Avatars, Gods and Goddesses of Vedic Culture: Understanding the Characteristics, Powers, Positions, and Legends of the Hindu Divinities

This book is interesting and useful if you are looking for an explanation of Vaisnava cosmology. the largest sections are on the superiority of Krishna, and other deities as secondary, but the book is full or references to Hindu theological works that can simplify understanding their presentations. If you have trouble understanding the translations of Hindu religious and philosophical works on Vaisnava pespective, this is a good choice. For devotees of Krishna or Vishnu, this is also a very satisfying book.

It’s ok only focuses on a few

FOr those interested in Hinduism this is a very informative book. It details the hierarchy of the HIndu Deities and allows the reader to understand the reason for the Gods names etc.I found this book very didactic and serves as a very good reference book.

Excellent, in depth, easy to understand. Very good! It's not easy to find this information, happy I read this book! All of Stephen Knapp's books are extremely well researched an written!

Stephen Knapp's "Avatars, Gods and Goddesses" book was very helpful to me because, I'm actually searching the ancients roots of the vedic culture of India. I get plenty of information and details about the Gods and Semigods and their nature, worship, etc. The book is ease to read and understand. Thanks Stephen Knapp.

Tedious, boring and long winded. Not as good as one of his history books about India. Skip it.

Wonderful,very concise-"tops"-especially if you follow a Vaishnava path

Excellent

Has some interesting facts and ideas but is hard to understand at times but is okay as a general guide to Hinduism

This is the most bizarre book. The author makes all the gods and goddesses of Hinduism orbit around a metaphysically impossible Krishna of his own making. This is a massive mystic error, and such false ideas can only come from someone who hasn't achieved even the smallest stage of development on the spiritual path. Only a wrongly-educated religious zealot could have all the theories he does about the various deities, because progress on the spiritual path eventually gives one the actual consciousness - the Brahman - which makes these things self-evident through being them. Honestly, this is a very confused man with strange ideas about Hinduism. Obviously a Krishna devotee, but one with no mystic rank, the author profanes his own deity by demeaning the Trimurthi in his name.Everyone knows Krishna is a very particular incarnation of Vishnu. Brahma creates the universe then incarnates in it as Vishnu. Sometimes these are of the Krishna type. When all the good that can be done is done, Vishnu leaves as Shiva, and destruction ensues. Shiva is absorbed once more into the Brahman, which will become Brahma again to create the next cycle. Hinduism teaches all this theoretically as a religion, and those who reach it in practice with their beings know it as the truth of their own consciousness. This guy gets both wrong: the theory is utterly confused and he lacks the requisite mystic experience. And so this well-known, fairly straightforward cycle of the tripartite manifestation of the Brahman is twisted and distorted out of recognition. Do yourself a favour and don't buy this book, it's spiritually unprofessional.

Hari OM! Not a bad book as an introduction into hindu deities, it has an aspect of vaishnavas branch and it is rather felt. Also some info about Gods is complete and somewhere it seems that something is missing because the more you go further in studying the more you understand how much asleep you were before :) I appreciate anyway the work that Stephen Knapp made, before judging let's remember what we made ourselves in this life :) Best wishes

Nice book. Gives u good and brief description about our God's and Goddesses.