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BuddhismandHinduism
HINDUISM
Mahabharatafrieze
Hinduism,India'smainreligion,isoneofthemostancientfaithsintheworld.Itaroseasacomplextraditionofbeliefsandpracticesbyaround1500BCE.Over
time,Hinduismevolvedtoincludeasocialclassorderknownasthecastesystem,apantheonofmanygodsandgoddesses,avarietyofsectsandritual
practices,andanepicreligiousliterature.
OriginsofHinduism
MostscholarsbelievethatearlyHinduismemergedasacombinationofthereligiousbeliefsandpracticesoftwogroups,India'sindigenousHarappanpeople
andIndoEuropeannomadictribesknownastheAryans.InthemidsecondmillenniumBCE,theAryansmigratedfromcentralAsiaandenterednorthernIndia,
wheretheyquicklydominatedlocalpopulations.TheresultingblendofculturesisknownasIndoAryan.
Brahmins
OneoftheAryans'mostimportantcontributionstoIndianculturewastheirdivisionofsocietyintothreedistinctclasses:priests,warriorsand
rulers,andcommoners.ThiseventuallydevelopedintoHinduism'shereditaryclasssystemofvarna,alsoknownasthecastesystem,whichdividedsocietyinto
fourmajorclasses:theBrahmins,orpriestsandscholarstheKshatriya,orwarriorsandrulerstheVaishya,orfarmersandmerchantsandtheSudra,or
laborers.Aperson'scastedeterminedmanyaspectsoftheirlife,includingsocialstatus,occupationandmarriageopportunities,anddietarypractices.Below
thefourcastesweretheuntouchablesorDalits,believedtobeborn"unclean"andthusgiventasksthatwould"contaminate"theotherclasses.
TheIndoAryanscomposedthescripturesthatbecameHinduism'smostancientsacredtexts,theVedas.ThesewerewrittendownintheIndoEuropean
languageSanskritbeginningabout600BCE,thoughtheywereorallycomposedmuchearlier.TheVedasaremadeupoffourcollectionstheRigveda,the
AtharvaVeda,theSamaVeda,andtheYajurVeda.ThesecontainhymnstosuchdeitiesasAgni(godoffire),Varuna(thepreserveroftheuniverse),and
Indra(godofwarandthunder),aswellasinstructionsforreligiousritualstobecarriedoutbyBrahmins.
OtherimportantsacredtextsincludedthecommentariesontheVedasknownastheBrahmanas,aswellastheUpanishads,whichmakeupthelastsectionof
theVedasandaddressvariousspiritualquestions.AllofthesescripturesbecamefundamentaltoHindubeliefandpractice.
HinduBelief
Hinduismdidnothaveasinglefounderandwasneverorganizedasaunifiedinstitution.Asaresult,thereligionincludesworshipofmanydifferent
gods(withbelieversoftenfocusingonspecificfavoreddeities),andvariedinterpretationsofsacredtexts,doctrines,andrituals.

Shiva

WhileHindubeliefandpracticeareverydiverse,thereareseveralcoreconcepts.Oneoftheseisthatthesoul(atman)ispartoftheabsoluterealityknownas
Brahman.However,thesouliscaughtinthecycleofreincarnation(samsara),inwhichitiscontinuouslyrebornindifferenthumanandnonhumanforms.An
individual'srebirthisdeterminedbytheirkarma,thecauseandeffectaccumulationoftheirgoodandbadactionsinpreviouslives.Toachieveafavorable
rebirth,onemustfulfilltheobligationsofthevarnaoneisborninto,adutyknownasdharma.Carryingoutone'sdharmahelpstomaintaincosmicorder.
TheultimategoalinHinduismistoobtainmoksha,orliberation,fromthecycleofdeathandrebirth.Therearedifferentapproachestoreachingliberation.
Believerscanchoosethepathofbhaktimarga,orfocusondevotiontodeitieskarmamarga,theobservanceofdharmaandperformanceofgoodactionsor
jnanamarga,thepursuitofspiritualandphilosophicalknowledgethroughscripturalstudy.
Hinduism'sthreemajorgodsareBrahma,thecreatoroftheuniverseVishnu,thecosmicpreserverandShiva,thegodofdestructionandregeneration.Each
ofthesethreegodsembodiesdifferentaspectsofBrahman.OtherimportantdeitiesincludethemothergoddessDurgaLakshmi,thegoddessofloveand
prosperityKrishna,anincarnationofVishnuandGanesha,theelephantheadedgodofgoodluck.TherearemillionsofHindudeitiesinall,someworshipped
onlybyspecificgroupsorincertainlocations.
Hindubeliefisexpressedinvariousways,includingthroughprayers,pilgrimages,visitstotemples,ritualofferingstodeities,vowsandfasts,andcelebrationof
holyfestivals.
HinduEpics
ThetwomostinfluentialHinduepicsaretheMahabharata(whichincludestheBhagavadgita)andtheRamayana,Sanskritpoemscontainingmythologicaltales
aboutgodsandheroes.Theseworksarealsoliteraryexplorationsofcentralethicalquestionsandproblems,especiallythedifficultiesfacedinfulfilling
dharma.
Accordingtotradition,theMahabharatawasdictatedbythelegendarysageVyasatothegodGanesha,whowroteitdownusingoneofhistusksasapen.Itis
knownthattheoraloriginsoftheworkareearlierthanthefifthcenturyBCE,whenBrahminpriestsbegantoputitintowrittenform.Consideredtheworld's
longestworksofliterature,theMahabharataisverycomplexinstructureandmeaning.Itsmainplotconcernsthedisputeandeventualwarfarebetweentwo
groupsofcousins,thePandavasandtheKauravas,overpossessionoftheBharataregionofcentralIndia.Akeythemeistheimportanceofperformingsocial
andreligiousdutiesregardlessofcircumstancesorobstacles.
KrishnaandArjunascenefromtheMahabharata
TheBhagavadgitawasaddedastheappendixtotheMahabharata.Itconsistsofaconversationbetween
thegodKrishnaandArjuna,oneofthePandavaprincesabouttoenterbattleagainsthiscousins.Reluctanttokillhisrelativesonthebattlefield,Arjunaasks
hischariotdriver,whoisKrishnaindisguise,aseriesofquestionsaboutthemoralityofhisintendedactions.Takingtheroleofteacherorguru,Krishna
providesinstruction,encouragingArjunatoresolvehisdilemmabyfocusingonfulfillinghisdharma.Thismeansheshouldselflesslyperformhisdutiesasa
warriorandviewhisactionsaspartofthemuchlargerplayofcosmicevents.Krishna'sresponsesalsoclarifyHinduism'sdifferentpathsbywhichthesoulmay

groupsofcousins,thePandavasandtheKauravas,overpossessionoftheBharataregionofcentralIndia.Akeythemeistheimportanceofperformingsocial
andreligiousdutiesregardlessofcircumstancesorobstacles.
KrishnaandArjunascenefromtheMahabharata
TheBhagavadgitawasaddedastheappendixtotheMahabharata.Itconsistsofaconversationbetween
thegodKrishnaandArjuna,oneofthePandavaprincesabouttoenterbattleagainsthiscousins.Reluctanttokillhisrelativesonthebattlefield,Arjunaasks
hischariotdriver,whoisKrishnaindisguise,aseriesofquestionsaboutthemoralityofhisintendedactions.Takingtheroleofteacherorguru,Krishna
providesinstruction,encouragingArjunatoresolvehisdilemmabyfocusingonfulfillinghisdharma.Thismeansheshouldselflesslyperformhisdutiesasa
warriorandviewhisactionsaspartofthemuchlargerplayofcosmicevents.Krishna'sresponsesalsoclarifyHinduism'sdifferentpathsbywhichthesoulmay
gainreleasefromthecycleofdeathandrebirth.
TheRamayana,composedbythepoetValmikiaroundthefourthcenturyBCE,tellsthestoryofRama(anincarnationofVishnu)andhiswife,Sita(an
incarnationofLakshmi),whoisabductedbythedemonRavana.RamaisaidedbythemonkeygodHanumaninhisrescueofSita,whoundergoesmanytrials
duringhercaptivity.TheRamayanaemphasizesthevirtuesofloyalty,selfsacrifice,andpersistenceincarryingoutone'sdharma.
JenniferHutchinson
COPYRIGHT2016ABCCLIO,LLC
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ImageCredits
KrishnaandArjunascenefromtheMahabharata:Jupiterimages
Shiva:Corel
Brahmins:InstructionalResourcesCorporation
Mahabharatafrieze:LindsayHebberd/Corbis
MLACitation
Hutchinson,Jennifer."Hinduism."WorldHistory:AncientandMedievalEras,ABCCLIO,2016,ancienthistory.abcclio.com/Topics/Display/1185128?
cid=41&sid=1185128.Accessed12Sept.2016.

https://ancienthistory.abcclio.com/Topics/Display/1185128?cid=41&sid=1185128
EntryID:1185128