About the Book Hindu Society is a much-misunderstood society and so are its institutions. This misunderstanding has resulted because of some intellectuals, both Indian and Western, reviewing Hindu thought and ideology in the Western light. Thus, an imbalance has been created which needs to be corrected.
The present work is an attempt to see things in perspective, and make an investigation into the fundamentals of Hindu thought.
Hindu thought, according to the author, is Indian philosophy. It is not confined to a particular set of people or a community nor does it signify any religious faith or creed. It concerns the entire human race, even the entire creation and lays down norms for the regulation of human society. Besides, it tells us about the finer values of life and attainment of the highest through self realization.
This work also discusses the great epics of India as they have influenced the Hindu thought.
About the Author Late Dr. R.C. Gupta (1927-1990) taught Political Science several colleges in states of Madhya also served number of colleges of Indore Bhopal as Principal.
Dr. Gupta achieved his double M.A. degrees, one Political Science and the other is degree Political Science was conferred him.
Prof. Gupta earned for himself a significant place as scholar field Political Philosophy. He visited West Asian and East European countries research work. was the distinguished author 22 books. He contributed research papers the reputed Journals India and abroad. He contributed an article "World Encyclopedia".
Preface There seems to be much misunderstanding of Hindu society and its institutions among the Western scholars as well as Indian intellectuals who mostly draw inspiration and their views from the studies of their Western counterparts. It does not mean at all that all Western and Indian scholars have an unfavorable estimate of the Hindu social organism; some of them (both Western and Indian) have really gone deep in the older Sanskrit lore and fully appreciated the moral and spiritual background of Hindu social life and institutions. But such persons are outnumbered by those who find fault with and are critical of the Hindu social system. Perhaps, it is because of the reason that they have attempted to judge things purely from materialistic standpoint and the Western way of thinking and living. Such Western-minded Indian intellectuals are therefore openly seeking to effect drastic changes in our social institutions by considerably or altogether doing away with Hindu ideals, traditions and forms in the name of social reforms. There is also another group of people in the country who are totally against such rejections; they strongly think that whatever is Hindu in the form of ideas, ideals and institutions is sacrosanct and perfect and must therefore be preserved as the most sacred heritage of our forefathers. Besides, there are certain issues like interacts marriages, widow marriage, dowry system, sati custom (to cremate a woman forcibly with the dead body of her husband), subordinate position of the woman (in Hindu family and society). untouchability, etc., which have further added to the bitterness between these two polar opposite groups. The persons belonging to these extremely opposite groups do not want to exert to comprehend fully the basic Hindu philosophy (of life) which not only shapes the Hindu mind - its psychology and behavior pattern-, but which also runs as an undercurrent of the entire Hindu social system. The people of both groups seem to be rigid and unyielding in their views and as such, their approach is uniformly dogmatic and harmful to our society.
Introduction Society is the web of social relationships. And for social relationship, it is essential to have mutual awareness or consciousness of each other between two or more living beings or persons. There can be a contact between two intimate things or between one living being and the other inanimate material thing but their contact or relationship cannot take the form of social relationship. Social relationship is necessarily determined by mutual awareness, and it is possible only between two or more living beings. Without this recognition there is no social relationship, no society. Society exists only where social beings behave towards one another in ways determined by their recognition of one another.
Social relationships are as diversified or varied as society is complex. The relations of mother or father to child, husband to wife, preceptor to pupil, friend to friend, subject to ruler, are some of the varying types. For our convenience, we may specify some of our relations 'economic', some 'political', some 'personal', some 'impersonal", some 'friendly', some 'antagonistic', some 'spiritual". some 'immoral', and so on. But in a general way, they are all social relationships as they are founded on mutual recognition. And the richness and stability to mutual or social relations is provided by the ideals of life, the mode of thinking and behaving, which a society ordinarily inherits from its past culture.
India is the oldest country with a very rich ancient culture which has outlived many shocks of dynastic revolutions, foreign invasions, religious conflicts and widespread natural disasters. Her cultural tradition is even much older than her history, whatever it is available today. And the most peculiar characteristic of Indian tradition is that in its fabric dharma and culture have been interwoven indissolubly. Here dharma should not be interpreted as religion. An client Indian concept of dharma is entirely different from what the term 'religion' is understood in modern parlance. Dharma is a Sanskrit word which has different connotations, most of them of an ethical nature. In fact, there is no parallel word either in English or in any other language which can truly signify the essence of the word.
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