Table of Contents

Introduction. Part I: Introducing Hinduism. Chapter 1: A Quick Overview of Hinduism. Chapter 2: From Past to Present: A Condensed History of Hinduism. Chapter 3: Hinduism?s Core Beliefs and Values. Chapter 4: Major Hindu Denominations. Chapter 5: The Structure of Hindu Society. Part II: The Hindu Pantheon and Its Religious Leaders. Chapter 6: Pantheism to Polytheism: From the One to the Very Many. Chapter 7: Hindu Gods and Goddesses. Chapter 8: The Avatars of Vishnu: The Divine Descent. Chapter 9: Revering the Role of Religious Leadership. Part III: The Sacred Texts. Chapter 10: The Vedas: Centuries of Accumulated Treasures. Chapter 11: Gaining Higher Knowledge with the Upanishads. Chapter 12: Living with the Epics and Puranas. Chapter 13: The Song of the Lord: The Bhagavad Gita. Part IV: Hinduism in Practice. Chapter 14: Worshipping at Home. Chapter 15: Worshipping at Temples. Chapter 16: Holydays and Festivals. Chapter 17: Cradle to Cremation: The Life-Cycle Rites. Chapter 18: Taking a Pilgrimage. Part V: Delving Deeper into the Hindu Concept of Reality. Chapter 19: The Six Schools of Thought: The Darshanas. Chapter 20: Vedanta: The End of Knowledge. Chapter 21: The Yogic Path to Salvation. Part VI: The Part of Tens. Chapter 22: Ten Common Questions About Hindus. Chapter 23: Ten Common Prayers. Chapter 24: Ten (Plus) Traditional Mandates. Index.

About the Author

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.