Chaturvedi Badrinath’s Dharma: Hinduism and Religions in India is an important book where the author tries to get to the core idea of dharma, and is a relevant book with a density of ideas on the topic, N. Ram, chairman of THG Publishing Private Ltd, said.
Launching the book on Friday, Mr. Ram said the late Mr. Badrinath, in the book, “has no problems in conceding that organised religion — virtually every religion — sometime or another is a source of violence, physical and psychological. He says that is not what dharma is essentially about”.
The book has been edited by author Tulsi Badrinath, the daughter of the author, putting together various lectures given by her father on the topic of dharma. “Here is somebody who deals with something that is complex; deals with the density of ideas,” Mr. Ram said of Sahitya Akademi winner Badrinath.
“Dharma is at the core of Indian thought and Indian civilisation. Dharma is universal, sovereign — all of us irrespective of our religious persuasion, will be subject to the principles of dharma,” S.P. Ambrose, former bureaucrat, publisher and long-time friend of Badrinath, said.
Ms. Tulsi said she had put together texts from her father’s lectures in the book, and his habit of keeping a text ready for every occasion helped her immensely to bring out the book. “He never took any occasion to speak lightly. There was always a written text,” she said. She also read out a few passages from his books.
