Riddles in Hinduism by B.R. Ambedkar

Riddles in Hinduism Reviews

• 
  Rahul Bhalerao

  One cannot imagine the guts of Ambedkar to have raised such bold and fundamental questions about the concept and tradition of Hinduism in the times dominated solely by orthodox Caste Hindu communities. There are hardly any answers presented so far in the last entire century that could make justice to the objections raised by Ambedkar.
• 
  Nandakishore Mridula

  When criticising the caste system, Ambedkar scores brilliantly: while analysing myth, however, he misses the bus completely. So, three stars overall.
  
  Detailed review shall follow.
• 
  Aravind Vivekanandan

  If you grew up in a society that was always telling you how a certain set of books are infallible and they contain all the wisdom in the world, it becomes a little difficult to question those claims. A different narrative might not be easy to digest. Enter Ambedkar. With years of research and in depth knowledge of the scriptures, he manages to dissolve the halo surrounding these texts and expose the numerous contradictions in them, in fact some of the sections attack the foundation of the religion itself. He throws light on the archaic nature of these works, and the inhumane ideology that they espouse at times. A brilliant read for anyone who can look past their dogmas. There are areas where I disagree with the author, particularly his views on polygamy/andry and their morality, but the general themes dealt with in this book strike a chord with me. Also, a wonderful foreward by kancha illiah who gives perspective to Ambedkar's thoughts in the current context.
• 
  ♛ ѶaɱՏ¡ TM

  Want to know more about Hinduism read this with open mind with out any preconception.
  
  If you can not digest something against your religious beliefs don't give a try to read.
• 
  Ravneet Kaur

  Riddles in Hinduism by B.R Ambedkar is a scathing remark on the well-established tenets of Hinduism.
  
  The introduction by Kancha Ilaiah sets a good base for the book. He talks about Ambedkar's life, different roles he played and his critique of Hinduism. He also talks about the current context and how ironical it is for the right to appropriate Ambedkar as a Hindu figure despite his hatred for Hinduism.
  
  Ambedkar has delved upon various aspects of Hinduism. The first riddle digs into the question of who is a Hindu? Ambedkar says that there is no definite answer for that owing to the diversity in thoughts and practices among Hindus. He also looks into the characterisation of Rama and Krishna in the popular narrative and questions the sanctity of their actions. He is also critical of Manu's explanation of the Mixed Caste.
  
  The most interesting read for me was the riddle of The Four Varnas: Are the Brahmans Sure of their Origin?. In this riddle, he explains how different scriptures suggest a different origin of the caste system. There is no coherence among Vedas and Shashtras.
  
  Ambedkar's writing is hard hitting. He raises right questions and views them with an objective lens. He has deeply researched all the scriptures and dissected them for us to see their internal contradictions.He makes you question your own deep-rooted prejudices which were fed to you by the popular narrative. No wonder when Maharashtra Government printed this book, Shiv Sena sought a ban.
  
  In a nutshell, if you have to read one book this year, it ought to be this one.
• 
  Rahul

  The book talks of the inconsistencies in Hinduism and yet is full of internal inconsistencies. Each riddle he poses has a relatively simple answer. Some of his conclusions are wild and counterintuitive.
  Someone should have asked BR Ambedkar to apply Occam's Razor to his questions.
• 
  Shubham Bansal

  Why is someone a Hindu?
  
  Thought-provoking but highly biased. As the title suggests, this book about the riddles or contradictions in the way of life mentioned in the Hindu scriptures with that of actually followed and preached. The problem with this book is that it criticizes Hinduism as a religion based on the Vedic scriptures. There is no problem with that, as everyone has a right to put out an argument. The problem is with the way it is written and the language used. A clear sense of pre-judgement prevails in the entire book. Maybe the author has an established agenda of putting the book as a final judgement rather than a neutral enquiry.
  
  There are definitely some good enquiries like the fact that - What constitutes Hinduism?
  
  A good book if you can read, whilst ignoring the in-between opinions, for the facts.
  
  
• 
  Pavan Dharanipragada

  The only works more retconned than Star Wars by Lucas are the sacred books of Hinduism. Thousands of generations of Brahmins have manipulated and modified, many cynically and some with noble intentions, the Vedas, smritis, shrutis, sutras, puranas, epics, brahmanas, etc. that it is difficult to invoke even one value as something Hinduism stands for without a contradiction evoked somewhere in all those books. Thence the riddles.
  
  There's all kinds of weird stuff in there but Dr. Ambedkar's riddles are only those that were/are relevant to (then) contemporary Indian society. To be sure, the riddles as a work was unfinished and uncompiled by the time of his death. They were edited and published by the BAWS committee and now, in the edition I've read, a selected few were recompiled, edited and released with annotations.
  
  The riddles were selected probably for their importance to counter the current Hindutva narrative in India. They all challenge some of the most deeply held beliefs of Hindus, although some more successfully than others. The first riddle included is the one of the difficulty in knowing whether one is Hindu or not- the concept of Hinduism is so nebulous that anywhere from 10% to 85% of Indian citizens are Hindus, based on your definition. Further riddles question the institutions of ahimsa, varnashrama, the yugas, and Rama and Krishna, from religious, social, and political perspectives. The specific riddles on varnashrama are most informatory while the ones on Rama and Krishna seem incomplete and inaccurate in places.
  Navayana's annotations in the book, like their counterparts in Navayana's Annihilation of Caste, are often not useful. The first problem is that they are too numerous. They ruin the flow. No text needs annotations in every page, especially that of a writer as lucid as Dr. Ambedkar. Secondly, they are sometimes redundant or unnecessary. If Dr. Ambedkar quotes some Indophile author, I don't need to know the biography of that author and the origin of his interest in Vedas. I would Google if I felt the need to check them out.
  
  Dr. Ambedkar's writing is as incisive and precise as in his other works and I wish he were able to finish all the riddles and compile them into a cogent and complete work. Buy partly due to fate and partly due to supreme negligence and barbarity of Indian government, we only have a partial work. Even then it is extremely informative and important and is worth more without Navayana's annotations.
• 
  Renuka Govind

  The research Ambedkar has done is astounding. Even though I skipped some parts where there are quotes from scriptures, I absolutely read every bit put forward by Ambedkar.
  
  It is important to read this book in the context of history. Today, lot of research has been done on history of Ancient India but during Ambedkar's time that was clearly not the case. Moreover, he does have his own biases which again is to be expected from any historical work. Despite of all these things, he has gone over almost every scripture with a comb and tried to untangle the mess that is Hindu scriptures. This book should be made part of syllabus for study of Indian history. Even at University level, this book was hardly talked about and I am sure it has to do with how it attack core idea of Hinduism.
  
  I will be rereading this book again few years down the line for sure.
• 
  smritika

  3.75*
  The book is not exactly readable but it is very well researched. The flaws and questions raised are valid, well backed with proof and give us a much needed insight into not just Hinduism but how it pertains to the caste system among several other issues. Ambedkar knew what he was doing.
• 
  Mayur Ramteke

  Why am I reading Ambedkar?

  
  

  While reading an author, one invests his time and energy. It demands attention to understand the point of views of any author. It creates an unusual bonding and if you do not have a strong reason then the chances are low to get that bonding. The reason for me to read Ambedkar is the partiality of our system. As far I can remember, during our school life, we never got expose to Ambedkar as compared to other Indian leaders like Gandhi, Nehru, Shivaji, Savarkar, Bhagat Singh and many more.

  
  

  I feel that the Ambedkar is one of the most impactful leaders among his peers Mahatma Phule, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Swami Vivekananda, Mother Teresa and many more in the Indian society. He was highly educated person in those days. Well, the naysayers will say, Gandhi & Nehru also educated one & had the foreign degree, but the main contrast is Ambedkar was from the lower strata of society while others were from an affluent background and upper strata.

  
  

  Not only our education system but also the mainstream media is estranged towards Ambedkar. There are lots of movies, TV series, books, research papers and documentaries are available on the numerous Indian leaders (Social Reformer, Political leaders and Freedom fighters) except Ambedkar.

  
  

  Ambedkar was the chairman of the constitution drafting committee and he helped establish the Finance Commission of India. He emphasised on the free economy with the stable rupee. But sadly, he never got his fair and square share and belittle to "Dalit Demi-God" by masses because of his views on the reservation. Ambedkar has taken more brickbat in his lifetime and posthumously as compared to any other leader in India. And this is the well-known fact that most of the time Ambedkar's statue gets vandalise as compared to any other national leader. I think most of the populace has a peculiar obsession with Ambedkar and why not, he has raged a war against their 330 million Gods.

  
  
  

  About the novel "Riddles in Hinduism"

  
  

  Ambedkar is trying to find out pith of Hindu religion and raised a few critical questions about the creed and dogma of Hindu religion. The author has done exhaustive research, you can find a lot of references to Veda, Vedanta, Puran, Upnishadas and other scholarly work while reading the book.
  The book is divided into three parts viz Religious, Social and Political riddles.

  
  

  In the first religious part, Ambedkar has pointed out total 15 riddles like why one is Hindu, the origin of Vedas, the infallibility of Vedas, analysis of Vedas neither man-made nor by God, why Gods fight each other, etc.

  
  

  In the second social part, there are 5 riddles, the origin of four varnas, the four Aashram, Manu's explanation about the mixed castes, the shift from paternity to maternity in Hindu religion and blunder of Kali Varjya.

  
  

  In the third political part, there are 4 riddles, the theory of Manvantara, the importance of Bhramha, unending Kali Yuga and lastly the riddle of Kali Yuga.

  
  

  The overall tone of the author is scientific, critical and logical. It is an informative read for those who want to have a deeper knowledge and analysis of Hindu literature like Vishu Puran, Kali Puran, Vedas and other ancient texts. For me, few parts were hard to understand and assimilate all the information as there are a lot of Sanskrit terminologies used in this book and the debate is vast in nature, cannot be concluded in a single book!

  
  
  

  CAUTION:The author has focused on most of immoral, inhuman practices that were prevalent in ancient India in the name of religion. For example, he has summarised about Kali Puran and methods of sacrificing a human to worship the goddess, Kali. The description of such practices is morbid, ghastly and make you feel sick.

  
  
• 
  Vadassery Rakesh

  I'm amused that B.R. Ambedkar was not only a lawyer par excellence who framed out constitution, a revolutionary leader but also a person who has dived into the depths of Hindu literature before of course criticizing it. Because off late we see people criticizing something without knowing about it fully. I'm proud that we had a leader like Ambedkar.
  I should also say that, despite having faced the wrath of caste Hindus through out his life, Ambedkar has been gracious enough to give credit to the Hindu thoughts wherever it deserved so. The concept of Brahmaism and the thoughts of Thatvamassi and Aham Brahmasmi have been duly given the credits of being the first democratic thoughts of the world, much ahead of the Greeks, who are credited with the invention of democracy.
  The siting of incest, Niyoga and flesh eating as the hall marks of ancient Aryans, is not surprising as what else was expected from a primitive tribe. I believe not just Aryans , but even primitive Dravidians or Sumerians or even Mangolians should have done the same. But just because of that, one cannot downgrade whatever came out of that tribe thereafter. But he must have done that because of the Aryan religion which downgraded and suppressed the Dasyu/Dravidian religious ideas. But that has been done by every invading religion, see what the Christians did to Jews and Pagans. See the concept of converting or killing the khafirs.
  But incorporating a legitimacy of perennially suppressing the Dasyu's terming them as untouchables or Mlechas is unpardonable. Whoever has built that into the Rigveda has done an unpardonable sin to the humankind.
  The Millions of souls who had to live and die as untouchables would never forgive the forces who tamper great books to serve the vested interests. The Chaturvarna theory in Rig Veda is the best example to what level people can stoop to serve their selfish ends.
  
• 
  Vipin Sirigiri

  Few chapters (riddles) on origin of caste, supremacy of Upanishads over Vedas, treatment of untouchables are really thought provoking but for the most part, the book relies only on orientalist explanations and translations to prove its murky points.
  
  Dr. B.R. Ambedkar deserves an appreciation for the prodigious collection of ancient literature (and that too in the non-internet era) on numerous topics but that he is prejudiced and seems to have written with a sole purpose of bashing Brahmanism is quite evident.
  
  Good luck reading this one without falling asleep.
• 
  Deepankar Rawat

  Ambedkar questions everything that the high class brahmins and other two 'upper' classes have held very close to themselves over centuries. He mostly questions the manusmriti and vedas....their infallability and the contradictions that are much too apparant in Hindu society. He was brave to question it all. I can't really imagine someone writing such a book even in present times. Or may be, it is more difficult now than it was at that time.
  On a larger canvas, the important point that one can bring home is that it is very necessary for a culture to question its 'everything', as bhuddha did 2500 years back or Ambedkar did 70 years back, if it really wants to remain relevant.
• 
  Rutik Katare

  Well, It's unfair to judge an incomplete work. And especially of scolars like ambedkar. No wonder he was a lawyer. His writing shows it. He playfully investigates both sides and even questions his own conclusions making them strong enough. He knows his stuff very deeply. I'm saying this based on his all other works included,not only this one.
  Though,incomplete it may be, it still holds the power to baffle anyone's mind. Each chapter holds that potential.
  It's a must read.
• 
  Sivasankaran

  The Introduction itself kills the Sanatana part of Hinduism, as ambedkar proves that Brahmins need only dakshina and they haven changed their means several times and went on to worship muslim deities.
  
  He sets out to break the sanctity of vedas and myths in Hinduism and he has done that well.
  
  The Riddles mentuined in this books are as follows:
  
  Riddle 1- Who is a Hindu?
  
  -Hindus do not worshop gods ( some worship muslim and christian gods also)
  -All does not hold same belief (saivite-vaishnavite. Veg-non-veg)
  - all do not follow caste, and some branches christians and muslims also folloe caste.
  
  So who is a Hindu?
  
  Riddle 6- The Vedas have no spiritual value, the why are they considered as holy?
  
  - Vedas are considered to be having no autborities in ancient times itself
  -they have no discussion on morality, instead they spread obscenitt
  - no discussion on philosophy
  - huge source of black magic in atharvaveda and rig veda
  
  Riddle 13- Why is Hinduism considered sanatana as there is striking difference to the present hindus and the old ones
  
  - Aryans were a race of gamblers: stakes were so high and not seen elsewhere in the world eg: wives, kindgdoms
  
  - relation of sexes were of looose sort
  
  - they were meat eaters as meat is considered an essential in welcoming guests
  
  Riddle 14 -From ahimsa to himsa
  
  - Why did they stop eating meat and resumed again
  
  Riddle 16 - Origun of four Varnas
  
  - the birth of varna itself has no single origin, this us something that forms the core of hinduism but thid itself has no clarity
  
  Riddle 17- Four Ashramas
  
  -initial days a man can become a brahmacharya, but later manu compels everyone get married, ehy was this done?
  
  Riddle 18 - Manu' s Madness on explaining mixed castes
  
  - Many triess to explain the existence of varieities of castes from the mix of four varnas and fails miserably in doing so
  
  - it also perverses history by giving shameful history to actual and glorious races.
  
  - why did manu tries to explain the mixed castes, has it admitted that chaturvarna has failed?
  
  Riddle 19 - The changr from Paternity to Maternity
  - Manu cites that varna of mother csn be considered in some cases instead of varna of father, why was this done?
  
  Riddle 22 - The Riddle of Brahma
  
  - Philosophy of Hinduism has three schools, Brahmaism: believes all is brahma (teaches equality),
  Vedanta: believes in brahma and maya
  Brahminism: belives in varna and sacrifices to gods
  
  - why did Brahmaism fail to produce a new society even though it is in constrast with brahminism?
  
  Riddle 23 - Why Kaliyuga was made unending?
  
  - the four yugas have established time periods but in recent times, the Kali Yuga has been made unending. Why was it done?
  
  Riddle of Rama and Krishna
  
  - the two glorified gods of Hinduism Rama and Krishna, do they deserve their place? As in several places they violate fairness and does immoral acts
• 
  Vivek Sathvic

  Thought-provoking!
  The foreword by Kanche Illiah provides a perspective to Ambedkar's thoughts in the context of the book.
  As the title suggests, Dr. Ambedkar poses many riddles and contradictions in the way of life mentioned in the Hindu scriptures with that of actually followed and preached. This work is not a neutral opinion, it has a hard stance. Perhaps Hindus would be offended by this book but I expect this book to be a revelation of their understanding of Hindu scriptures.
  
  "Is it even a religion? Who is a Hindu?”
  
  He manages to dissolve the halo surrounding the sacred texts and expose the numerous contradictions in them, in fact some of the sections attack the foundation of the religion itself. He throws light on the archaic nature of these works, and the inhumane ideology that they espouse at times.
  There are areas where I disagree with the author, but the general themes dealt with in this book strike a chord with me.
  
  My second book after Annihilation of Caste by Dr. Ambedkar. Mighty impressed with the vast research with his limited access to resources around half a century ago.
  
  The following excerpt made me take up this book.
  
  “The Vedas are a worthless set of books. There is no reason either to call them sacred or infallible … The time has come when the Hindu mind must be freed from the hold which the silly ideas propagated by the Brahmans have on them. Without this, the liberation of India has no future”—B.R. Ambedkar
  
  Keep in mind that it is a selected parts of the incomplete work of Dr. Ambedkar published posthumously and annotated contemporarily. Wish this was refined by the author himself rather than the annotations by the publisher.
• 
  Kevin McAvoy

  Who could have three years to argue every objection Ambedkar has about Hinduism.
  He took 2 years to write this and it wasn't published until after he died.
  He rips in to the Vedas, the Upanishads and the caste system with the skills of a London trained lawyer, which, oh yes, he was. Not having read all of the Hindu religous texts myself I found this book to be an all out massive attack on Hinduism. Ambedkar was of course a Hindu but of the lowest caste and no doubt he blames ridiculous Hindu beliefs for his peoples being kept at the bottom rung of society.
  He converted to Buddhism later in in life and about 80.000 other untouchables follopwed his lead.
  The book is very detailed in it's analysis of the Mahabharata and Bhagvad Gits are scrupulous and sometimes petty. He presents a book of overkill here and I believed his aim within the first 50 pages.
  I skipped parts where he discusses the riddles of mythology because nobody needs to be told they are myths over and over.
  Perhaps Hindus would be offended by this book but I expect only about 2% of Hindus know much detail about their own religion.
• 
  Suryasis Paul

  Stinging indictment of Hinduism, this is supposed to be the unfinished work of Bhim Rao Ambedkar. Apparently, riots happened when this book was published. I can surely see the reason why. What amazes me more is that Hindus of yesteryears were so much more tolerant of a man who was so given to deride, deface and devalue Hinduism had such an important role in politics. This is possibly foreign to the politics of the day. If it were today, he would be fodder of lynch jobs.
  Coming to the writing, I have just one comment to make, Ambedkar exchanges allegory with interpretation at will. He also chooses when to take something metaphorically and when to take it literally on his whims. If you disregard that the arguments are precise. Though I am not much of a believer myself but as varna Hindu, some of his arguments are bitter pills to swallow.
• 
  Karan

  A brilliant analysis that chronicles the multiple discrepancies that plague the literature of Hindu religion. Additionally the book pushes the critic of religion through a ration lens further and it's a marvel that this was written in the 20th century.
  
  Although the multiple citations and references can overwhelm the reading experience, the book clearly gives the other side to normally accepted norms about the gods of Hinduism.
  
  
• 
  Abhishek Singh

  This book is what happens when you want to challenge something without taking the time to understand it. You just weaken your own argument.
  
  After reading Annihilation of Caste, I just wish Ambedkar had put in more effort for this one rather than merely being salty about things.
  Had high expectations, disappointed.
• 
  Aravindh Kumar

  It's unfair to give this book a rating, as it was originally an unfinished manuscript. The book is full of typos and the editing is shabby. But the genius of Ambedkar shines through regardless and makes this a thoroughly researched critique of Hinduism.
• 
  Amit Rana

  This is a good book to Question all the orthodox Hindu's, who out there blindly following the dogmas set by their ancestors.
  
  One less star (personal preference) because of too many sanskrit references and after some time it all become dull and uncanny. Leaving the book at 50%.😔
• 
  Amarjeet Mehto

  The riddles presented by the Ambedkar questions the very idea of claimed sacredness and infallibility by the various texts and characters of the Hinduism religion and poised the reader with the arguments to challenge his/her own intellect.
• 
  Jithu

  A truly scholarly work. Ambedkar's guts are truly remarkable. Kudos to Navayana for painstakingly annotating and referencing his work.