PDA

View Full Version : What should I read



MananAtma
04 October 2006, 10:07 PM
Namaste,
I've been browsing the forums about scriptures, and am totally baffled by all the different books out there. The vedas, the upanishads, smriti, shruti, and more, have me totally confused about where a newbie should begin.

For the sake of my sanity, can anyone help? Basically I need an idea of what books would be most useful to someone interested in Shaivism.

I've already read "Dancing With Shiva", and finally got "living With Shiva" and "Merging With Shiva" on order(don't ask me what took me so long). I've browsed the net and scanned over the many different denominations of Saivism, and I still have no idea which one suits me best.

If you've seen my other posts, you know I'm comfortable with mantras to Ganesh, Durga and Shiva. I'm a member of a Rama-Sita temple, that has a shrine to Shiva/Parvati and to Durga. The temple priest is very encouraging, but he speaks almost no english, so meaningful dialog is fairly impossible.

In another thread some one recommended learning Sanskrit in preparation for finding a Guru. Are there any good books out there for those who have absolutely no talent for learning a second language? I don't need "Sanskrit for Dummies", I need "Sanskrit for Complete Morons"!

Price is also a consideration, I'm presently in school to become a paramedic, so affordable nooks would be prefered.

Shanti,
Roy

orlando
05 October 2006, 12:16 PM
Namaste MananAtma.
If you didn't already know the trilogy of Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswamy,I would have suggested to read it.But you have already read it.I suggest you to buy and read two shaivite hindu scriptures:Linga Purana and Shiva Purana.You also could be interested to know more about the great sono of Lord Shiva:Lord Ganesha.If you didin't already read it,I suggest you to read the book Loving Ganesha, Hinduism's Endearing Elephant-Faced God
http://www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/books/lg/images/lg.jpg
http://www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/books/lg/lg_table_of_contents.html
Regards,
Orlando.

MananAtma
05 October 2006, 11:37 PM
I have been seriously considering getting "Loving Ganesh". Early on I dreamt about Ganesh, through the whole dream he was breaking down walls and encouraging me to move forward. I do feel connected to him.

Could you recommend what translations of the Puranas I should get? Where can a find a reliable and complete version of them in english?

Shanti,
Roy

sarabhanga
06 October 2006, 08:59 AM
Namaste Roy,

The canon of Shruti includes all the four Veda Samhitas, along with their associated Brahmanas and Aranyakas and Upanishads. The Brahmanas provide detailed explanation of the ritual action that is associated with the Samhita verses; and the Aranyakas and Upanishads provide a more contemplative and summary interpretation of the Vedas and Brahmanas.

The whole Shruti is ultimately derived from (and entirely contained by) just the original Rigveda Samhita, but without proper Sanskrit education a correct interpretation of the Rigveda alone (without the aid of later commentaries) would be virtually impossible.

The philosophical Upanishads assume familiarity with the Vedas and their ritual traditions, but any one of the principle Upanishads is quite capable of enlightening on its own.

The epic histories of the Mahabharata and Ramayana contain a wealth of understanding, presented in more popular terms. The Mahabharata is vast, with additions made over time, but one of its original chapters (the Gita) has long been recognized as a veritable Upanishad to the whole grand story of Bharatavarsha.

Since you attend a Sita-Rama mandir, it would be most appropriate for you to read (and contemplate) the Ramayana!

The Puranas are (almost by definition) fully packed with every detail from all traditions, and each volume promotes its own sectarian concerns and views the whole picture from its own particular angle. And I would not recommend that anyone coming from outside of Hinduism should begin their study with the Puranas, unless directed to some particular volumes by their Guru. Although, for Shaiva understanding, Orlando’s suggestion of the Shiva and Linga Puranas would be an excellent start.

Sanskrit is required if you want to read the scriptures for yourself, and every grain of Sanskrit knowledge will greatly enhance your understanding and practice of Dharma, but simply for engaging with a Guru it is only necessary that you both have some common language.

MananAtma
07 October 2006, 07:55 PM
I already have translations of the Mahabharata and Ramayana, both by William Buck. I'm not sure how good these are, in one section of the Ramayana it mentions a bull being slaughtered (by Bharadwaja) and eaten. Is this accurate?

Several people at the temple mentioned how much they loved the Ramayana and the Gita(theres a lot of Krishna devotees), I got curious and decided to buy these books to better understand where they were coming from. It's my understanding that the Gita is a part of the Mahabharata.

For now I have enough books to keep me busy. While it probably would be difficult, I am actually considering trying to learn Sanskrit and tackling the Vedas. Can you recommend any specific books or course of study?

Shanti,
Roy

Arvind Sivaraman
25 April 2007, 01:10 AM
Namaste,
I've been browsing the forums about scriptures, and am totally baffled by all the different books out there. The vedas, the upanishads, smriti, shruti, and more, have me totally confused about where a newbie should begin.

For the sake of my sanity, can anyone help? Basically I need an idea of what books would be most useful to someone interested in Shaivism.

I've already read "Dancing With Shiva", and finally got "living With Shiva" and "Merging With Shiva" on order(don't ask me what took me so long). I've browsed the net and scanned over the many different denominations of Saivism, and I still have no idea which one suits me best.

If you've seen my other posts, you know I'm comfortable with mantras to Ganesh, Durga and Shiva. I'm a member of a Rama-Sita temple, that has a shrine to Shiva/Parvati and to Durga. The temple priest is very encouraging, but he speaks almost no english, so meaningful dialog is fairly impossible.

In another thread some one recommended learning Sanskrit in preparation for finding a Guru. Are there any good books out there for those who have absolutely no talent for learning a second language? I don't need "Sanskrit for Dummies", I need "Sanskrit for Complete Morons"!

Price is also a consideration, I'm presently in school to become a paramedic, so affordable nooks would be prefered.

Shanti,
Roy

Om Shirdi Sai Ram,
Namaste MananAtma,

My suggestion is please read Srimad Valmiki's SundaraKandam.(Lord Hanuman or Maruthi is considered as an incarnation of Lord Siva.Morover Lord Hanuman is a messenger and humble servant of Lord Rama.)
You may read the translation of Swami Tapasyananda who was the President of Sri Ramakrishna Mission , Mylapore,Chennai.The translation is in English.
The price of the book is Rs.100/-.

If you want to know the benefits of reading Sundarakandam,please go through the website :
www.geocities.com/ramya475/sundara_index.html (http://www.geocities.com/ramya475/sundara_index.html).

You may read the Index page : Parayana Vidhana of Sundara Kandam.