All About Hinduism

Hinduism- An Overview

It is said that Hinduism is the oldest living religion of the world. Hinduism differs from Christianity and other monotheistic religions in that it does not have:

A Single Founder,
A Specific Theological System,
A Single Concept Of Deity,
A Single Holy Text,
A Single System Of Morality,
A Central Religious Authority,
The Concept Of A Prophet.

Hinduism comes with a complex definition partly because of the immense array of practices and beliefs found within it. It is also closely related conceptually and historically with the other Indian religions like Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism.

Throughout its impressive history, there have been many key figures teaching different philosophies and writing numerous holy books. For these reasons, writers often refer to Hinduism as ‘a way of life’ or ‘a family of religions‘ rather than a single religion.

Hinduism is rooted and followed religiously in the lands of India and Nepal. Most Hindus revere a body of texts as sacred scripture known as the Veda.

Impressive Facts about Hinduism

Hinduism originated around the Indus Valley near the River Indus in modern day Pakistan.
About 80% of the Indian population regard themselves as Hindu.
Most Hindus believe in a Supreme God, whose qualities and forms are represented by the host of deities which originates from him.
Hindus believe that existence is a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, governed by Karma.
Hindus believe that the soul passes through a cycle of successive lives and its next incarnation is always dependent on how the previous life was lived.
The main Hindu texts are the Vedas and their supplements (books based on the Vedas). Veda is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘knowledge’. These scriptures do not mention the word ‘Hindu’ but many scriptures discuss dharma, which can be rendered as ‘code of conduct’, ‘law’, or ‘duty’.

Deities – Worshiped in Hinduism

Although there are 33-Koti (divisions of Hindu Deities), The Hindus traditionally worships the Tri-murti or the ‘Triumvirate’ consists of three gods who are responsible for the creation, upkeep and destruction of the world. They are; the Brahma, the Vishnu and the Mahesh (shiva). It is a common belief that Brahma is the creator of the universe while Vishnu is the preserver of it. Shiva’s role is to destroy the universe in order to re-create it.

Hindu Scriptures

The Vedas

These are the most ancient religious texts which define truth and ideologies behind Hinduism. They got their present form between 1200-200 BCE and were introduced to India by the Aryans. Hindus belief is that these texts were received by scholars direct from God. For hundreds or thousands of years, the content of these texts have been passed on orally on to the next generations by word of mouth.

The Vedas are made up of four compositions, and each Veda in turn has four parts which are arranged chronologically as follows.

The Samhitas are the most ancient part of the Vedas, consisting of hymns of praise to God.
The Brahmanas are rituals and prayers to guide the priests in their duties.
The Aranyakas concern worship and meditation.
The Upanishads consist of the mystical and philosophical teachings of Hinduism.

The Samhitas –The four major Samhitas are as follows:

Rig-Veda Samhita
Yajur-Veda Samhita
Sama-Veda Samhita
Atharva-Veda Samhita

The Upanishads

The Upanishads were developed from the Vedic tradition, but largely reshaped Hinduism by providing believers with philosophical knowledge. The major Upanishads were largely composed between 800-200 BCE and is in form of partly prose, partly verse. Upanishads are genuinely concerned with understanding the sacrificial rites and rituals under Hinduism.

Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita or “Song of the Lord” is part of the sixth book of the Mahabharata, the world’s longest poem and is popularly known as a smriti text.

The Bhagavad Gita is particularly in the form of a dialogue conversation between prince Arjuna and Krishna, his charioteer. Arjuna, the third of the pandavas, was about to join his brothers in a war between two branches of Kuru-Clan which would involve killing many of his friends and relatives. Just before the war was going to start, wanted to withdrew from the battle but then Krishna teaches him that he, Arjuna, must do his duty in accordance with his class and he argues that death does not destroy the soul. Krishna points out that knowledge, work and devotion are all paths to salvation and that the central value in life is that of loyalty to God. The knowledge conveyed by Lord Krishna to Arjuna is what we find in The Bhagvada Gita.

Chief Festivals

Though India is revered as ‘Land of Festivals’, there are some festivals and rituals forming part of Hinduism. The prominent ones are as follows:

Diwali
Holi
Ramnavami
Krishna Janamashtami
Navratra
Dussehra
Raksha Bandhan

Hinduism, is an ocean of knowledge, thus practically it is impossible to sum up everything about Hinduism in a single article. From ancient Hindu Mythology to the present scenarios, there are many aspects of Hinduism. Thus, to stay updated with this information, simply stay in touch with this page.