A Handbook on Vedas, Sastras and Samskaras

To write about Hinduism is a great challenge at any time because of its vast literature, all couched in the Sanskrit language which few know and fewer still wish to learn today. As a result, the vast mass of Indians are ill-equipped to read and understand the vast storehouse of literature on the Vedas, Sastras, Puranas, Samskaras and so on and so forth. What little is known is largely through translation, notably English translation rendered by many eminent scholars.
In today's world, the pressures of work do not allow a person even to breathe, not to speak of sitting in a cozy corner and mull over the vast literature on Hinduism. It is the compulsion of times to condense everything and take only the kernel. I have therefore confined myself to giving only a synoptic view of the most important aspects of Hindu sacred literature.
Let me hasten to add that all that has been written in this compilation is based on published literature on the subject, the sources of which are given at the end; in particular, I hope readers will be encouraged to browse in entirety the books of other authors from which interesting excerpts have been included in Part III. I owe a deep debt of gratitude to all these persons and to the publishers who have made it possible for this compilation to reach the public at large.
Above all, I wish to record my gratitude to Dr. A. Thyagarajan, Head of the Department of Gynaecology & Obstetrics, Govt. Medical College, Calicut (Kerala), a well known scholar of Upanishads, for writing the Foreword to this book.
I also wish to record my appreciation and gratitude to all the sources from where I have drawn material, especially the authors and publishers of these volumes.

The subject of Hindu Sastras is so vast and deep that, it is not easy for today's man-in-a-hurry to go through them, much less master them.
Shri. G.H. Ananthanarayanan, has within the space of about 200 pages, made a good job of it with his wide reading and has given a bird's eye view of this vast knowledge contained in Hinduism. The present volume, I hope, will whet the curiosity of the serious readers to delve deep into the subject.
For the convenience of the reader, he has divided the subject into 4 parts.
In Part I of the contents he has covered Upanishads, Advaita, Brahmasutra and Vedangas, each one of which is vast by itself.
In Part II he has gone through Samskaras. He has dealt with in depth the Samskaras from Garbha dharana, various steps of Upanayana, the meaning of Gayatri Mantra etc.
Vivaha ceremony has been described in detail giving various steps in the ritual and the significance of these steps which requires study by the bride and bridegroom who are going to get married. If they have the knowledge of the significance of these steps, every bridegroom will prefer to have a marriage function of this type only.
Part II-B has been dealt with the Anthyeshti Ceremony - The mentor of death and the Anthyeshti ceremony carry fear in the ordinary people. If this portion is studied we will understand that death is inevitable for all living beings. The whole life is being spent as a sacrifice and Anthyeshti is the culmination of that sacrifice. He has gone into the details of all the steps, reading which will take away the fear from the mind of people.
He has touched on the Asoucha days to be followed by relatives.
In Part III, i.e., Medley of articles, he has started with Nasadiya Sukta. The reading of this will make every thinking person to ponder over life and the creation of Universe.
Faith and idol worship has been touched upon.
Hindu festivals like Deepavali, Karthigai Deepam, Makara Sankaranthi and other festivals have been described and their significance been brought out.
Lastly he has touched on Hindu time measure and a brief glimpse of astrology which will give basic insights of Jatakamn and few other related topics.
In the present day fast life of society it is not easy to study the Vedas and allied subjects exhaustively. Hence a handy book. like this one written by Shri G.H. Ananthanarayanan will help to have an overall understanding of the vast ocean of knowledge contained in the Vedas and Sastras.
I recommend this book for the study of all Hindus so that they will not miss the treasure of wisdom contained in the learned tomes on Hinduism.