReviewed in India on January 8, 2023
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Good insight into Hinduism. Unfortunately none of this is taught to hindu children in schools. Suggest all Hindus read this and other books by the author. Share it with family
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Manish Prajapati
4.0 out of 5 stars Importance of knowing HinduismReviewed in India on October 15, 2021
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Very good informative in brief. Many thing we don't know even following Hinduism. Requires more books like this for awareness in New generation.
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