Hinduism: The Dawn of Civilization

by Dinesh Chandra

While many thoughts emerged with the passage of time in human development, some took the shape of 'religion', which inherently implied a halt to further pursuit of answers to such questions. Many got satisfied with the explanations put out before them and felt comfortable with the others doing all the thinking for them. But, some did not think that these questions were answered fully. They continue to toy with the various explanations, like experimentation with ideas, to find the truth. This has given rise to a group of people who are now called Hindus. They have not been able to subscribe to any dogma so far that may fully answer the basic queries. They have their own theories. This book traces the beginnings of this group of people, and their way of life, called Hinduism.

Author: 

Dinesh Chandra served the Indian army for thirty five years as a professional soldier. He retired as a Major General. While in service, he had experienced a great sense of belonging, where all men seemed to have a bond that was based on mutual trust and mutual respect, camaraderie and spontaneous reaction to help someone in distress. Religion was truly a personal affair that never came to the surface, except when everyone joined to celebrate festivals of each other with equal fervour. Indian army draws its soldiers from all the known religions, most of which are actively practiced in India.

He undertook a serious study of various religions in order to find the basic truths that they all preached vis-à-vis what was being propagated by various religious leaders in the world. His work as a social reformer and counselor in Central Jail in Delhi furthered the need for studying these religions in depth; in order to acquire sufficient knowledge to discuss their real purport with inmates some of whom had landed there for actions they considered as acts of their faith. He is now leading a life of self realization and search for the Truth, that generally forms part of the last stage of one's life.