Hindu Gods and Heroes

Understanding Hinduism

HINDU GODS AND HEROES

The religion of India is a complex topic, going back over thousands of years. Here Barnett is interested with the folk and village religions not the Brahmaicopinions on philosophy and higher religion. He seeks to demonstrate how these religions emerged from the age of the Rig Veda on.
Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion and is rich in cultural and spiritual doctrines generally misconstrued in the West. This book addresses some principles of Hinduism and explains what we can learn from Hinduism, and show that all religious doctrines are the same, albeit taught in diverse manners.
One of the most significant characteristics taken from Hinduism is to acknowledge the views and values of other religions. This viewpoint is rooted into Hindu society because of the numerous gods and Hindu sects.
In Hinduism, it is understood that everyone has their own personal experiences and can follow the path they are most attracted to. The Rig Veda says: “In the world there are many different roads but the destination is the same.”
There would be much less hostility if we accepted each other as individuals having unique experiences. We all have distinct paths in life and our experiences regulate our opinions, intelligence, ideas and actions.

What is dharma and karma?

In the West, we consider Karma as “what goes around comes around.” It is the Universal law of cause and effect–the energy you put into something will become reality.
This notion is highly revered in Hinduism and is an ancient world philosophy that illustrates the cycles of life. It is a solid philosophy to observe to help break patterns of harmful understanding and behavior. The Bhagavad Gitateaches us to “perform always the work that has to be done (dharma), for man to attain to the highest (state of consciousness).
Karma is correlated with the concept of reincarnation. Hindus think the human soul has many lives that have various forms, and it is our dharma that determines karma. Does what one does in this life decide our reincarnation in the next life?
There is no way to confirm how accurate this belief system is, although it is logical on many levels. We can practice the wisdoms of dharma and karma in our daily lives as it effects our present existence, and perhaps impending existences. Every ancient philosophy and contemporary religion depict the concept of death and resurrection including the story of Jesus dying on the cross and resurrecting from the dead. We encounter this view frequently in Hindu mythology, typically in the legends of Shiva, the destroyer. Shiva is a facet of our psyche that gives us the fortitude and tenacity to change. Essentially, Shiva destroys ego.
When we understand how to modify our belief systems and transform our prejudices, we conquer the underlying patterns of ego that come in our developmental years. If we can accept our imperfections and limitations, we will become a stronger individual.
At this stage of enlightenment, it is appropriate to drive out your dharma and do the right thing. By doing so, you enhance your consciousness. All that you contemplate and do, you become and experience. This is your karma and you control karma through your dharma.

The many Gods is one God

In contrast to most major religions that believe there is only one god, Hindus worship many gods. But Hindus believe in one god too. They call it Brahman, the Absolute, or the Truth. The gods, or devas, in Hinduism portray aspects of our psyche. This concept is found in all other ancient mythologies such as the classics, Celtic, Nordic, Mayan, etc.
Modern religions have removed personifications from God and present him as an infinite and all-powerful entity that is everywhere and in everyone. The distinction between the Hindu ideology and western practices is that Hindus consider the one God is The Self. Buddhists recognize this also. The ancient Buddha, Gautama Siddhartha, declared, “Each of us is a God.”

Barnett, M.A., Lionel David LITT

• Lionel David Barnett was an English orientalist. He was born in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, United Kingdom on October 21, 1871 and passed on January 28, 1960 at 88. He is the child of Baron Barnett, a Liverpool financier, and Adelaide Barnett. He married Blanche Esther Barnett and they had to 2 children, Helan Angela Barnett and Richard David Barnett. In 1932, at the age of 61, Barnett became blind in one eye and had only 
• Lionel Barnett was educated at Liverpool High School, Liverpool Institute, University College, Liverpool and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he received a first class degree in classics and was a 3 time winner of a Browne medal, a medal presented to the best student in Latin and Greek poetry at Cambridge University.
• In 1899, he joined the British Museum as Assistant Keeper in the Department of Oriental Printed Books and Manuscripts. In 1908 he became Keeper, a post he held until his retirement in 1936. He was Professor of Sanskrit at University College, London from 1906 to 1917, founding Lecturer in Sanskrit at the School of Oriental Studies from 1917 to 1948, Lecturer in Ancient Indian History and Epigraphy from 1922 to 1948, and Librarian of the School from 1940 to 1947. In 1948, at the age of 77, he rejoined the British Museum, which was perilously short of staff, as an Assistant Keeper, working there until his death. He was made a Companion of the Bath (CB), a British order of chivalry, in 1937.

Most widely held works by Lionel D Barnett

• The path of light : Rendered from the Bodhi-charyāvatāra of Sānti-deva, a manual of Mahā-yāna Buddhism by Śāntideva
  31 editions published between 1909 and 2012 in English and held by 1,478 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
• Antiquities of India; an account on the history and culture of ancient Hindustan by Lionel D Barnett (Book)
  25 editions published between 1913 and 2016 in English and Undetermined and held by 374 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
• The heart of India : sketches in the history of Hindu religion and morals by Lionel D Barnett (Book)
  25 editions published between 1908 and 2011 in English and held by 349 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
  Indien / Religion
• Hinduism by Lionel D Barnett (Book)
  27 editions published between 1901 and 2013 in English and held by 311 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
• The Greek drama by Lionel D Barnett (Book)
  30 editions published between 1900 and 1976 in English and held by 273 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
• Brahma-knowledge; an outline of the philosophy of the Vedānta, as set forth by the Upanishads and by Sánkara by Lionel D Barnett (Book)
  32 editions published between 1907 and 2015 in English and held by 272 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
• Hindu gods and heroes; studies in the history of the religion of India by Lionel D Barnett (Book)
  22 editions published between 1922 and 2012 in English and held by 258 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
• Bhagavad-gītā, or, The Lord’s song (Book)
  21 editions published between 1905 and 1951 in English and held by 206 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
• The path of light by Śāntideva (Book)
  15 editions published between 1909 and 2012 in English and German and held by 169 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
  The Path of Light is Barnett’s 1909 translation of an important text to Mahayana Buddhism. It is the treatise of the Bodhicharyavatara of Santideva?part of the Wisdom of the East series. Barnett gives a detailed introduction to Mahayana Buddhism and its significance
• Hitopadeśa, the book of wholesome counsel by Francis Johnson (Book)
  9 editions published in 1928 in English and held by 125 WorldCat member libraries worldwide
  Chronicles the life and adventures of Robin Hood who, with his band of followers, lived as an outlaw in Sherwood Forest dedicated to fight against tyranny
• Some sayings from the Upanishads: done into English with notes by L.D. Barnett by UPANISHADS
  5 editions published in 1905 in English and held by 94 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

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