Best sacred hindu writings according to redditors
We found 90 Reddit comments discussing the best sacred hindu writings. We ranked the 51 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 90 Reddit comments discussing the best sacred hindu writings. We ranked the 51 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
![The Vedas: The Samhitas of the Rig, Yajur, Sama, and Atharva [single volume, unabridged]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51okwxIdAaL.jpg)
Geeta by eknath easwaran
amazon link
Regarding 1: I really like Easwaran's Bhagavad Gita English translation. It includes lengthy, descriptive forwards for each chapter that assume no familiarity with Hindu mythology or Indian culture. Easwaran had a PhD in English literature and was an Indian national who genuinely loved the Gita.
I myself am particularly interested in esoteric Buddhism and Hinduism. So when I say "the ancients" I personally think of the ancient Hindus. But truthfully, this was known across many cultures (think Egypt, Babylon, etc), including the shamanic ones. Actually shamanism is the foundation out of which most of our esoteric knowledge derives. But it could also refer to forms of paganism, to the Kabbalists (esoteric Judaism), it can refer to the gnostic Christians. The list is really endless.
This all relates to meditation in the sense that concentration/focus is the first thing necessary to understanding this knowledge. It is a kind of back and forth between theory and practice. You learn something new from a book about shamanism for example, then you go meditate about that concept and analyze how that concept changes your meditation. You get some insight in the meditation, then you go back to the theory to understand that new insight.
As far as links, I have a lot of information I can share with you. I'm just wary of giving the wrong information.
There is a book written by a theoretical quantum physicist, Amit Goswami, called Physics of the Soul: The Quantum Book of Living, Dying, Reincarnation and Immortality which spends a great deal of time examining the question of which comes first, matter or consciousness. He also discusses how this relates to a book called the Tibetan Book of the Dead. I think this is a good start if you have had no previous exposure to this.
C.G. Jung is an invaluable source and an excellent foundation for esoteric knowledge for somebody coming from a Western/scientific point of view. He explains the same concepts in terms acceptable to the rational aspect of the mind.
You can read this site to understand some of the ancient Hindu philosophy:
http://www.soul-guidance.com/houseofthesun/tantra.htm
which can be difficult to grasp at first, but the knowledge starts to slowly coalesce.
>Well, that's what written in Gita.
No, it isn't. At least not in the verse that you've mentioned. What you've quoted from the website is not a translation of the Gita, but Madhvacharya's Commentary on it. I happen to disagree completely with Madhvacharya's interpretation of these verses.
I am quoting the literal translations of this verse in context. You can judge for yourself.
Bhagavat Gita- Chapter 1, Verse 32-45
> O Govinda, of what avail to us are a kingdom, happiness or even life itself
when all those for whom we may desire them are now arrayed on this
battlefield? O Madhusudana, when teachers, fathers, sons, grandfathers,
maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-law and other relatives
are ready to give up their lives and properties and are standing before me, why
should I wish to kill them, even though they might otherwise kill me? O
maintainer of all living entities, I am not prepared to fight with them even in
exchange for the three worlds, let alone this earth. What pleasure will we derive
from killing the sons of Dhrtarastra? (Verse 32-35)
> Sin will overcome us if we slay such aggressors. Therefore it is not proper for
us to kill the sons of Dhrtarastra and our friends. What should we gain, O
Krsna, husband of the goddess of fortune, and how could we be happy by killing
our own kinsmen? (Verse 36)
>O Janardana, although these men, their hearts overtaken by greed, see no
fault in killing one’s family or quarreling with friends, why should we, who can
see the crime in destroying a family, engage in these acts of sin? (Verse 37-38)
> With the destruction of dynasty, the eternal family tradition is vanquished,
and thus the rest of the family becomes involved in irreligion. (Verse 39)
> When irreligion is prominent in the family, O Krsna, the women of the
family become polluted, and from the degradation of womanhood, O descendant
of Vrsni, comes unwanted progeny. (Verse 40)
> An increase of unwanted population certainly causes hellish life both for the
family and for those who destroy the family tradition. The ancestors of such
corrupt families fall down, because the performances for offering them food and
water are entirely stopped. (Verse 41)
> By the evil deeds of those who destroy the family tradition and thus give rise
to unwanted children, all kinds of community projects and family welfare
activities are devastated. (Verse 42)
>O Krsna, maintainer of the people, I have heard by disciplic succession that
those who destroy family traditions dwell always in hell. (Verse 43)
> Alas, how strange it is that we are preparing to commit greatly sinful acts.
Driven by the desire to enjoy royal happiness, we are intent on killing our own
kinsmen. (Verse 44)
> Better for me if the sons of Dhrtrashtra, weapons in hand, were to kill me
unarmed and unresisting on the battlefield. (Verse 45)
Taken in context, the verse 41 is about the perils of war within family and degradation of family values. There is no mention of caste or untouchability at all in these verses.
Edit: All translations are copied verbatim from Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's "Bhagavad-Gita As It Is". I would've copied the translations from the website you have given itself, but the translations there are in image format. You can check for yourself that their translation has the same meaning as the one I have provided.
Bhagavad Gita most accurate without commentary :
Most accessible without commentary
With Sri Shankaracharya's commentary
Also with Sri Shankaracharya's commentary
With independent commentary
Mahabharata
Don't know which translation of the Ramayana is good.
The Vedas are not supposed to be translated and there are no good translations available.
Upanishads with Sri Shankaracarya's commentary : Vol I and Vol II
The Gita is quite fascinating but rather esoteric and difficult to understand upon first approach. It really helps to read a version with explanations as even the names have deeper meanings. I'd recommend Essence of the Bhagavad Gita, The Yoga of the Bhagavad Gita or, if you're really bold, God Talks with Arjuna.
As I understand it, The Gita is essentially instruction for Yoga (meaning union as opposed to bendy-practice.)
Yes, print versions are available as well as pdf versions online. There are several Advaita versions of Bhagavad Gita; the Shankara Bhasya is one of the most popular which is the commentary of Adi Shankara.
There are many pdf versions available for free if you google but if you want to buy a print version, here is the link:
https://www.amazon.com/Bhagavad-Gita-Commentary-Sri-Sankaracharya/dp/8185208085
A PDF link: http://www.rarebooksocietyofindia.org/book_archive/196174216674_10152992577146675.pdf
I got a kids version, mostly so I could read it with my children.
Illuminations from the Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad-Gita (For Children and Beginners): In both English and Hindi languages
You can look through my comment history, but I would start with the following books, probably in this order:
Shakti, Realm of the Divine Mother, by Vanamali - This is a great overview over the Goddesses many names and forms, along with a great recounting of Her many stories.
In Praise of the Goddess: The Devimahatmya and Its Meaning, by Devadatta Kali
Kali: The Black Goddess of Dakshineswar, by Elizabeth Harding - An exploration into Mother Kali, and how She is worshipped at Dakshineswar temple in Kolkata. The author also goes into the life of Sri Ramakrishna, one of the modern day saints of the Divine Mother.
The Thousand Names Of The Divine Mother: Shri Lalita Sahasranama - The other "most important" book amongst Shaktaa's, this version contains verse by verse commentary.
As for converting - that's a bit of a thorny topic, but it's not really necessary. Begin to read, learn, and most importantly, practice the Dharma, and after a few years of doing so, perhaps consider a more formal conversion.
Also, seek out a guru if you can. It can be tough, but it makes a lot of this go a lot easier.
I grew up Christian so I know where you're coming from. Basically, and Im oversimplifying here, but hinduism is a mix of christian and buddhist ideas. Hinduism is actually a large collection of religions and their specific beliefs can vary widely. On one end of the spectrum, you have Krishnas who worship Krishna as monotheists and put devotion to krishna above all else. On the other end you have something like kashmir shaivists who worship the God Shiva and who put meditation, yoga and tantra above everything else.
To generalize about this broad spectrum of beliefs and practices, I would say that in general, we are monotheists. We believe in one god but worship that one God in their many forms. There are rituals, chants, breathing exercises, meditation practices and many other ways we choose to use to worship God. Some of us are dualists and believe that God is fundamentally seperate. Worship for dualists is usually devotional and includes rituals, chants and prayers. Some of us are monists and believe God possesses all existance and can be experienced firsthand. Monists are usually the ones who are meditation focused and may supplement their practice with rituals, yoga and breathing excercises.
As a whole, hindus generally believe in reincarnation. When you die, youre reborn into another body. You can be reborn as a human, or might take on a rebirth as an animal or in the hell & heaven realms. We believe some lives are longer than others, but even in heaven and hell, none are permanent. The ultimate goal of a hindu is achieving the state of moksha, or oneness with God, and freedom from rebirth.
My suggestion for someone new to hinduism is to read the baghavad gita. Try to find a copy with a good non-sectarian commentary. I like this one. After that, just try to figure out if you are more of a dualist or monist. Research hindu Gods and see if there are any that jump out at you. Feel free to ask any questions in this sub and Im sure you will get answers. Thanks for your interest!
S. Radhakrishnan 's or if possible get one with Sankaracharya's commentary:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/8185208085?pc_redir=T1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/8172238983/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1465393446&sr=1-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=S.Radhakrishnan&dpPl=1&dpID=516GlV5irCL&ref=plSrch
I'd suggest starting by reading the Baghavad Gita with a good general commentary. "The Living Gita" by Sri Swami Satchidananda is a good one that I can personally endorse.
He also has a commentary on Patanjali's yoga sutras that I would recommend after that. Namaste, and much blessings in your studies!
I'd recommend reading the Bhagavad Gita, maybe start with a modern translation to familiarize yourself with the contents before diving into a more literal translation. I don't really have anything on tap for Buddhist or Shinto literature. Usually I start with the history of the religion and follow-up with any mentioned texts.
The better one(because Easwaran tends to see "Lord of Love" everywhere) would be the commentary Gudartha Dipika by Madhusudana Saraswati. And the commentary of Adi Sankara,the founder of the school that Madhusudana Saraswati belonged to.
Online,the commentary of Sankara is available. And the famous Jnaneshwari commentary on the Gita(if you wish to buy it on Amazon).
Basically,I'm following up with what /u/CaliforniaJade said.
Although it's Hinduism, not Buddhism, the Bhagavad Gita seems particularly relevant.
I had a good version a few years ago but can't find it. Just look for a version that is translated by accredited academics (usually more than one 'author'). Avoid versions like the one that is distributed by the Hare Krishnas (as much as I like their food) because it has a lot of additional commentary and contextual translation errors that affect the message.
EDIT: Avoid this one LINK and get something like this LINK. Some of the core philosophy is strikingly similar to the teachings of Jesus.
I'm pretty conservative and hardcore,but I would not recommend the Vedas or Upanishads first. One can get around completely without touching these. I would recommend first the Bhagavad Gita with a classical commentary(ones by Shankara,Ramanuja,Madhva,Dyaneshwar,Abhinavagupta,etc).
Then as /u/nura2011 said:
>the prasthAnatrayi, the two epics, and a purana or two (or three: one each from the Vaishnava, Shaiva and Shakta traditions) that gives you an overview of mythological Hinduism. In addition, go through a few overview texts to get an idea of schools that resonate with you (perhaps Kashmir Shaivism, for e.g.), and then go into books of those.
Ohh I got some goodies for ya, Hermann Hesse is amazing and opened me up to many books.
3)Another with a similar feel as Siddhartha The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
So these top 3 are the "closest" to Siddartha that I've read. You will defintely like the top 3, they are amazing books with such fundamental truths told through a story. All easy to read and similiar in length.
These next 4 are just suggested for anyone that is into these types of books, I would almost guarantee that you will love them! They are just less "story" like. The Autobiography is an amazing read, and is indeed a story but it's non-fiction. The Way of Zen is just a beautiful book, but is not a fiction along with the Bhagavad and The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari (The author actually suggests Siddhartha in it!)
Paramahansa Yogananda
5)And his translation of The Bhagavad Gita
6)Good ol' Allan Watts The Way of Zen
Enjoy my friend!
Autobiography of a Yogi - Paramahansa Yogananda
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - Swami Satchidananda
The Yoga Teachers' Toolbox - Le Page
The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita: Explained by Paramhansa Yogananda, As Remembered By His Disciple, Swami Kriyananda
Thanks for posting this, it's reminded me of a book I read a few years ago by Amit Goswami called Physics of the Soul.
Goswami was professor of theoretical science at the University of Oregon for many years, and the premise of this book was him being inspired to prove the essential truth of the Tibetan Book of the Dead through the tools of quantum physics.
I don't think he quite achieved that; some of his ideas would be a stretch to call 'scientific', but they're well-expressed, and you might find it rewarding to read it.
> I am a Vaisnava Brahmin myself, everyone in my family is religious, except they don't really know what our religion talks about.
I can identify with this to some extent. My wife's family is Brahmin Hindu (albeit more followers of Ganesh) and despite having a large shrine, gathering for pujas and bhajans, and turning their noses up on "lower" castes, they are largely ignorant of the lessons and content of the Vedas and Bhagavad Gita. I've noticed that in today's world - at least among the diaspora Indian population in the U.S. - "Hinduism" is often more of a cultural identity, tradition, and way to unite a community for events. Many know a few folkloric tales, some procedures for ceremonies, basic conceptual framework of the religion - but few actually walk the path, few practice meditation, few have studied the Upanishads or Gita and appreciated the messages of mysticism contained therein. This is even more true for second generation Indian-Americans. That said, the same could be said for almost any religious group; you can't tell me that every Methodist Protestant can recite the book of Luke or Jesus's Sermon on the Mount.
>I wish I could actually understand sanskrit(the language the scripts are written) so I could have my own perception of the scripts rather than translations.
I recommend these translations of Sankaracharya's 6th-7th century commentary of the Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads. These do a rough breakdown of the words, gives an idea of how the Sanskrit breaks down, and gives a pretty true representation of one of the oldest translations from Sanskrit into vernacular tongues.
If interested, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Sri Swami Satchidananda are great as well. They give the original the Sanskrit, the direct transliteration, a translation into coherent English, and then a commentary. However, this book is more an instruction manual on yoga practice (unitive and meditative exercises and broader lifestyle, not American stretch class); though still a great read for someone looking for a practical approach to mysticism.
My First Book of Mormon Stories?
Bhagavad-Gita for Children and Beginners?
The Littlest Satanic Bible? Looks like the Satanic Temple has a kid's thing, but it's already been linked.
Prepare her for a world full of Fnord with The Itty Bitty Principia Discordia? Hmmm... Can't seem to find a kids version of this.
I know! I know! Teach her about the ways of Slack with The Book of the SubGenius: The Sacred Teachings of J.R. "Bob" Dobbs and its companion Revelation X: The Bob Apocryphon, Hidden Teachings and Deuterocanonical Texts of J.R. "Bob" Dobbs! They don't have a kid's thing either, but such is life! (This SubGenious stuff is. a. hoot.)
It seems a little weird to want to buy books to try and discredit some random person online who will forget all about this conversation in a couple of days, but sure, whatever.
Nag Hammadi Scriptures
Dhammapada
Upanishads
Baghavad Gita
Mahabharata
And this volume of the Vedas, though as I said I haven't read through it yet.
I also have this copy of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, which I haven't gotten around to yet.
Now, once again, please tell me where in the Nag Hammadi scriptures it says that you spend 1000 years in a Devachan before reincarnating.
> Swami Prabhavananda
Doing some googling, I also found The Living Gita: The Complete Bhagavad Gita - A Commentary for Modern Readers by Sri Swami Satchidananda. In particular, this translation was recommended for its verse-by-verse commentary. Do you have any thoughts on this translation? Thanks
I am reading the version with commentary by
Swami Pravhupada. What I like of his edition is that for each verse it contains the original text in Sanskrit, then the literal translation (word by word), then the English translation, then a reading of its meaning. You can find it for cheap.
https://www.amazon.com/Bhagavad-Gita-Paperback-Bhaktivedanta-Swami-Prabhupada/dp/0892131349/ref=pd_aw_sbs_14_2_nodl/145-1434239-9930102?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0892131349&pd_rd_r=a2933406-f581-424b-b966-91fae30634c3&pd_rd_w=bgFca&pd_rd_wg=d6ecr&pf_rd_p=af6838ce-fb64-489e-8573-27e11ad9cf20&pf_rd_r=8SZER766A2RXECWSCQTN&psc=1&refRID=8SZER766A2RXECWSCQTN
Welcome to the club! People come to the occult, to mysticism, because "regular" life is insufficient. It doesn't explain what we are. It doesn't include a "why". My recommendation for your first book to read is the Tao Te Ching. I recommend this translation, by Victor Mair:
https://www.amazon.com/Tao-Te-Ching-Classic-Integrity/dp/055334935X
Here's how his translation begins:
>The person of superior integrity
>>does not insist upon his integrity;
>For this reason, he has integrity.
>The person of inferior integrity
>>never loses sight of his integrity;
>For this reason, he lacks integrity.
    
>The person of superior integrity takes no action,
>>nor has he a purpose for acting.
>The person of superior humaneness takes action,
>>but has no purpose for acting.
>The person of superior righteousness takes action,
>>and has a purpose for acting.
>The person of superior etiquette takes action,
>>but others do not respond to him;
>Whereupon he rolls up his sleeves and coerces them.
What Smith says is largely correct, apart from the polytheism part, which as I said, I have not found.
I'd personally recommend the translation by Winthrop Sargeant. There are two editions with differing prices based on content. The deluxe edition has a foreword by the above mentioned Smith, while the cheaper edition has only the text, translation and translator's introduction.
I would recommend this one by Victor Mair, a respected Sinologist. His commentary is illuminating, and you will see how some of these apparent paradoxes are resolved.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/055334935X/centertaoorg-20
"In 1990, the noted sinologist Victor H. Mair translated the Ma-wang-tui version as he considered this earliest known version (by 500 years) to be far more authentic than the most commonly translated texts."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mawangdui_Silk_Texts
I strongly recommend the Bhagavad Gita translated by Winthrop Sargeant. He gives the Sanskrit verse, a word-by-word breakdown, and an accurate translation with no commentary.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1438428421/
I would recommend you to read into Bhagavad Gita. Why? Because its essence is along the lines of everything you just stated.
If you allow me, I would recommend this translation, because this is layed out in a non-secterian way, but at the same time presents the Gita from a personalist perspective, i.e. God has a form (which is loving as you see it), instead of the non-personalist perspective, i.e. God has no form (nirvana, which cannot love anyone).
Edit: I just saw that you believe God has no form, but is still loving. I don't want to offense your viewpoint, but I think this is a contradiction. Love is something that only appears in relationships and relationships always take place between subjects. Hence God must be a subject and as such must has a form to give love.
The work of Paramahansa Yogananda can be helpful in understanding the Hindu spiritual foundations of meditation.
He founded the group Self Realization Fellowship to spread the teachings of yoga in the West.
Here's another site that has more information about his writings
What's helpful about Yogananda is that he came to America in the 1920s and taught until his death in the early 1950s, so he is able to translate ancient Hindu concepts into terms that modern Americans can understand.
A great resource on this is his book The Yoga of the Bhagavad Gita.
The basic idea is that the foundation of the universe is pure consciousness, and that this pure consciousness is the real source of our being or our real Self.
Translated into Western terms, this pure consciousness is God and our real Self is the soul, and our false self is the ego.
Then the purpose of yoga is to experience our real Self as the eternal divine infinite bliss consciousness which is its source.
What!s also interesting is that Paramahansa teaches powerful yoga techniques to directly experience this aspect of our being, so it is a practical path of experience.
There is no proselytizing because yoga teaches that we will all become enlightened at some point anyway -- if not in this life, then we will just keep reincarnating until it happens. So yoga is just for those who want to speed up this process.
A further basic idea is that it is the goal of every human to have permanent unalloyed pure happiness unmixed with sorrow, and that we have this desire because of our source in divine bliss consciousness. And that our egoic separation from the Divine is the source of our ignorance and misery.
Yes it gets more complicated but I tried to distill it down to the bare bones basics and provide links for anyone who has further interest.
The Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu bible ,at least the version I have. It's full of visionary artwork.
https://www.amazon.com/Bhagavad-Gita-Paperback-Bhaktivedanta-Swami-Prabhupada/dp/0892131349
It's said that the are 8 mystical powers
You can try and start the Mystic Yoga path reading Bhagavad-Gita
Why not open up your reading list to some non-Abrahamic religion? Sprinkle in some eastern thought to broaden your perspective, it's a different way of thinking. Some of it is quite accessible to noobs, at least I was able to take it in and that's saying something.
I thought the Gita was amazing (and not at all a tome), I read this translation (with commentary): http://www.amazon.com/Bhagavad-Gita-Eknath-Easwaran/dp/0915132354
Lately when I travel I've been finding these... it's kind of a refreshing change:
https://www.amazon.com/Bhagavad-Gita-Paperback-Bhaktivedanta-Swami-Prabhupada/dp/0892131349/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?keywords=Bhagavad-Gita&qid=1570175403&sr=8-7
Apparently set up by a Hindu version of the Gideons:
http://www.motelgita.org/
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/01/12/hindu-holy-book-coming-to-a-nightstand-near-you/
I’ve definitely seen videos of the game so I know he was a close friend to me. if you're really bold, God Talks with Arjuna.
https://www.amazon.com/Abhinavaguptas-Commentary-Bhagavad-Gitartha-Samgraha/dp/8186569448/ref=asc_df_8186569448/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312154644197&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11281980824981379874&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1015005&hvtargid=pla-591596904874&psc=1
You could try the Tirumanthiram. There will be a section on them.
https://www.amazon.ca/Tirumantiram-Scriptural-Classic-Saint-Tirumular-ebook/dp/B01NH7OXGV/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1543361553&sr=8-5&keywords=Thirumanthiram
Give the OP a break.
By the way your explanation of meditation needs to be qualified in some way. It is totally incomplete from the standpoint of the teachings, Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, or Yogananda in Autobiography of a Yogi.
The Discovery of India - Jawaharlal Nehru
The Vedas - Jon W Fergus and Ralph T.H Griffith
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Discovery-India-l-Nehru-Jawaharlal/dp/0143031031/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535964068&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=the+discovery+of+india&dpPl=1&dpID=51XkG9oUMGL&ref=plSrch
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vedas-Samhitas-Atharva-single-unabridged/dp/1541294718/ref=pd_aw_sim_sbs_14_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=2CB9ZA1P0VWVZVC22GJ9
I'd argue that having the Holy Bible in Masonic Heirloom Edition, the Thomas Jefferson Bible, and the Tanakh is redundant.
Also not sure why the Koran gets a special shiny gold cover while most of the rest are in cheap paperback form.