11/12/2017 A Hinduism Course – The Gold Scales

A Hinduism Course

Section › 6 Set Search

Reservations

Jiva, Atman and Brahman

Stories
Book study

Jiva, Atman, and Brahman

Introduction
Hinduism is wide and varied, but some works and some persons stand out. More
recently, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi spread Transcendental Medita on, TM, and
established it world-wide. His guru, Shankaracharya Brahmananda Saraswa ,
took care of and helped him on. Sri Brahmananda is known as Guru Dev in the
TM Movement and further. Paul Mason and others have published books on and
by Guru Dev, and other books - some based on sermons given - are in the
coming. [Guru Dev info] [Maharishi in brief]
Ramakrishna (Gadadhar Cha opadhyay, 1836-86) and his chief disciple
Vivekananda were influen al in the Hindu renaissance in the 1800s and 1900s.
Vivekananda brought the Ramakrishna movement to the West. As for Tantra, The
eli st culture around Calcu a in the 1800s was quite puritanical. They kept trying
to get Ramakrishna to condemn Tantra prac oners, but he would never do so.
He had prac ced Tantra too, and just remarked that there are different doors to
enter the same house. [Lex Hixon. Great Swan: Mee ngs with Ramakrishna. (2nd
reprint, Burde , N.Y.: Larson Publica ons, 1997, p. xliii)]
As for the books men oned on this page, they are not many compared to all
the books on Hinduism and Hindu yoga and Tantra that exist. Far from it. I have,
however, selected some that may appeal to many and not be too scary and
abstruse, while covering much ground.
And as James Kirk tells on an early page of his Stories of the Hindus [Soth],
young Hindus learn Hinduism by being told Hindu stories. Compare also: [Indian
Fables]. Such stories convey a tudes, feelings and moral stands copiously. I have
included some tales, most of them from Ramakrishna. And you do not have to
believe in tales or accept all their subsumed values to enjoy them. - Tormod
Kinnes

The ant and the sugar hill

Once an ant went to a sugar hill. One grain filled its stomach. Taking another
grain in its mouth it started homeward. On its way it thought, "Next me I shall
carry home the whole hill."
That's the way shallow minds think.

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Sages may have been big ants; but even they at the utmost could carry eight or
ten grains of sugar! [Ramakrishna]

Perhaps
Sugar: The experience of Godhood (Brahman).
Ant: Working person.

Unexpected results
A thief entered the castle of a king in the dead of night and overheard the king
saying to the queen, "I shall give my daughter in marriage to one of those holy
men (sadhus) who live on the bank of the river "
The thief thought: "Well, here is good luck for me. I will go and sit among
those men tomorrow and look like them, and perhaps I may succeed in ge ng
the king's daughter."
Next day he did so. When the king's officers came solici ng the sadhus to
marry the king's daughter, none of them said yes to it. At last they came to the
thief who was si ng there and looked like a holy man, and made the same
proposal to him. The thief kept quiet.
The officers went back and told the king that there was a young sadhu who
might be influenced to marry the princess, and that there was no other who
would. The king then came to the river bank in person and earnestly entreated
the thief to honour him by accep ng the hand of his daughter.
But the heart of the thief was changed; he thought to himself: "I have only put
on the garb of a sadhu, and now the king comes to me and is all entrea es. Who
can say what be er things may not be in store for me if I become a real sadhu!"
Therefore, instead of marrying under false pretences, he began to mend his
ways, and ul mately surrendered to become one of the most pious asce cs.

How one may read it:

King: Brahmanhood
His daughter: Conjugal bliss and so on
The thief could be yourself.
The sadhu garb: Costy drill and much renouncing too.

A few postulates
Men o en think they have understood Brahman fully — They don't know that
Brahman is beyond one's words and thought — A er a aining knowledge of
Brahman one does not see the two; then it is One. [Three different sayings by
Ramakrishna]

1 - Atman is of Maya's Brahman

Existence-Consciousness-Bliss is of Brahman, and remains unaltered. Atman
(individualised jiva or soul of man) is always Brahman, the godhead, and direct
knowledge of Atman or Self is the means to libera on. Effects of karma
(retribu ons, giving-back) wear out as iden fica on with the body and mind
diminishes, a er a blend of proper efforts and good living.

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Existence, Consciousness and Bliss appear and disappear in Brahman. Further:

"This Atman is obtainable by love of truth, by austerity, by correct knowledge, by
one's life of chas ty . . ." (Mundaka Upanishad, III. 1.4)
Maya is the cause of the appearance of the universe and extremely illusive.
Maya is thought to have two powers, called projec ng and veiling. The veiling
mystery of Maya creates ignorance, and all crea on is the unfolding of Brahman
through its inscrutable power, Maya. From the causal standpoint, Brahman is
both the material and efficient cause of the world.
What is more, mind perceives, not the eye, and consciousness illuminates
mind. And further, deep consciousness pervades the whole being and is reflected
in mind and sense organs; which can be trimmed.
Four Vedic statements are said to summarize the en re teaching of the Vedas
(1) "That you are (tat twam asi)" (2) "I am Brahman" (3) "This Atman is Brahman"
(4) "Consciousness is Brahman"
And the one who realizes Brahman wins libera on.

On one side we are helped by avoiding and aver ng dangers and harm. On
another side we get helped by building up things, including divinity. That is the
theory. ¤
(1) In deep sleep, results of past karma go unno ced. By right effort, it can be
wiped out in the waking state too. Study of scriptures can be a help, both to get
some sleep and further in this vein. If there is no understanding of them or
enlightenments in their wake, reading them ma ers li le, of course.
(2) Bearing in mind that the real nature of Jiva ('soul') is Brahman, how then, it
may be asked, may (more) godhead be built up inside ourselves? Tapas (penance
and sacrifice) is men oned as a number one method. It pertains to bothering to
access and maintain high and relevant order through means that seem a bit
unnatural to humans at first.
These very basic, ancient Hindu ideas go clearly and repeatedly against the
ideas that many Indians seem to be fond of nowadays, namely that a soul is like a
bubble in foaming water, and "only" needs to be dissolved in the water of God to
feel "I am God". There would not be any regulated yoga customs, strictly
regulated ways of living and concomitant prac ces if that were so. Prac ce is
needed, both to gain access to inner, hidded aspects of ourselves - the inner
sides - and build them too. Wri ngs of Rudolf Steiner also contain many
men ons of this kind.

2 - Oneself as inner witness or seer is thought to remain

Mind imagines ideas in dreams because of the reflec on of Consciousness, but
the inner Seer (perceiver) of what goes on, remains unchanging, though
everything else changes constantly.

These ideas are found to a large extent in Shankara's Crest-Jewel of

Discrimina on.

Stories

To Treasure Old Teachings, Don't Be too Hasty

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A rich man said to his servant: "Take this diamond to the market and let me know
how different people price it. Take it first to the egg-plant seller."
The servant took the diamond to the egg-plant seller. He examined it, turning
it over in the palm of his hand, and said, "Well, I can give nine seers of egg-plants
for it."
"Friend, "said the servant, "a li le morey say, ten seers."
The egg-plant seller replied: "No, I have already quoted above the market
price. You may give it to me if that price suits you."
The servant laughed. He went back to his master and said: "Sir, he would give
me only nine seers of egg-plants and not one more. He said he had offered more
than the market price."
Te master smiled and said: "Now take it to the cloth dealer. Let us see how
much he offers for it."
Te servant went to the clothdealer and said: "Will you buy this? How much will
you pay for it?"
The merchant said: "Yes, it is a good thing. I can make a nice ornament out of
it. I will give you nine hundred rupees for it."
"Brother," said the servant, "offer a li le more and I will sell it to you. Give me
at least a thousand rupees."
The cloth-dealer said: "Ahh, don't press me for more. I have offered more than
the market price. I cannot give a rupee more. Suit yourself."
Laughing, the servant returned to his master and said: "He won't give a rupee
more than nine hundred. He too said he had quoted above the market price."
The master said with a laugh: "Now take it to a jeweller."
The servant went to the jeweller. The jeweller inspected the diamond for a few
minutes and said, "I will give you one hundred thousand rupees for it."
Said Ramakrishna: "One offers a price for an ar cle according to one's capital.
Can all comprehend the Indivisible Sat-Chit-Ananda? . . . All cannot recognise an
Incarna on of God. Some take him for an ordinary man, some for a holy person,
and only a few recognise him as an Incarna on."

Modern man may be quite henpecked

The following tale is adapted from a tale by Ramakrishna.

Someone insisted,
"I know what sort the carefully "unresolved family-man" of the present day is!
If a poor prince comes to beg of this master of the house, he - being a quite
privileged and uncontaminated family-man and having no gross concern with
money handling, for it is his wife who manages such things while she's around -
says to the begging prince,
"Sir, I never touch money, why waste me in begging of me?"
The prince, however, entreats the man so relentlessly that he thinks within
himself that the prince should be paid a dollar, and tells him openly:
"Well, well, come to our door tomorrow morning, and I'll see what I can do for
you."
Going in, he tells his wife,
"Look here, dear. I've seen the light. A poor prince is in great distress; let us
give him a dollar."
Hearing the word "dollar", his wife gets out of temper and says taun ngly,
"What a generous fellow you are! Are dollars like leaves and straws to be
thrown away without the least thought?"
"Well, my dear," replies the man in an apologe c tone, "the prince is very poor
and we shouldn't give him less."
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"No," says his wife, "I cannot spare so much. I feel two cents will do. You can
give him that, if you like."
As the man is a family-man quite uncontaminated by worldliness, he takes
what his wife gives him, and next day a beggar gets two cent.

Thus, uncontaminated family-men are hardly true masters of themselves, but

quite like hen-pecked husbands. If so, they can be very poor specimens of the
human race. [Cf. Tas: "Modern Janakas"]

Book Study into Old and New Hinduism

Vedas
The Vedas are said to be eternal. In Eternity they are. During exalted states of
spiritual realisa on, ancient sages u ered and transmi ed them and maybe
commi ed them to wri ng themselves. According to Hindu tradi on, one can
verify the possible truths of the Vedas [metaphorical issues are possible] through
his own experiences under qualified guidance.
There are four Vedas:

1. Rikveda (on-line): (translated by Wilson and by Griffith) The work is reputedly

very old, and older than the other three vedas too. Its language is closer to
ancient Persian than to later Sanskrit. [Zai] Rikveda needs interpreta ons to
be of interest in modern life, presumably.
2. White and Black Yajurveda: (Griffith has translated the White, and
Devichand the Black and White) The Yajurveda in its two recensions contains
formulas and direc ons.
3. Samaveda: Most of the verses of the Samaveda are taken from the Rikveda
but arranged in different sequence.
4. Atharva Veda: These hymns reflect religious prac ces. Many hymns are
supplica ons for health and success, protec on, and blessings. Others are
concerned with funerals and holy men.

The Vedas can be divided into four categories:

1. The Samhitas, hymns to various dei es.

2. The Brahmanas, direc ons for the performance of sacrifice;
3. The Aranyakas, interpreta ons of the sacrifices - analogical, perhaps
allegorical.
4. The Upanishads, the philosophical or knowledge por on.

The Upanishads
The Upanishads are concluding parts of the Vedas, and their philosophy is called
Vedanta. which is the basis of all Hindu systems of religious thought, both
dualis c and nondualis c [See Upanishads Online]
The body of Upanishads originated in part hundreds, in part thousands of
years BC. They are thought to encompass mys cal experiences of saints and
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sages. In Vedanta God immanent is called the Atman, or Self, and God
transcendent is called Brahman (from the root brih, expand). It is also held that
Atman (individual self) and Brahman (cosmic self) are iden cal, and that
medita on opens the way for this to be experienced.
Paul Deussen's Sixty Upanishads of the Veda includes the well-known twelve
principal Upanishads and many others. This work is a must. Also, Nikhilananda's
two transla ons with with explanatory notes based on the commentary of
Shankara, deserve merit. Max Müller translated many Upanishads too in his day
[Ref.]. There are many other Upanishad transla ons - collec ons of samples with
or without comments, and single Upanishads with comments.

Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita has quite misleadingly been called the Gospel of Vedanta,
and is also claimed to be the best loved of all Indian scriptures. It's aim is to
describe ways to achieve benefits by religious worship in the middle of interests
in conflict. The work is a book (kanda) embedded in the long epic poem
Mahabharata in the first place. And it is is formed as a dialogue: deep thinking is
put in the mouth of Krishna and his friend Arjuna who is perplexed and confused.
Obviously, parts of the teaching is not much relevant in contemporary life. [Two
Bhagavad Gita Transla ons and an Abstract]

During a pilgrimage through the southern parts of India, the Hindu reformer
Chaitanya came across a man who was in tears while a pundit was reading from
the Bhagavad Gita. On being asked why he shed tears, the man replied,
"I didn't know a word of the Gita in advance. While it was being read, I
couldn't help seeing with my inner eye how Highest God was made use of as a
mere charioteer by Arjuna on in the field of Kurukshetra. The strangeness of this
filled my eyes with many tears."

Uddhava Gita
Chapter 11 of the Srimad Bhagavatam contains similar teachings as the Bhagavad
Gita. They are told by Krishna to his friend and look-alike Uddhava, and called
Uddhava Gita. Aldous Huxley: "- a teaching that expresses the essence of Indian
religion almost as forcefully as does the Bhagavad Gita." Read it here: [Uddhava
Gita]

Epics and Puranas

The Hindu epics and puranas (tale collec ons etc) popularise ideals and mythos
of the Vedas and Upanishads by insights into lives of certain godmen, saints,
kings and devotees.
Ramayana (The Way of Rama) is the most ancient Sanskrit epic poem. It is
es mated to have been composed by the sage and former highway robber
Valmiki about 500 BC. it has helped in forming a uniform enough structure of
pan-Indian ideals and half-norms to live up to. A nice retelling is: --- Hari Prasad
Shastri's transla on, The Ramayana of Valmiki is a good work in three volumes.
The Concise Yoga Vasistha, translated by Venkatesananda, is a much abridged
transla on of the original, which is said to present the inner aspects of
Ramayana, Rama's way. The transla on is clear, without sacrificing philosophical

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depth. The Yoga Vasistha, a book of extracts translated by the same author, is
good too.
The Mahabharata is the largest old poem we know of; it consists of 110,000
couplets, and contains the Bhagavad Gita and material with many other
interspersed philosophical and religious outlooks. Its codes for living and
specula ve philosophy are Aryan. The Mahabharata by Kamala Subramaniam is
a nice retelling; it is a highly readable, condensed version focuses on the ac vity,
not much on the sermonising. And the twelve-volumed Mahabharata translated
by K. M. Ganguli is much too much at the start. Besides there are other op ons.
There is well over a dozen Puranas handed down from cen ries past.
The Srimad Bhagavatam contains a life of Krishna, and in the eleventh book of
the work, Krishna gives instruc ons to his disciple Uddhava. That part of the
work is thus called Uddhava Gita. Very soon a er delivering this much interes ng
instruc on, Krishna is killed by a poisoned arrow by mistake Raghunathan's two-
volumed transla on is good. Besides there is a condensed version by
Nikhilananda, called The Wisdom of God.
The Srimad Devi Bhagawatam in Vijnananananda's transla on is fair. The work
was probably wri en in the 1000s or 1100s, and is influenced by works on
Tantra. There is stress on devo on to the shak (force aspect of divinity, alias
Devi), and many words on realiza on, and hymns.
The Markandeya Purana (Pargiter's transla on) is an interes ng work. It
contains the Devi Mahatmyam (Glory of the Divine Mother, here in the shape of
Durga, and the Chandi). This hymn to the Mother is one of the oldest and most
venerated scriptures in India; it is taken to be allegorical, sublime and is much
chanted by Hindus.
The Siva Purana is a tradi onal trea se where mythological stories mingle with
methods of medita on, and ritualis c worship of Shiva. J. L. Shastri's 4-volumed
transla on is excellent.
The Vishnu Purana is a Vishnu-advoca ng work. It tells of how the world was
made, Krishna's life, gods and other beings, and contains discourses on yoga by
which one can realise Being, which is thought of as the Supreme Being too.

Traditional Law and Customs

Hindus of old were steered by criptural instruc ons and injuc ons. Two of the
foremost works are:
The Ins tutes of Vishnu as translated by Julius Jolly, details the laws for all the
four castes, promising that faithful observance of these laws will sustain the
earth. The Laws of Manu (Manu Samhita), translated and commented by Georg
Bühler, enumerates rules, rituals and purports to show how man an evolve to
God-realiza on.

Tantra
Human rela onships can be li ed, and one may learn to go beyond through
power properly harnessed. A person must start from where he is and put high
and not so high methods of perfec oning into use.
There is an extensive body of texts on the subject. Some of them are:
Gems from the Tantras, first and second series, collected and commented by
Mahdev Pandit, give clues on spiritual prac ces. Siva Sutras translated by
Jaiadeva Singh. The Srimad Devi Bhagawatam (see above). The Serpent Power is
an important work translated by Sir John Woodroffe, describes centres of
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consciousness and kundalini awakening. Tantra of the Great Libera on,

translated by Sir John Woodroffe, outlines tantric ritual in detail.
Wri ngs on Tantra, in addi on: Lights on the Tantra by M. P. Pandit, The
Serpent Power and The Garland of Le ers, by Sir John Woodroofe. The two last
ones outline uses of mantras (vibratory words and sounds).

Shankara
Shankara bases much of his philosophy on tenets found in the Upanishads, and
apparently also on Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. He has commented on ancient Hindu
works like major Upanishads, the Yoga Sutras, and the Brahma Sutras. He has
also composed works of his own, including devo onal poetry. One such work,
Shankara's dialogue Crest-Jewel of Discrimina on, is online. [Ref]
Nikhilananda gives gloss from Shankara's comments in his transla ons of
Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. Treve has recently published a commentary
by Shankara on the Yoga Sutras. Swami Gambhirananda has translated the
Brahma Sutras and included Shankara's commentary.
A biography among others is Swami Apurvananda's Acharya Shankara.

At the beginning Sankara didn't have the total faith that everything in the world
is Brahman. One day as he was coming out of the Ganges a er his bath, he saw
an untouchable, a butcher, carrying a load of meat. Inadvertently the butcher
touched his body. Sankara shouted angrily, "Hey there! How dare you touch
me?"
"Revered sir", said the butcher, "I have not touched you, nor have you touched
me. The pure Self cannot be the body nor the five elements nor the twenty-four
cosmic principles."
Then Sankara came to his senses.
- Ramakrishna. [From Tas No. 162]

Some other texts

THE Brahma Sutras is one of the three works which all Indian philosophies are
based on. The work tries to systema se and elaborates on Upanishadic
teachings. Vireswarananda's transla on links it to teachings of Shankara.
Da atreya's Avadhuta Gita is credited a sage who lived three thousand years
ago, and "breathes" Brahman outlooks [Ref].
Nikhilananda's transla on of Shankara's Drg-Drsya-Viveka, An Inquiry Into The
Nature of the 'Seer' and the 'Seen', Sri Ramakrishna Sharama, Mysore, India,
1976.
Patanjali's Yoga Sutras is online [Ref]. Two of the be er transla ons in book
form: How to Know God: The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali. [sth] Vivekananda's
Raja Yoga contains his transla on and comments on many of the aphorisms too.
[Via]

Other works
Ramana Maharsi (Venkataraman Aiyer, 1879-1950) lived as he taught. Three
books edited by Arthur Osborne are: (1) The Collected Works of Ramana
Maharsi; (2) Ramana Maharsi and the Path of Self- Knowledge is an account of
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his life and some handy teachings by his disciple, and (3) The Teachings of
Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharsi in His Own Words.
Lately some Ramana collec ons have been published on-line. I can
recommend them.

Facets of Brahman or the Hindu Gods (1974) by Swami Chidbhavanandna lays

bare methods of worship and symbology of various aspects of gods.
An Introduc on to Indian Philosophy by Sa schandra Cha erjee and
Dhirendramohan Da a is a thorough overview of the six orthodix systems of
Hindu philosophy. The authors also expose three other main systems, including
Buddhism.
A Survey of Hinduism by Klaus Klostermeyer is comprehensive and
sympathe c. Hinduism by R. C. Zaehner is much briefer.
The Spiritual Heritage of India by Prabhavananda is thought to be an
authorita ve text, but it is in part a condensa on of a larger work, the Cultural
Heritage of India, now in five volumes.
Vedic Religion and Philosophy by Prabhavananda brings some general thought
in a short book.

Works in Focus
ONCE there was a ceremony in a guru's house. His disciples volunteered to
supply the different ar cles of food according to their powers. He had one
disciple, a very poor widow, who owned a cow. She milked it and brought the
guru a jar of milk. He had thought she would take charge of all the milk and curd
for the fes val. Angry at her poor offering, he threw the milk away and said to
her, "Go and drown yourself."
The widow accepted this as his command and went to the river to drown
herself. But God was pleased with her guileless faith and, appearing before her,
said: "Take this pot of curd. You will never be able to empty it. The more curd you
pour out, the more will come from the pot. This will sa sfy your teacher."
The guru was speechless with amazement when the pot was given to him.
A er hearing from the widow the story of the pot, he went to the river, saying to
her, "I shall drown myself if you cannot show God to me."
God appeared then and there, but the guru couldn't see him. Addressing God,
the widow said, "If my teacher gives up his body because You don't reveal
Yourself to him, then I too shall die."
So God appeared to the guru - but only once.
- Told by Ramakrishna [Tas no. 62]

Ramakrishna
As soon as a man becomes rich he is thoroughly changed. [Ramakrishna]

The Gospel of Ramakrishna (On-line)

The Condensed Gospel of Ramakrishna
Sayings of Sri Ramakrishna [See a li le selec on online]
Tales and Parables of Sri Ramakrishna
Teachings of Sri Ramakrishna [See a li le selec on online]
Life of Sri Ramakrishna

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The Life of Ramakrishna (Romain Rolland)

Sri Ramakrishna the Great Master

A FROG had a rupee, which he kept in his hole. One day an elephant was going
over the hole, and the frog, coming out in a fit of anger, raised his foot as if to
kick the elephant, and said, "How dare you walk over my head?"
Such is the pride money begets! - Ramakrishna. [Tas]

Vivekananda
The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, 8 volumes. (On-line)
Educa on
Vivekananda, the Yogas and Other Works includes a biography by
Nikhilananda. (On-line)
The Complete Works of Sister Nivedita (Margaret Noble) contains material on
him.
The Life of Swami Vivekananda
The Life of Vivekananda (Rolland- li le new)

[Selected Vivekananda quota ons on-line]

Other disciples of Ramakrishna

Apostles of Sri Ramakrishna by Gambhirananda.
The Eternal companion
A Man of God

One More Man of God

IN A deep forest a man prac sed corpse-sadhana: he sat on a corpse, sava, while
he meditated. He worshipped the Divine Mother in that way. First he saw many
terrible visions. Finally a ger a acked and killed him.
Another man, happening to pass by and seeing the approach of the ger, had
climbed a tree. A erwards he got down and found all the arrangements for
worship at hand. He performed some purifying ceremonies and seated himself
on the corpse. No sooner had he done a li le japa (mantra-medita on) than the
Divine Mother appeared before him and said:
"My child, I am very much pleased with you. Accept a boon from me."
He bowed low to the goddess and said:
"May I ask you one ques on? I am speechless with amazement at your ac on.
The other man worked so hard to get the ingredients for Your worship and tried
to propi ate You for such a long me, but You didn't condescend to show him
Your favour. And I, who don't know anything of worship, who have done nothing,
who have neither devo on nor knowledge nor love, and who haven't prac sed
any austeri es, am receiving so much of Your grace?"
The Divine Mother said with a smile,
"My child you don't remember your previous births. As a result of many
previous lives of austeri es all these things have come to hand, and you have
been blessed with my vision. Now ask me a big boon."

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Introducing Hinduism
Flood, Gavin. An Introduc on to Hinduism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. -
Recommended
Hinduism Today Eds. What is Hinduism? Modern Adventures into a Profound Global Faith. Kapaa,
Hawaii: Himalayan Academy, 2007.
Kirk, James Albert. Stories of the Hindus: An Introduc on Through Texts and Interpreta on. New
York: Macmillan, 1972.
Klostermaier, Klaus K. A Survey of Hinduism. 3rd ed. Albany, N.Y: State University of New York Press,
2007. - Very good
Klostermaier, Klaus K. Hinduism: A Beginner's Guide. Oxford: Oneworld / Beginners Guide, 2008.
Nikhilananda, Swami. Hinduism. Madras: Ramakrishna Math, 1968.
Nirvedananda, Swami. Hinduism at a Glance. 4th ed. Calcu a: Ramakrishna Math, 1969.
Rosen, Steven J. Essen al Hinduism. London: Praeger, 2006.

Hindu thinking
Cha erjee, Sa schandra, and Dhirendramohan Da a. An Introduc on to Indian Philosophy. 7th ed.
Calcu a: University of Calcu a, 1968.
Chidbhavananda, Swami. The Bhagavad Gita. 24th impression. Tirupparai urai: Sri Ramakrishna
Tapovanam, 2012.
. Facets of Brahman. Tirupparai urai: Sri Ramakrishna Tapovanam, 1974.
Deussen, Paul, tr. Sixty Upanishads of the Veda, Vols 1-2. Varanasi: Banarsidass, 1980.
Pargiter, Frederick Eden, tr. Markandeya Purana. Calcu a: The Asia c Society, 1904.

Stories of Hindus
Apurvananda, swami. Acharya Shankara. Mysore: University of Mysore, 1983.
Dimmi , Cornelia, ed., and J. A. B. van Buitenen, tr. Classical Hindu Mythology. Philadelphia:
Temple University, 1978. - Good
Gherwal, Rishi Singh. Yoga Vashisht or Heaven Found. Santa Barbara: Self-published, 1930. On-line.
O'Flaherty, Wendy. Hindu Myths. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1975.
Raghunathan, N., tr. Srimad Bhagavatam, Vols 1-2. Madras: Vighneswara, 1976. —— Tales of
Krishna abound in it.
Ramakrishna: Tales and Parables of Sri Ramakrishna. 5th ed. Ramakrishna Math, Madras, 1974.
Rajan, Chandra, tr. Visnu Sarma: The Panchatantra. London: Penguin Classics, 1995.
Rouse, William Henry Denham, reteller. The Talking Thrush and Other Tales from India. London:
Dent, 1922.
Subramaniam, Kamala, tr. Mahabharata. Bombay: Bhara ya Book University, 1982.
Subramaniam, Kamala. Ramayana. Bombay: Bhara ya Book University, 1983.

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11/12/2017 A Hinduism Course – The Gold Scales

Tawney Charles Henry, tr., Norman Mosley Penzer, ed. The Ocean of Story: Somadeva's Katha Sarit
Sagara or Ocean of the Streams of Story. Vols. 1-10. London: London, Priv. print. for subscribers by C.
J. Sawyer, 1924-1928.
Venkatesananda, Swami, tr. The Concise Yoga Vasistha. Albany: State University of New York, 1984.

By and on Ramakrishna and Vivekananda

Advaita Asram: Life of Sri Ramakrishna. Advaita Asram. Calcu a, 1971.
Advaita Asram: Teachings of Sri Ramakrishna. Advaita Asram. Calcu a, 1975.
Advaita Asram. Teachings of Swami Vivekananda. 5th ed. Calcu a: Advaita, 1971.
Advaita Asram. The Life of Swami Vivekananda. 8th ed. Calcu a: Advaita, 1974.
Gupta, M.: The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. Ramakrishna-Vivekananda. New York, 1942.
Jagadananda, Swami, tr: Sri Ramakrishna: The Great Master. 4th ed. Ramakrishna Math. Mylapore,
1970.
Nikhilananda, Swami, tr: The Gospel of Ramakrishna. Abr. ed. Ramakrishna-Vivekananda. New
York, 1974.
Nikhilananda, Swami. Vivekananda. The Yogas and Other Works. Rev. ed. New York: Ramakrishna-
Vivekananda Center, 1953.
Romain, Rolland: The Gospel of Ramakrishna. 8th ed. Advaita Asram. Calcu a, 1970.
Vivekananda, Swami. The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Vols 1-8. 6th ed. Calcu a:
Advaita Asram, 1977.

Yoga and other yogis

Handed-over methods of yoga is a central side to Hinduism, apart from creeds. Hinduism and
Buddhism share many yoga methods and many yoga paths (margas), and they differ in their
usefulness, one may add. Health benefits of the safe yoga postures and ways of medita on have
been documented by accepted research world-wide. Non-strenuous medita on methods could serve
you best.
One may learn body yoga and higher yoga - including deep medita on - without embracing any
creed, so as to improve one's life.

Section Set

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