CHAPTER 1

BRAHMIN BLESSINGS

 

Introduction to the main body of the book with a narration of the author’s personal religious experiences since childhood. This section, with it's humorous and highly entertaining personal stories, informs the reader exactly where the book is heading. The stories are full of humour and irony, to which most readers will readily relate.

 

CHAPTER 2

THE FATHER, THE SON AND THE UNHOLY SPIRIT

 

A brief section which takes inthe other main religions. As the book is mainly a rational critique of religion, this brief and thoroughly entertaining chapter tells the reader that the author is not advocating switching from Hinduism to any other religion but debunking religion altogether. There is a particularly interesting section on mother Teresa. 

 

CHAPTER 3

IN THE BEGINNING THERE WERE EUROPEANS

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A section on the history of Hinduism. In simple and entertaining narrative the author writes about the origins of the religion. The book describes the arrival of the Indo Aryans, who were the descendants of the Indo Europeans. 

 

The Indo Aryans, having settled in India, created the caste system to keep the Brahmins at the top and the conquered indigenous people at the bottom- this is the concept of Brahminism.

 

The section then goes on to the coming of Buddha and how Buddhism became the primary religion of India for a time, and how Brahminism then fought back to wrest power back from Buddhism.

 

CHAPTER 4

THE RIGGED VEDA

 

The Rig Veda is considered to be the oldest and holiest of all Hindu scriptures. The author tells the reader what is really written in the Vedas: essentially they are full of verses of prayers to the elements (wind, fire and water) and the planets. 

 

Readers will find this section very informative because whilst Hindus generally believe that the Vedas contain “holy” Sanskrit verses, very few know exactly what they contain. The author pulls no punches and this irreverent and funny section will make every reader think again about Hinduism’s claims to divinity.

 

CHAPTER 5

DRAMAYANA- THE STORY OF RAMA

 

Rama is one of the most important gods of Hinduism; indeed Hindus have branded him an avatar of Vishnu. The author refutes all of Rama’s claims to divinity and tells an alternate story of the epic- one which depicts the reality of the Aryan invasion as the Aryan hordes marched north to south along India, conquering, killing and enslaving the indigenous Dravidian population and stealing their land.

 

CHAPTER 6

MANU'S MISCHIEF- THE LAWS OF MANU

 

Manu is Hinduism’s Adam and Noah rolled into one. The scriptures claim that he was created by Brahma, the Hindu god of creation, from his own body, or was “self born”. The Brahmins wrote a book of laws called the Manu Smriti, or the laws of Manu, as a guide to human behaviour, a sort of social contract.

 

The laws give a valuable insight into Brahminical thinking of the time. Without exception the laws portray the Brahmin as the highest being in the universe and waste no time in putting the lower caste Shudras firmly in their place. This text provides useful insight into the early evolution and workings of the caste system, which the Brahmins claim was created by god himself.

 

CHAPTER 7

THE SPILLING OF THE SEED- PURANA TALES

 

The Puranas are scriptures which seek to add weight to and to explain the much older Vedic teachings. There are eighteen major Puranas and several minor ones. All the major Puranas are said to have been written by a Brahmin known as Ved Vyasa. 

 

It is the Puranas which give a better insight than the Vedas into the teachings of Hinduism. There are tales of creation, destruction further stories of how gods like the popular deity Ganesha and others came into being. The author also examines the theory of reincarnation and ancestor worship by references to the Puranas. This chapter, with its fantastic stories, is perhaps the most entertaining in the book.

 

CHAPTER 8

THE WAR THAT NEVER WAS - THE MAHABHARATA

 

As the chapter heading suggests, the Mahabharata, which Hindus claim is the biggest war in the history of mankind, was nothing but the story of a family feud between cousins over a relatively small piece of land. 

 
It is claimed by the original writer of the Mahabharata (Ved Vyasa) that hundreds of thousands lost their lives. This is simply not true. The Mahabharata was a small land dispute which was blown out of all proportion to suit the Brahmins’ ultimate purpose: to rebrand the religion into a more credible version than the one propounded by the older Vedic religion. This alternative Mahabharata is sure to provide the reader with food for thought.

 

CHAPTER 9

THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH- THE GITA'S LIES

 

The Gita has largely succeeded in taking over Hinduism from the older teachings of the Vedas and Puranas. How did the Gita come into being? What was its main purpose? Who wrote it? Did Krishna really utter the poetic verses which form the
Gita on the eve of the Mahabharata war? What is the true meaning of the various
verses? What is the soul, and does it really connect to the ultimate reality following endless births and re-births, depending on your actions during any given life?

 

The author seeks to answer all these questions by reference to the Gita’s various translations, including the most popular version of the Gita in circulation- that of Prabhupada, the founder of the  Hare Krishna movement. The author shows, by examining some of the most popular verses and looking at the meanings attributed to them by famous Brahmin gurus, what the main objective of the Gita really is. The author uses his legal skills to dissect the verses to get to their true purport; he manages to bring out the truth behind the Gita’s lies whilst retaining the simple, interesting and often humorous narrative. This is perhaps the most controversial chapter in the book, which challenges all notions of the Gita being a book of morality for the whole world to follow.

 

CHAPTER 10

THE SECOND COMING OF KRISHNA

 

When and why do the scriptures say Krishna will return? The author examines the
scriptures which tell us the answers. The author states that the reason given for Krishna's return is, once again, to do with protection of the interests of Brahminism and preservation of the caste system.

 

This chapter also answers the question: "Who was Krishna"? What is his life story? What happened to him after the Mahabharata war? Where did he end up? How did he die? The author has gleaned the answers to all these questions from the stories in the Puranas and uses these stories to tell the true story of Krishna. 

 

CHAPTER 11

JUMBO MUMBO- RELIGIOUS SUPERSTITIONS

 

A small section tying up various beliefs and superstitions of Hinduism like the significance of the number 108, meaning of the word “Aum”, worship of tutelary deities, fasting on holy days, worship of rivers, and many others.

 

CHAPTER 12

THE TRUTH RETOLD

 

After the narrative of the preceding chapters the final chapter is the author’s own take on religion and its effects. The chapter is split into three logical parts, each containing the author’s own views on the topic.

 

The author makes very poignant and hard hitting points under each of the headings: morality, Hindutva and Brahmanism and caste. For example, in the morality section he questions why, if Hinduism is the epitome of morality where women are worshipped as goddesses, India continues to treat its women so badly. The section on Hindutva examines the rise of Hindu extremism in India.

 

In the caste section the author expands on the dehumanising effects of the caste system which has held India in its tenacious grip for over 3500 years. This, the author states, has only been possible because the Brahmins have continued to convince people that caste has been ordained by god; and how this has led to the worst atrocity in the history
of mankind against India's poorest and most vulnerable citizens: the Dalits.