Hinduism – Path of the Ancient Wisdom is a book written by
Dr. Hiro Badlani. The book provides a good introduction to all the important
aspects of Hinduism. There are 63 chapters. The book is currently available
online and you can read all the chapters online for free.
You can read the book here – Hinduismpath
An excerpt from the book
The Spiritual Teachings of the Vedas
The Vedas contain a treasure trove of spiritual teachings in the form of mantras and slokas. The main philosophy of the Vedic teachings may be summarized in the interpretation of the following mantras and slokas:
Shanti Karanam: the hymns of peace. These hymns are included in all the Vedas. Among the hymns of Shanti Karanam, the Gayatri Mantra undoubtedly occupies a place of prestige.
Hindu sages invoked all the gods and especially the rising, effulgent sunrise savitra for granting the noble mind, the sacred gayatri. They observed the symbolic but spiritual bond between the early rising sun and the (spiritual) augmenting of the human mind. They hailed the boundless supremacy of the sun (suray) in everyday life. They also recognized the prerogative of the early morning period on the development and creation of good mind (sumati). Hindu Rishis eventually honored the mind as the cornerstone of all human impetus and evolution. Later, the Gayatri Mantra became representative of the transcendental divine, quite in keeping with the dynamic evolutionary pattern of the Hindu pantheon.