The questions of Hindu life, answered
Clear, trusted answers to the questions people actually ask.
Rooted in the tradition, written in plain words, for anyone keeping up their faith and culture far from home.
Beliefs and philosophy
Core concepts and philosophy
The big ideas: the self, karma, dharma, rebirth, and the one reality behind the many. (13)
Ethics and conduct
How the tradition understands duty, non-violence, truth, and service. (6)
The stages of life
The four stages of a life, from student to elder, in the traditional view. (7)
Common questions and misconceptions
Plain answers to what people most often ask or get wrong about Hinduism. (8)
Gods, texts and saints
Deities and the divine
Who the gods and goddesses are, and what they represent. (13)
Stories and legends
The great stories of the gods, the epics, and the festivals, retold simply. (8)
Sacred texts
The Vedas, the epics, the Gita and more, and what each one is. (8)
Saints, sages, and teachers
The figures who shaped the tradition and what they taught. (7)
Worship and practice
Worship and ritual
What happens in puja and prayer, and the meaning of each act. (11)
Pujas and observances
What specific pujas are, when they are done, and what they mean. (7)
Mantras and sacred sound
What mantras are, what they mean, and the place of sound in worship. (7)
Symbols and sacred objects
The meaning behind Om, the lotus, the conch, and the objects of worship. (9)
Devotional arts
Bhajan, kirtan, and the classical music and dance born from devotion. (6)
Festivals, fasts and the calendar
Life, family and home
Life-cycle and family rites
The ceremonies that mark a life, from naming to marriage to remembrance. (7)
Living Hindu abroad
Keeping the tradition far from home, raising children, and finding community. (8)
Home, space, and vastu
Traditional ideas about the home, the shrine, and the spaces we live in. (5)
Everyday beliefs and customs
The small daily gestures and their meanings, from touching feet to breaking a coconut. (6)
Body, mind and wellbeing
Yoga, meditation, and inner life
Yoga and meditation as a path inward, beyond the postures. (7)
Food and the body
How tradition understands food, eating, and the body, described as belief and custom. (10)
Ayurveda and wellbeing
Ayurveda as a cultural tradition of balance, described, not prescribed. (6)
Sleep and dreams
What tradition says about dreams and rest, paired with what science knows. (3)
Daily routines and wellness
The rhythms of a traditional day, from waking before dawn to evening prayer. (5)
Sky, cosmos and signs
Cosmos and origins
How the tradition pictures the universe, the sun, the moon, and time, set beside science. (8)
Jyotisha and the sky
Hindu astrology explained as a cultural system, with the honest science of the sky. (5)
Palmistry and traditional signs
What these old practices are and where they come from, explained, not predicted. (2)
Sacred places and nature
Dhams and sacred places
Guides to the great pilgrimage sites of India, Nepal, and the wider world. (28)
Temples and pilgrimage
What a temple is, what darshan means, and the customs of visiting. (7)
Sacred earth and nature
Why trees, animals, rivers, and mountains are honored, with the real ecology beside it. (11)