Essential Works of Hinduism

Essential Works of Hinduism

I give this list with abundance of humility. I am not qualified really for this task but even with reservations I venture this list for the beginners. Specifically I have in mind (the target audience) an innocent grand child, a youngster, or someone with deep longing to explore the essential Hinduism. This is not intended for critics who willfully distort and wantonly propagate wrong interpretations of the ancient faith for obtaining some professorial chair or some emolument. Such “interlopers” can find umpteen third rate works in English. Ideally, the guru (or someone like Sri Sivanandamurty) would provide guidance in all such matters. But for many beginners finding a guru (any guru) is difficult or some are utterly allergic to the concept of ‘guru’; even if one finds one may not fully repose faith in the guru. [I cannot recall now the exact source of this pithy illuminating statement: Even if the guru is imperfect, if the disciple sincerely believes in his (her) guru and follows till the end – then both the guru and the disciple would be uplifted and released with miraculous results!]

The Preparation

The earnest enquirer starts with a clean, clear mind. We approach each book, chapter, and paragraph with open mind free of all biases. (i.e., Avoid all cross talk. Look at the pure signal.) First we read each chapter with full proficiency in the original language (either Sanskrit or vernacular). We try to understand and get the essence of a story. Still, at the end our mind may be left with lingering doubts. Per se, such doubts may not do any harmful damage. We need lot of patience to continue the trek and wait for the day when all doubts will eventually be cleared. No point in hurrying or abandoning our project half way.

Now coming to the language. Foremost, we must learn our mother tongue, whatever it is – Hindi, Telugu, Gujarati, or Bengali, etc. If English is really the mother tongue, then we are in a pickle. Finding authentic (English) translations of many Indian original works is very arduous, extremely difficult, but not impossible. Now learning a language really means full proficiency in all the working modes like reading, speaking, and writing. In addition, we need some grasp of Sanskrit; at least we should be able to read and write the mother (lingua), i.e., Sanskrit of many languages (the large Indo-European family).

So, now we presume the reader (or whoever be the interested aspirant) knows a bit of Telugu, just enough to read in Telugu script.

1. Stotra-Kadambam (by Bala Saraswati Book Depot) స్త్రోత్ర కదంబము (బాలసరస్వతి  బుక్ డిపో) It is a small book comprising many valuable Slokas and Stotras. This pocket size book is very moderately priced (about 10 Rupees) making it accessible to many. The first page starts with invocation to Lord Ganesa. I’ve given the meaning of the sloka here: Ganesa's Grace

Sloka on Ganesa

Let us dwell on this first page for several minutes and meditate. Thus, we’ve started the exploration with a small yet auspicious step.

(The Internet savvy reader will find these slokas at several web sites. iPhone, laptop, or digital devices are handy for searching. But they also cause distraction to the mind. So, if there is no other way, print a page or two in Telugu (or other vernacular) script and use it to learn and pray. Keep away from diversions as much as possible. Also, be aware of typographical mistakes.) 

2. Srimad-Bhagavatamu by Bammera Potana (Telugu translation from the original in Sanskrit. It contains lyrical poetry interspersed with musical sounding prose sections.) Copyright 2021 by the author

 (To be Continued)