The Philosophical and Religious Background of Indian Culture

Wheaton, Illinois: Theosophical Society in America, 1960.

(71 minutes)

Hinduism does not have a single creed by which one can identify a person as Hindu, as is the case of followers of the Jewish, Christian or Muslim faiths. What unites people as Hindu is the universal acceptance and high regard that they give to the Vedas, the ancient spiritual and religious scriptures of India. Transmitted orally for many centuries before they were put into writing, today there is only one version of the Vedas in existence. There have been no interpolations by commentators that have resulted in different versions. The speaker stresses the importance of understanding one reality, one truth, and the freedom to think for oneself.