The Hindu view of life by Prof. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

"The Hindu view of life", by Prof. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who served as President of India in 1960s. This book is published by Harper Collins in 2009 and has 95 pages. The material of this book was originally delivered in the form of lectures, the Upton Lectures, in 1926, at Manchester college, Oxford.

This book consists of four lectures.
1. Religious experience.
2. Conflict of religions
3. Hindu dharma I
4. Hindu dharma II

Prof. Radhakrishnan explains the origin and development of Hindu religion. He explains the philosophy and Hindu way of life.

He explains:
Hindu originally implied residents of well defined area that included aboriginals, savages, half civilized people, cultured Dravidians and vedic Aryans. Religion is not the acceptance of academic abstractions or celebration ceremonies, but a kind of life or experience.

The Hindu attitude to Vedas is one of trust tempered by criticism. The Hindu thinker really admits other points of view than his own and considers them to be just as worthy of attention. If tradition does not grow, it only means that it's followers have become spiritually dead.

Hinduism developed an attitude of comprehensive charity instead of a fanatic faith in an inflexible creed. Hinduism has the large comprehensive unity of living organism with a fixed orientation. The task of a religious teacher is not so much to impose an opinion as to kindle an aspiration.

Moksha is the realization of the purpose of each individual. How the finite rises out of the bottom of infinite? It's Maya. We can insist with unflinching rigor on the inexorability of the moral law and yet believe in the forgiveness of sins. Hinduism is more a way of life than a form of thought. Dharma is right action.

Without creating great radical disturbances the Hindu spirit brought about a gradual racial harmony. In ancient India the highest kind of work, that of preserving the treasures of spiritual knowledge, was the least paid. Service of one's fellows is a religious obligation. To repudiate it is impiety. In the Hindu scheme the cultural forms the highest and the economic lowest. Hindu recognizes one supreme spirit, though different names are given to it. There had been no such thing as a uniform stationery unalterable Hinduism whether in point of belief or practice.

Author has spent  numerous pages explaining the class and cast system, it's genesis, it's objectives, the philosophy and how it worked. He has also candidly accepted that what it is today was not intended.

The book is written for learned and those who have studied religion. Commoner will have difficulty understanding heavy language. Philosophy and spirituality are basic foundations of every religion, author explains that flexibility is speciality of Hindu religion. Given that, the book gives a rational and almost impartial account of Hindu religion, where a Hindu explains his religion to the world.

Author has avoided  criticizing other religions unnecessarily. However author also  does not hesitate in pointing out the differences in various religions when necessary.

It is amazing that author has not only studied Hindu religion but also other religions. He quotes philosophers and thinkers from Hindu and other religions appropriately and with equal ease.

This book is for serious readers. It's a good book. Read if you want to know about Hindu religion.