The Hindus: An Alternative History

Ms. Doniger is a very reasonable thinker, she is secularist and liberal, so I agree with her in many ways and on many things. But the subject of the ancient culture of India requires more than secular intellectualism. To understand such an ancient and advanced civilization from the perspective of modern western culture requires a mind that is imaginitive, intuitive and independent. Ms. Doniger has none of these qualities. And due to the in-bred, bureaucratic, top-down, group-think of the modern american university, in order to climb the hierarchy of western academia, the absence of these qualities is absolutely necessary. On the topic of the diversity of "Hinduisms" there is no debate. I know of no hindus who believe there is one "hinduism." The essence of hinduism is an intuitive and artistic grasp of the universe and our place in it. I know of not a single hindu who would say another sect of hinduism was not valid. So this assertion by the author is just an attempt at creating a straw man. She misrepresents the tradition and then counters the distortions with more distortions. It is really just a mess. Ms. Doniger doesn't appear to like or understand hinduism. She seems to be some sort of psuedo intellectual hipster with no genius or ability for original thinking. It is almost as though she went to a western religious school for children to learn the "false ways of the ancients." She presents recycled orientalist trash as original scholarship. The ideas are not new, and if you have attended a US elementary school you will already be familiar with her arguments: Hinduism is a crude and backward civilisation that is both less ancient and less beautiful than western religion, and any moments of brilliance or clarity that the hindu tradition has were borrowed from the west. If I wanted to prevent a population from understanding and loving hinduism this is the book I would recommend. For insight into the origins of Christianity and from this insight into the current western attacks on eastern culture read "Lost Masters: Sages of Ancient Greece," by Linda Johnsen For insight into Hinduism and the Vedas read "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Hinduism," and "A Thousand Suns" by Linda Johnsen Read "Gods, Sages and Kings," "Wisdom of the Ancient Seers," "The Rig Veda and the History of India," "From the River of Heaven," "Hidden Horizons: Unearthing 10000 years of Indian Culture" all by David Frawley Read "Proof of Vedic Culture's Global Existence," "The Vedic Prophecies," "The Secret Teachings of the Vedas," "The Power of Dharma," "Crimes Against India," "The Heart of Hinduism," "Seeing Spiritual India" all by Stephen Knapp Read "The True History and the Religion of India" By Prakashanand Saraswati and also "What is Hinduism?" By Hinduism Today

The Hindus - An Alternative History is an utterly wonderful book. For me, it read like a novel. The author, Wendy Doniger, has two doctorates, one in Sanskrit and one in Indian studies, so she is exceedingly well qualified to write meaningfully on this topic. She gives "the other side of the story" concerning Indian religious history. That is, stories not passed down by the Brahmins (the priestly caste) but by women, kshatriyas, lower castes and untouchables. She shows us that Indian women have not been as pliable and accepting of their status as some would have us believe. Oh, by the way, she presents clear evidence that, in Vedic times, Indians ate beef - yes, even the priests on some occasions. Tantra, that most fascinating of topics, is dealt with in a very insightful manner considering the space allowed in this volume. There are also chapters on the Mughals, sacrifice, renunciation, suttee, the British Raj, and a wonderful section on devotional practices from South India. At almost 800 pages, this book is a tremendous bargain. You will love it. I have read a number of book on Indian history and religion, and this is my favorite!

I have just had the immense, eye-opening pleasure of reading "The Hindus: An Alternative History" by the well-known scholar Wendy Doniger. How I wish I had had this material at hand when I was teaching world religions courses over 40 years at various colleges and universities! We knew, of course, that Hinduism had no central authority or architectonic hierarchy to define what Hinduism was or is. But Wendy Doniger has given depth, texture, and content to that understanding, forever ending previous, sometimes benighted, vagueness that allow us to gloss too much of the tradition. Doniger has done for Hinduism what Karen King and others have done for Gnosticism and Christianity and many had already done for Judaism. Historians of religion now speak of Judaisms and Christianities--though perhaps not always enough--and now Doniger makes it imperative to speak of Hinduisms, just--as she shows--when efforts are being made to shut down any such talk, especially by the RSS and BJP, Hindu "fundamentalists" and their political party in India. As non-Hindu incursions into Hindu India became more pressing, Hindus began identifying themselves as Hindus, and just as the tremendous diversity of all these religious traditions becomes increasingly obvious, there is a self-conscious attempt to narrow them into simple and simply false stories. Doniger's magnificent volume performs a triple service, bringing the marginalized into focus (and showing the wonderful textures to be found there), speaking against artificial simplification and attempts to erase history, and providing a profound sense of the interplay of texts and social conditions through stories told, retold and untold. In doing these things, Doniger has honored the whole tradition, not just a strand within it, and introduced us to a richer world than we otherwise might imagine. Fly leaves and back covers often use hyperbole to describe the alleged contents within, so that every novel is a best seller, every treatise original and insightful, etc., etc. In the case of The Hindus, Doniger has written a truly magisterial work that wears its enormous erudition lightly but boldly, and which is at once readable, provocative and fun. Readers owe her a great debt of gratitude now and for years to come.