A Brief History Of Hinduism Hinduism is a complicated blend of polytheistic religion, a (belief in many gods , rather like the Greek

and the Roman deities) and philosophy. It originated fro m Vedism, which dates back to the second millennium before Christ. It is not sur prising therefore that numerous sects have developed or split away from a belief of this age. However, most of these sects rely on the one set of Vedic writings known collec tively as the 'Upanishads', and their differences result from their individual i nterpretations of them. These writings describe the events of Shiva, the creator , preserver and destroyer of the universe. There are also ancient writings such as the Mahabharata, the Ramayana and, less famous in the West, the Puranas. The Bhagavad Gita, the Lord's Song, a part of the Mahabharata, relates a dialogu e between Krishna (another incarnation of the god Vishnu) and the acolyte Prince Arjuna. This dialogue sheds light on the four paths to enlightenment or union w ith God. This might sound dreary, but I can assure you that reading the Bhagavad Gita cou ld easily transform the way that you look upon life no matter which religion you adhere to, if you have one. The basics of Hinduism are that people should try to connect their selves (Atman ) with the Godhead (Brahman) and reincarnation (samsara). Just what individuals come back as is determined by how they have led their lives, that is, one's acti ons (karma) and one's duty (dharma). This continuous reincarnation into a life of suffering can only be broken if one reaches the Godhead in a state of Atman-Brahman. Their are four paths to attain this divine condition in Hinduism. These are: jnana yoga, which is based on knowledge; bhakti yoga, which is center ed on service to God; karma yoga, which is based on work for God (instead of one self) and raja yoga, which is centered on psychophysical exercises. Raja yoga, or the 'Royal Path', is the form of yoga that most Westerners will ha ve heard of and seen. Raja yoga is more popular in the West these days than at a ny other time in history. Hinduism has three principal theistic traditions founded on anthropomorphic gods . Vishnu is a loving god incarnated as Krishna; Shiva is both protective and des tructive and Brahma is the creator. Saktism is a kind of worship devoted to the female partners of Vishnu and Shiva. Hindu's venerate all forms of life, but the most sacred animal to Hindus is the cow. Hindu worship revolves around a person's and a family's devotion to a particular 'favourite' god or group of gods. The act of worship is carried out at a holy p lace, which may be at home or communally in public. There are several places of pilgrimage including the Ganges in northern India. The three main festivals are Dipavali - the 'festival of lights' - which sacred to Lakshmi, the goddess of opulence; Holi, a spring festival and Dashara, a harv est festival. Hinduism is the oldest of the world's prolific religions. It is most prevalent i n India, which has outlawed the ancient caste system of Hinduism. This caste sys tem used to segregate society into five main classes: brahmins were leaders, phi losophers and artists; kshatriyas were princes, soldiers and administrators; vai shyas were merchants and landowners; shudras were labourers and the rest were ou

tcasts or untouchables. Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on a number of topics, but is now i nvolved with <a href="http://whatisreligiousbelief.com/hindu-religious-beliefs.h tml">Hindu religious beliefs</a>. If you would like to know more go to <a href=" http://whatisreligiousbelief.com">What is Religious Belief</a>?