Book Review Fate and Fortune in the Indian Scriptures by Sukumari Bhattacharji [Book Review]

Prabuddha Bharata or Awakened India 120 (3):293-4 (2015)
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Abstract

The author could have shown the other perspective also where fate or fortune is proclaimed to be in the hands of a person. It is notable that almost all of the translations and works she cites are by authors from outside the Indian tradition, with a Semitic bearing on their thought. The author comes a bit too strongly and without sufficient background material, in brushing aside as inconsequential, years of thought and philosophising in the Indian tradition. However, no Eastern tradition gives a concrete validity to the existence of heaven and hell, and they are just some flavours in the religious stories and anecdotes, of which Puranas form a major part. Heaven, hell, fate, and fatalism are pronouncedly Semitic concepts. Had the author presented a balanced view, this book had the potential to become a remarkable work.

Author's Profile

Swami Narasimhananda
Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama, Kozhikode

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