Religion is the opium of the people; said Karl Marx many centuries ago. For more than a billion people living in India and abroad; Hinduism is the religion and a way of life. In this multi-award winning book; Swami Achuthananda cracks open the opium poppy pods; analyzes the causes for euphoria; and comes away with a deeper understanding of the people and their religion. *** Winner 2014 Next Generation Indie Book Awards (Religious Non-fiction) ***This is a comprehensive book on Hinduism. It tells you why Hindus do the things they do - and don't. Written in a casual style; the book guides you through the fundamentals of the religion. It then goes further and debunks a number of long-standing myths; some of them coming from the academia (of all places). While most books shy away from contentious issues; this book plunges headlong by taking on controversies; like the Aryan Invasion Theory; idol worship; RISA scholarship and many more. In fact one-third of the book is just on controversies that you rarely find in any other literature.Other Awards:*** Finalist - 2014 Pacific Book Awards (Religion) ****** Bronze - 2014 IPPY Award - (Religion) ***
#444354 in Books CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform 2012-11-02Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .45 x 6.00l; .60 #File Name: 1479387401198 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Good book; poor editing/proofreadingBy JoeWAn excellent introduction to a nearly forgotten founding father and his life-long relationship with our first president; Gerard Gawalt's George Mason and George Washington: The Power of Principle is a well written and mostly enjoyable read. If you are looking for a "scholarly" book with copious footnotes and citations; this is probably not the book for you; as Gewalt provides only a list of sources at the end of the volume. However; if you enjoy reading about the founding of our country and the people who made it possible; you will enjoy this book. The only complaint I have; and the reason that I gave the book only four stars; is that there are typographical errors throughout the entire first portion of the book. Missing words; grammatical errors and punctuation errors abound; which for me; was quite distracting. A simple spelling and grammar check in whatever word processor was used would have corrected a major portion of the errors.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Fabulous Book on These Two Founding FathersBy Michael D. HillAs an avid reader of books about the Founding Fathers and Founding Mothers; I have been for years a great fan of Mr. Gawalt's books. I loved his two books on Presidential letters to their wives and daughters and; most recently; found his book on Jefferson; "Circle of Friends"; to be a fascinating and absorbing read. His style of telling history; through the primary documents of various personal; professional and political relationships throughout history is; quite simply; history at its best. His books focus on what makes these people tick and what makes them human. His latest work on Washington and George Mason -- one well-known Founding Father; one not so well-known -- is a fascinating examination of a complex and intriguing relationship. I anxiously look forward to Mr. Gawalt's next endeavor in history.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Ed AllenInteresting read
