Hindu Dharma is the oldest living religion in the world. It is the eternal religion which is evergreen and perfect. Its origin goes back to the earliest of times when man first needed a way of life to conduct himself in the society.

A person who always conducts himself with dignity and self-confidence in the society is called a Hindu. The sacred Hindu Scriptures describe a Hindu as the one who carries out his sublime duties and who moves on the right path of the highest state of mental peace leading to the state of Bliss.

Hindu Dharma has always remained an enigma in the minds of the people living in the West. Even the Hindus living in the distant shores have long since lost touch with the true essence of the Satya Sanatan Vedic Hindu Dharma. Today, the young modern generation of Hindus is puzzled and is seeking roots to their culture. With an inquisitive mind, they would like to ask many questions about Hindu Dharma. It intrigues them to find out as to - Who is a Hindu? What is Hindu Dharma? Why should a Hindu be proud of being a Hindu? Who is God? Where does God live? What He does and why is it necessary to worship God? This book is an answer to all these quetions.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mr. J Agarwal is a keen researcher and proficient writer on theology. Having retired as Chief Engineer from a government job, he has been devoting all his time and energy to the study of the Vedic Sciences and art of Yoga Practice. This has led to formal study of the foundations of religious beliefs including development of India\'s spiritual philosophy from the Vedic times to Swami Dayananda Saraswati and thereafter. The present book is the result of his untiring efforts of the past eight years.
Mr. Agarwal is now fully disposed to the research and dissemination of the knowledge of the Eternal Vedas in India and abroad. He is also the founder President of The Institute of Vedic Research & Studies, Lucknow, India. He has delivered lectures on subjects connected with the Vedic Hindu Philosophy and Yoga at several places in India and the US. He has also authored a treatise on Hindu Tenets and is working on another book ‘Hinduism for western minds’.

CONTENTS:
Prologue
Introduction
Glossary
SECTION-I
1. The Modern Outlook of Hinduism
2. Vedic Hindu Dharma
3. Some Facts to be Proud of as a Hindu
4. Glimpses of Hindu Achievements on the Vista of Time
SECTION-II
1. Hindu Dharma is Different from Other Religions
2. Hindu Dharma is Sanatan Dharma – The Eternal Religion
3. Hindus believe in the Supreme Eternal Entity of God
4. Hindus have the Wisdom to Discriminate between Right and Wrong
5. Hindus believe in the Eternal Entity of Jivatma
6. Hindu Dharma unfolds the Mysteries of Moola Prakriti
7. The Holy Vedas and other Hindu Scriptures are Timeless
8. Vedic Hindu Philosophy is based on Brahma and Brahmanda
9. Hindus believe in the Law of Karma
10.Hindus believe in the Power of Antahkarana
11.Hindus follow Pravritti Marg and Nivritti Marg for Liberation
12.Ashtanga Yoga is our Divine Moral Code
13.Hindus know the Truth behind Idol Worship
SECTION-III
1. Four Purusharthas (Sublime Goals of Life)
2. Ashrama Vyavastha (Four Stages of Life)
3. Panch Mahayajnas (Five Mandatory Daily Duties)
4. Agnihotra (Holy Rituals)
5. The Ten Acid Tests of True Dharma
6. The Six Bharatiya Darshans (Indian Philosophies)
7. The Hindu Varna Vyavastha (Division of Society)
8. The Words of Rishis and Rishikas (The Holy Seers)
9. Reincarnation (Life after Death)
10.Sixteen Sanskars (Rites and Rituals)
11.Pancha Mahabhootas (The Five Elements)
APPENDICES
Appendix 1 : Some Illustrious Hindus from India
Appendix 2 : Hindu Aryans …Some Quotes


AN EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK

I am Proud to be a Hindu because...
Hindus know the Truth behind Idol Worship

No, Hindus do not worship idols in the normal sense of the term. They are intelligent people, and intelligent people do not worship images in the ordinary sense implied. This way, the Hindus invoke the presence of great souls living in higher consciousness into images, so that they can visualise the existence of God not only in the deities before them, but also into their own human bodies. It is a way to instil faith and devotion in the human beings. They consider themselves as the chosen instrument of the invisible abstract and formless Almighty God to become tools of creation of a harmonious world order.
To the more intellectual and scholarly mind, the path of knowledge of the formless or abstract form of God may be comprehensible and appealing, but to the vast majority of normal human beings it is the path of devotional bhakti that appeals. For them, the image of God is an instant object to lean on and find solace in its presence for restoration of their lost confidence, especially in times of woes and sufferings. They look upon the deity for blessings of the Almighty God. The energy of savita (lfork) of God being all-pervading is seen by them in the deity. This is a matter of deep faith and conviction in the life of a Hindu.
Some intellectuals may feel bewildered at the very sight of a Hindu prostrating before an idol every morning and evening, but it is an article of faith and expression of devotion and love for God. It is his expression of innocence and extreme purity of mind that makes him surrender before the deity to shed his begotten pride and ego. Although deep in his heart he may know the truth, yet the path of devotion (bhakti marg) is the path for him. He is not prepared to listen anything against it. And that is the way he finds peace of mind in the compelling world of materialism.
The Aryans, the Vedic ancestors of the present day Hindus, did not worship idols. Yet they invoked the blessings of the supernatural powers by performing some kind of sacred rituals in the form of homa or havan. That meant invocation of the forces of Nature through the sacred element of fire or energy. The Aryans were lovers of Nature and therefore adored Nature in all its manifestations. It gave total freedom and choice to the devotee of God to worship Him in any way convenient to him, knowing very well that the ‘Ultimate Reality’ is beyond his physical senses of observation and very difficult to grasp.
The particular image or idol, therefore, stands before him as the manifestation of His Supreme ‘Creation’ — the most wonderful world that came into being with the Divine Will having entered into the atoms and sub-atoms of the primal matter. The idol no longer stands as an inert piece of matter for him as he starts focusing on the Supreme energy emanating from the deity. The important thing to remember is that while ritualising the whole process of worship by way of decorations and all, one is not supposed to lose sight of the primary and basic truth of the all-pervading energy that is central in the entire scheme of worship.
For a devout Hindu, folding hands before a deity and praying with hands pointing to both the deity in front of him and the one that resides in his heart, is symbolic of the fact that worship of deity is also worship of the divinity that exists in him.
There may be many reasons for a devout Hindu to worship God in the form of idols. The reasons may not satisfy the curiosity of an intellectual or an erudite. But for an ordinary and deeply religious person, it is the way of communicating with his gods to seek communion with the Ultimate Spirit — and seeking blessings of gods in the deities with mental awareness of the Supreme Being. He endeavours to reach the Almighty God through various gods and goddesses.
The eyes of a devout Hindu are just like a camera to take pictures of what he observes and send them to his mankind. Yet it is a matter of deep faith for him as to how he transforms those pictures into the deeper and underlying force that the deity represents for him. It is a kind of transformation from the inert to the live force by his mental awareness. His mind is attuned to see far beyond what he actually sees with his normal physical apparatus of eyes. With his devotion, he delves much deeper.
For him, the formless (nirakar) that never assumes any shape or form assumes a shape. He knows that it is not easy to define the infinite Lord, nor can He be fully described. According to Patanjali’s Yoga Darshan, a yogi perceives Him to some extent in transcendental super-consciousness (samadhi). He is formless or nirakara and does not assume any form of any kind as He is omnipotent or all powerful to discharge His duties.
Some people argue that they start with a form or an idol to finally go deeper and focus at the spark of light emanating from the idol, that is what helps them finally to forget the form altogether. That may be the reason to find quite a large number of devotees worshipping with the help of idols.