Hinduism : The Faith Eternal

Dr. Satish K. Kapoor

Jul 2016 · Advaita Ashrama (A publication branch of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math)

About this ebook

The evolution of Hinduism has been a saga of continuous progression from the unreal to the real, from the profane to the profound, in successive stages of human development. Hinduism has withstood challenges of all hues, both within and without. 

It has had its periods of light and shade, occurring concurrently, through the course of history. Sometimes shady aspects assumed vast proportions and enveloped the lofty ideals of the Vedas, but prophetic souls appeared to redeem the society of evil, from Adi Shankaracarya to Bhakti reformers of medieval India, and from Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Swami Dayananda and Swami Vivekananda to Mahatma Gandhi.

Like any other human faith, Hinduism has its philosophical and practical sides, called “the kernel and the husk” respectively. The survival of Hinduism has been due to its ability to separate the former from the latter, in an unending process, and to withstand challenges of all types by adhering to the timeless principles of truth (satya) and righteousness (dharma). Hinduism has been open, flexible and adaptable. It has discarded outworn ideas and institutions, absorbed the best elements of fellow cultures, and reinterpreted itself in changing milieus.

The present publication by Advaita Ashrama, a branch of Ramakrishna Math, Belur Math, India is an attempt to explain the quintessential of Hinduism within the orbit of time and beyond it, involving an explication of the eternal values and principles which sustain existence. It explores the dynamics of Hinduism in religio-historical framework through the second millennium of the common era.
About the Cover:The image of Lord Shiva as Nataraja, the king of dancers. As the Cosmic Dancer, his dance represents the five cosmic activities of creation, preservation, destruction, concealment of Truth behind apparitions, and divine grace. He dances on the prostate body of the demon, Apasmara. Apasmara symbolises man's ignorance or forgetfulness of Truth. Shiva is Time (kala), and he is also the Great Time (maha kala), i.e. Eternity. This is the dance of the Cosmic Being, eternally going on.

Ratings and reviews

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About the author

Dr. Satish K. Kapoor is a versatile scholar, educationist, historian, and a writer on the subject of religion. A Punjab University gold medalist and record holder in History, and an ex-British Council Scholar at School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, he has to his credit seven books, twenty chapters in scholarly works, and about four-hundred articles and book reviews. He was Associate Subject Editor (Area O2) and substance editor of Encyclopedia of Hinduism, a project of India Heritage Research Foundation (USA), to which he contributed 50 entries. He also contributed to Encyclopedia of Sikhism (Vol. IV) published by Punjabi University, Patiala. The Press Information Bureau, Government of India, commissioned him to write special articles on historic occasions like Fifty years of Indian Independence (1997) and the Khalsa Tercentenary (1999).

He has broadcast and telecast more than 200 programmes on historical, cultural and religious themes, and prepared scripts for Radio/TV features and documentaries.

Dr. Kapoor won accolades like State-level Republic Day function award (2005) conferred by Punjab Governor, S. F. Rodrigues, Shaheed Rajpal DAV Literary Award (2009) bestowed by ex-Governor of Karnataka, T. N. Chaturvedi, and Soham Smarkam Award (2010) for best contribution in prose to Bhavan’s Journal, Mumbai.

A former Principal of Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar (Punjab); Local Secretary, Dayanand institutions, Solapur (Maharashtra), being run by DAV College Managing Committee, New Delhi; and Registrar of DAV University, Jalandhar, Dr. Kapoor remains engaged in academic and spiritual pursuits.