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Very ancient. More than 5000 years. Hindus believe it is without beginning or end, & is a continuous process preceding the existence of earth and many other worlds - Sanaatan Dharam, Eternal faith Name Hindu given by foreigners to people who lived on the River Sindhu (Indus), by mispronunciation. And the faith they followed was called by foreigners, Hinduism Very vast. Very complex. Yet simple too. Very flexible, very open outlook & free thinking. A Polytheist, a Monotheist, a Pantheist, an Agnostic, even an Atheist can be a Hindu. Readily absorbs from the faith of others.
BETTER UNDERSTOOD IF DEFINED AS A WAY OF LIFE AND LIVING RATHER THAN A RELIGION.
It recognizes that there are varying intellectual and spiritual levels in each one of us and all cannot
therefore take the same path, although the goal may be the same.
It permits the greatest freedom of worship & insists that each person must be guided by ones own
individual spiritual experience. It does not accept dictatorship in religious guidance.
Tremendous tolerance of other religious faiths & beliefs. Does not force others to follow it & allows
other faiths to peacefully co-exist.
Unique: Allows a Hindu to worship in a Church, Mosque, Gurudwara (Sikh temple), Buddhist or a Jain
temple. (The latter three are offshoots of Hinduism)
Practical enough to permit social change & scientific progress (it has deep scientific & logical
foundations), yet highly philosophical & sublime, aiming at ethical perfection.
Often the young pick up superstitions that have nothing to with its precepts. And parents perform rites & rituals without understanding their symbolism or
even the meaning of the mantras (prayer chants) that go with them.
The freedom permitted by this faith, which does not even ask for a weekly visit to
the temple, has been misused, leading to widespread ignorance of what it stands for.
It has always welcomed the visitor, sending him back the wiser for his visit, even while partaking of the wisdom that he brings with him to its shores.
These Shrutis are known as Vedas. Ved is derived from the word vid, to
know. (Vidya, means knowledge). The Vedas are holy or spiritual knowledge of the Eternal Truth. Vedas were revealed by Divine intervention & in whose hearts & minds they were heard.
The Rishis (derived from drish, to see) were the Seers or Sages to whom the
The Vedas are apaurusheya (not of man, of divine origin), & are unchangeable
& eternal. They teach the highest truths ever known to man, and are valid for all time & all ages.
The Vedas
According to Hinduism, Creation is eternal, with no beginning & no end. At the end of
each day of Brahma, the Creator, (one day of Brahma equals 4320 million years), the Universe is destroyed & exists in a subtle form in God, from whence a new Universe is created each time. After the last destruction, Brahma meditated, and the Great God appeared in the form of the sound of OM (AUM) \. OM therefore is the symbol of the Absolute, and is the most sacred symbol of Hinduism. four Vedas from the vibrations of the sound of OM, and taught these four Vedas to Brahma, who created our present universe, with this supreme knowledge. In other words, the Vedas existed even before the creation of our universe. so on. This is how Vedas have come to us through thousands of years. Through disciplic tradition.
Brahma prayed to Him for knowledge to create a new Universe. The Lord conceived the
Sage Ved Vyas codified the four Vedas. His disciples taught them to their disciples, and
Sam Veda: verses from Rig Veda set to music Atharva Veda: guide for man in his material and daily living
Aranyaka: mystical interpretations of hymns & rituals Upanishads: 108 of them. 12 most important. They contain the essence of the philosophy of the Vedas
Dhanurveda: science of archery & use of weapons Gandharva Veda: science of music & dance Arthashastra: treatise on polity, state administration & the conduct
of commerce
Hinduism accepts that rules of society change with every age. Therefore the laws, or
Dharma Shastra must change from time to time. It accepts that laws governing the conduct of man and society are man-made laws, which have to be flexible and dynamic and subject to change. legislation in modern times.
This has made it possible for laws relating to Hindu society to be further changed by
philosophy of the Upanishads in parables and stories for guidance of the common people. They teach the greatest of truths in an easy friendly way using simple language.
18 Uppuranas or subsidiaries. Consist of tales and short stories which convey the truths
of Vedas and Dharma Shastras
Since the formless form is hard to comprehend, we have the Brahman with form, known The Trinity: Ishwara is known as Brahma, the Creator, Vishnu, the Preserver, and Shiv, The feminine aspect of: Brahma is Saraswati, Vishnu is Laxmi, and Shiv is Parvati
Samsara: Moksha, Nirvana, Salvation, means never to be born again by becoming one with Brahman, the Universal
Karma (Action): The inequalities of life are understandable only when we realize that they are because of our Karma
or actions in our past lives, and not of Gods creation. 3 stages of Karma: Prabhada: The body or tenement the soul chooses is not under our control. Samchita: accumulation of Karma of all our previous births. Changeable. By actions in our present life. Agami: actions in present life which determine our future in this life and in the next. upon our occupation and stage of life. Varna-ashram. This concept is fundamental to Hinduism.
Dharma (Righteous duties): To break the chain of birth and death, we should perform our righteous duties, depending
NOT BASED ON BIRTH. Not rigid in ancient times. Though over time, it became so.
The Untouchables or Outcastes: Originally those who had broken certain caste rules (excommunication). e.g., Brahmins excommunicated for some reason. Later, with Buddhist and Jain influence of the concept of Ahimsa (non violence), Hindus became vegetarians and outcasted meat eaters. (This is the time, when cow came to be considered sacred, like a mother, as it provided sustenance in an agrarian society of the times. Later, the upper castes included it in the scriptures to provide themselves with menial labor. Hindu society is at fault, not its scriptures.
Vanaprastha (ready to retire): When children are grown up and settled, detach from
the jungle of worldly desires. Concentrate on philosophical study. Contemplate, meditate and spiritual pursuits.
Sanyas: retire. No wants, no needs. Spend all the time in meditation and yoga.
Karma Yog (Path of Action): selfless service in ones profession. Work for works sake, without
attachment to the rewards thereof. Self discipline, self restraint and total absorption in ones path of action with justice and compassion towards all. No work is inferior, as action is the means of attaining God, and work is the form of worship. the Vedas and Upanishads, the Gita. Then practice discrimination and analysis, detachment, see all beings as being equal, and not affected by worldly joys or sorrows. Then find a Guru (teacher) to guide, and finally practice deep meditation on the Absolute.
Jnana Yog (Path of wisdom or spiritual enlightenment): the most difficult. First, acquire knowledge of
By following any of these paths, Salvation, Nirvana, Moksha can be achieved in this life.
In Summary...
Hinduism is the oldest religion, has withstood ravages of wars and time. It is flexible and open to change with changing times. The spiritual process is vertical, not horizontal. Our present life is based upon actions in the previous lives. We control our actions in this life, upon which depends our future in this life, and future
lives.
Following the path of Dharma, we can attain salvation in this life, never to be born
again. And be one with the Absolute.
With all the power in my hands, with all the love in my heart, and with all the intellect in my head, I bow to Thee.