Hinduism for Dummies

Introduction.

Part I: Introducing Hinduism.

Chapter 1: A Quick Overview of Hinduism.

Chapter 2: From Past to Present: A Condensed History of Hinduism.

Chapter 3: Hinduism's Core Beliefs and Values.

Chapter 4: Major Hindu Denominations.

Chapter 5: The Structure of Hindu Society.

Part II: The Hindu Pantheon and Its Religious Leaders.

Chapter 6: Pantheism to Polytheism: From the One to the Very Many.

Chapter 7: Hindu Gods and Goddesses.

Chapter 8: The Avatars of Vishnu: The Divine Descent.

Chapter 9: Revering the Role of Religious Leadership.

Part III: The Sacred Texts.

Chapter 10: The Vedas: Centuries of Accumulated Treasures.

Chapter 11: Gaining Higher Knowledge with the Upanishads.

Chapter 12: Living with the Epics and Puranas.

Chapter 13: The Song of the Lord: The Bhagavad Gita.

Part IV: Hinduism in Practice.

Chapter 14: Worshipping at Home.

Chapter 15: Worshipping at Temples.

Chapter 16: Holydays and Festivals.

Chapter 17: Cradle to Cremation: The Life-Cycle Rites.

Chapter 18: Taking a Pilgrimage.

Part V: Delving Deeper into the Hindu Concept of Reality.

Chapter 19: The Six Schools of Thought: The Darshanas.

Chapter 20: Vedanta: The End of Knowledge.

Chapter 21: The Yogic Path to Salvation.

Part VI: The Part of Tens.

Chapter 22: Ten Common Questions About Hindus.

Chapter 23: Ten Common Prayers.

Chapter 24: Ten (Plus) Traditional Mandates.

Index.