Hindu Religion is a dominant Eastern religion ranking third in the world. It is the oldest religion in the world.
What is Hinduism?
Simply put, Hinduism is a way of life that helps you liberate yourself from the cycle of birth and rebirth.
In other words, Hinduism is a conglomeration of different doctrines and traditions mainly based on the Vedas and modified from time to time by great saints without changing the basic teachings of the religion and the main aim of life, i.e., salvation (liberation from the cycle of birth and rebirth).
Some people define the Hindu religion as the way of life followed by people in India, which is only partially true. Though Hinduism was not a religion and a way of life followed by people of India and most of Asia, it is now identified as a separate religion. There is no single book or a single doctrine that can describe Hinduism. To understand Hinduism, you need to know all the streams of thought within Hinduism. Hinduism is a vast religion, and there are quite a handful of books on which it is based. Many Hindu customs, traditions, and beliefs differ from region to region and climate conditions. There is a considerable difference between the Hinduism in scripture and the Hinduism followed practically. In this article, we will describe Hinduism in minute detail and explain everything related to Hinduism.
Meaning of the words Hindu and Hinduism:
The words Hindu and Hinduism are geographical terms and have no real meaning. The real name of Hinduism is “Sanatan Dharma (Eternal Religion).”
The word Hindu refers to the people who live in the vicinity of the river Sindhu in India. Sindhu is a Sanskrit word for the river Indus. Therefore, the way of life they were following was termed Hinduism, i.e., the religion of the Hindus. The word Hindu is believed to have been first used by the Persians. There is no mention of the word Hindu or Hinduism in any of the Hindu scriptures.
India is also called Hindustan, as most people living there are Hindus.
Other names by which Hinduism is known:
1. Vedic religion.
2. Hindu Religion.
3. Hindu Dharma.
4. Vedic Dharma.
5. Sanatan Dharma.
6. Indian Religion.
7. Agama Hindu Dharma.
Different sects and thoughts in the Hindu Religion:
1. Shaivism: Those who follow Shaivism consider Lord Shiva the Supreme Being.
2. Shaktism: Those who follow Shaktism consider the Goddess (Devi) the Supreme Being.
3. Vaishnavism: Those following Vaishnavism consider Lord Vishnu the Supreme Being.
4. Smartism: Those who follow Smartism believe in the authority of the Vedas and accept all the principal Hindu deities.
5. Advaitism: Advaitism is the realization that existence is non-dual.
6. Mahanubhav Panth: This sect considers Lord Krishna the Supreme Being.
7. Modern Hindu religion: It is a new, unofficial sect followed by most Hindus worldwide. They do not bother about any sect. They worship all deities and think they are part of one God. They follow paganism too. Most of them are unaware of what Hindu scriptures actually say.
8. Aghori: Aghoris want to attain salvation through methods that normal people do not follow. Their path is very bizarre for ordinary people.
9. Paganism: Lots of aborigines in India follow Paganism.
10. Vedic Hinduism: It is based on the Vedas and Upanishads and follows the teachings and rituals described in these books only.
Hinduism is the oldest known religion on Earth. Its history dates back to 2500 B.C., but some people believe it is even older than that and can be dated back to 7000 B.C. or before. A recent discovery of Dwaraka (a city from the Mahabharata) corroborates this claim.
It is challenging to illustrate the history of the Hindu religion as no written records are available, but from the evidence found at the excavation sites in different parts of India, the history of Hinduism can be dated back to 2500 B.C. Lots of work is still pending in this regard.
Once upon a time, the Hindu religion expanded all over Asia. Traces of Hinduism are found in Russia, Japan, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and other non-Hindu countries also. Most of these parts were 100% Hindu territories.
Who is the founder of Hinduism?
Hinduism or Sanatan Dharma was not founded by a single person, as it was not founded as a religion.
What is the concept of God in Hinduism?
By scriptures, Hinduism is a monotheistic religion, but in practice, it is a polytheistic religion where Hindus worship more than one deity. According to the Vedas, there is only one God called Brahman, and idol worship is not allowed. Hindus believe that other deities are manifestations of Brahman. Hence, worshiping the deities is equivalent to worshiping the Supreme Reality.
Bhagavadgita also advocates monotheism and emphasizes worshiping one God, but Bhagavadgita advocates worship of Lord Krishna, the incarnation of Brahman, the Supreme Reality.
Upanishads advocate the symbol Aum as the only form of God.
To fulfill the needs in the physical world, Hindus worship different deities. If you want wisdom, then worship Lord Ganesha. If you want power, worship Lord Hanuman. If you want money, worship Goddess Laxmi.
God is considered Saguna and Nirguna, i.e., personal and impersonal. Saguna means having some characteristics like the human body and qualities, and Nirguna means formless and without any qualities.
Key Hindu scriptures:
Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavadgita, Smritis, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, and Puranas are the key Hindu scriptures. Ramayana and Mahabharata also have great religious importance in Hinduism, but cannot be considered Hindu scriptures. There are four Vedas and 18 Puranas in total. There are four Upavedas and 18 Upapuranas also. The Rigveda is the most sacred and authoritative book of the Hindu Religion. The Rigveda is the oldest scripture of all. Following is a list of primary Hindu scriptures:
Four Vedas:
Rigveda
Atharvaveda
Samveda
Yajurveda
Smritis:
Narada Smriti
Brihaspati Smriti
Yajnavalkya Smriti
Vedangas (Dharma-Sutras):
Shiksha (Phonetics)
Kalpa (Ritual)
Vyakarana (Grammar)
Nirukta (Etymology)
Chhandas (Metrics)
Jyotisha (Astronomy)
Brahmanas
Aranyakas
Upanishads:
Aitareya
Chandogya
Kena
Katha
Taittiriya
Svetasvatara
Maitrayani
Isha
Brihadaranyaka
Mandukya
Mundaka
Upvedas:
Ayurveda (Medical Science)
Dhanurveda (Military Science)
Gandharvaveda (Musical Knowledge)
Shilpveda (Science of Architecture)
Bhagavadgita
18 Puranas:
Vishnupurana
Shiv Purana
Skandhapurana
Varaha Purana
Agni Purana
Bhagvatpurana
Bhavishyapuran
Brahmapurana
Brahmandapuran
Brahmavaivartapuran
Kurma Purana
Lingpuran
Markandeyapuran
Matsyapuran
Narada Purana
Padmapuran
Vamana Purana
Vayu Purana
Up-Puranas:
Sanat-Kumara
Brihan-Naradiya
Siva-Rahasya
Durvasa
Kapila
Vamana
Bhargava
Varuna
Kalika
Samba
Nandi
Surya
Parasara
Vasishtha
Devi-Bhagavata
Ganesha
Mudgala
Hansa
Ramayana
Mahabharata
Symbols of Hinduism:
1. Om.
2. Swastika.
3. Lingam.
4. Trishul.
5. Bindi.
6. Yantra.
7. Shri.
8. Lotus.
9. Saffron Flag.
16 Samskaras in a Hindu’s Life: 16 Samskaras are the 16 rituals performed at particular life stages. Nowadays, so many rituals are not performed, but some of them are still being followed.
1. Garbhadhana: First Samskara to be done immediately after the marriage.
2. Pumsavana: A ritual to be done in the third month of pregnancy.
3. Simanatonayana: A ritual to be done in the fourth or fifth month of pregnancy.
4. Jatakarman: A ritual done immediately after a male child is born.
5. Namakarana: Naming ceremony performed on the 12th day of birth.
6. Nishkramana: A ritual to be done when the child is first taken out of the house.
7. Annaprashana: When a child starts to eat solid food at the sixth month.
8. Chudakarna: Cutting the child’s hair for the first time.
9. Karnavedha: Ear piercing.
10. Vidyarambha: Starting the education of a child.
11. Upanayana: Thread ceremony.
12. Praishartha: Learning of Vedas and Upanishads.
13. Keshanta and Ritushuddhi: Keshanta is for boys, and ritushuddhi is for girls.
14. Samavartana: Ceremony at the end of formal education.
15. Vivaha: The marriage ceremony.
16. Antyeshti or Antim Sanskar: A ritual done at the time of cremation.
Major Hindu Beliefs:
Reincarnation: Hindus believe all living beings have a soul inside them, which is a part of the Supreme Soul (Paramatma). The soul is immortal. It cannot be killed, burnt, or caught. If someone dies, it is the body that has perished, not the soul. The soul changes the body as we change our clothes. It passes from one body to another. Depending upon our deeds, we reincarnate on Earth as a living being.
Buddhism and Jainism also believe in reincarnation. Since ancient times, there have been hundreds of examples of reincarnation. Examples of reincarnation are found in the people of all religions, including Christianity and Islam, which do not believe in reincarnation.
Karma: Karma is what we do in day-to-day life. Karma is classified as Bad Karma (Paap) and Good Karma (Punya), i.e., evil and good deeds. If you kill or hurt someone, it is evil Karma; if you help someone, it is good Karma. Karma plays a vital role in reincarnation. Depending upon your Karma, you get reincarnated as a human or animal. Your entire life depends upon the Karma you did in the past and present life. If you have enough good Karma, your life will be easy. You are bound to suffer if you have a collection of evil Karma.
Salvation: This cycle of reincarnation continues year after year and Yuga after Yuga. Therefore, our soul is subjected to continuous sufferings even if it changes bodies. There is only one way to end this cycle: through salvation. As we know, our soul is part of the Supreme Soul; when it becomes one with that Supreme Soul, we attain salvation. To attain salvation, you need a human body, and we get the human body after our soul travels through 8,400,000 species. Therefore, the ultimate aim of human life should be to attain salvation.
Hinduism shows us different paths that would help us attain salvation.
Dashavatar: “Dash” means Ten and “Avatar” means incarnation of a divine being into human form. Hindus believe that whenever Dharma weakens or the sins on the earth increase to the limit, Lord Vishnu incarnates on the earth and protects Dharma. The following are the 10 incarnations of Vishnu known as Dashavataram:
1. Matsyavatar.
2. Kurmavatar.
3. Varahavatar.
4. Narsimhavatar.
5. Vamanavatar.
6. Parshuram.
7. Ram.
8. Krishna.
9. Buddha.
10. Kalki Avatar.
Other than Lord Vishnu, other deities like Shiva, Maa Parvati, etc., also incarnate from time to time. Hindu scriptures are full of stories about incarnations.
Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism