This pocket encyclopedia is more than simply a book on Hinduism; it is a summing up of the principles and concepts that lie at the base of all the great faith traditions. Through an abundance of illustrations, diagrams, photographs, and outlines the once daunted reader or museum goer easily understands seemingly complex mythology and art forms, the levels and methods of spiritual realization of the greatest of the classical sages and saints and their spiritual lineages concluding with the modern masters as well as the metaphysics of the Hindu universe. Key benefits of the book: • Provides useful chronological overviews and samplings from the various Scriptures and epic poems. • Clears up superficial misapprehensions of concepts such as reincarnation and the caste system. • Explains the place of Hindu mythology in the spiritual process and how its didactic contents are elucidated in sculpture, epic poems, and dance.• Provides illustrations of the various divinities and incarnations, which will be useful for the museum-goer or the tourist visiting the sites of Indian art. • Contributes to the understanding of our human condition today; particularly clarifying as to where, according to Hinduism, we stand today in the grand scheme of time, is the discussion of the yugas or "ages" (the cycles of humanity).• Contains helpful cross-references to other familiar world faiths, including the Greco-Roman.• Indicates the Hindu holy cities, rivers, and pilgrimage points, on a helpful map Read Less