Hindu mythology
V. N. Vedanta Desikan
EXPLAINING THE UNEXPLAINED — Myths, Miracles and Mysticism in Hinduism: Anbil Ramaswamy; Pub. by Sri Ramanuja Mission, U.S., copies can be had from 25, Second East Park Street, Pritivipakkam, Ambattur, Chennai-600053. Rs. 75.
This is a small-sized book purported to explain Hindu mythological episodes, arranged systematically under different titles. Readers may recall, in this connection, that debates used to be held, till very recently, on platforms of literary societies, AIR and TV, on specific characters, such as Sri Rama (as portrayed in the Kamba Ramayanam), wherein one team would level charges against the hero, say, that he killed Vali from a concealed location and another team would ably defend Rama.
The present author takes up many such episodes, traces the course and defends the trend. This is what he implies by giving the title, `Explaining the Unexplained'.
While on this job, he has occasion to explain to the modern reader, the chronology of the so-called four Yugas, the 10 incarnations of Vishnu, the Azhvars, the Acharyas and other great spiritual leaders, with a fair degree of accuracy in historicity. His account of mantras, miracles and methods of propitiating God by hymn-recitations would be of help to the young men and women of the Hindu diaspora spread out in the West, though smacking of populism to a critic.
The latter pages, however, take up issues which border on faith, parapsychology, and preternatural phenomena, such as `Brink of death vision', which are, in an honest critic's view, irrelevant, for such a book, they being neither scientifically possible of proving nor ever reproducible as well. Many of them are purely personal and cannot form part of a discussion.
In this sense, his remark about Ramanuja's icon in Srirangam shrine, which is a hearsay note, would sound heretic to any pious devotee. The author's zeal and impressive style would prove great assets for him in his mission of propagation of Hindu concepts.
He also possesses sound formal training. But errors and misspelt words take away from the merit. And trivial notices mar the worth of a classic book on Hinduism. Altogether, a good primary guide to young readers from the West.
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