bout
80 percent
of India's population regard themselves as Hindus and 30 million more
Hindus live outside of India. There are a total of 900 million Hindus
worldwide, making Hinduism the third largest religion (after Christianity and
Islam).
The term "Hinduism" includes numerous traditions, which are
closely
related and share common themes but do not
constitute a unified set of beliefs or
practices.
Hinduism is thought to have gotten its name from the Persian word
hindu,
meaning "river," used by outsiders to describe the people of the
Indus River Valley. Hindus themselves refer to their religion as
sanatama
dharma, "eternal religion," and
varnasramadharma, a
word emphasizing the fulfillment of duties (
dharma) appropriate to
one's class (
varna) and stage of life (
asrama).
Hinduism has no founder or date of origin. The authors and dates of most
Hindu
sacred texts
are unknown. Scholars describe modern Hinduism as the product of religious
development in India that spans nearly four thousand years,
making it the oldest surviving world religion. Indeed, as seen above, Hindus
regard their religion as eternal (
sanatama).
Hinduism is not a homogeneous, organized
system.
Many Hindus are devoted followers of Shiva or Vishnu, whom they regard as the
only true God, while others look inward to the divine Self (
atman).
But most recognize the existence of Brahman, the unifying principle and Supreme
Reality behind all that is.
Most Hindus respect the authority of the Vedas (a collection of ancient
sacred texts) and
the Brahmans (the priestly class), but some reject one of both of these
authorities. Hindu religious life might take
the form
of devotion to
God or gods,
the duties of family life, or concentrated
meditation.
Given all this diversity, it is important to take care when generalizing about
"Hinduism" or "Hindu beliefs."
The first sacred
writings of Hinduism, which date to
about 1200 BC, were primarily concerned with the ritual sacrifices associated
with numerous gods who represented forces of nature. A more philosophical focus
began to
develop around 700 BC, with the
Upanishads and
development of the Vedanta philosophy. Around 500 BC, several new belief
systems sprouted from Hinduism, most significantly
Buddhism and
Jainism.
In the 20th century, Hinduism began to gain popularity in the West. Its
different worldview and its tolerance for diversity in belief made it an
attractive alternative to traditional Western religion. Although there are
relatively few western converts to Hinduism, Hindu thought has influenced the
West indirectly by way of religious movements like Hare Krishna and New Age,
and even more so through the incorporation of Indian beliefs and practices
(such as the chakra system and yoga) in books and seminars on health and
spiritualit
A variety of Hindu symbols
are used in art, sacred objects and ritual. They usually signify Hindu
concepts, the attributes of deities, or the gods or goddesses themselves. This
section explains the history, meaning and use of some common Hindu symbols. For
things that may have a symbolic meaning but are mainly important as a concrete
object, see Hindu Things.
meaning of name
Hinduism,
from the Persian hindu (Sanskrit sindhu), literally
"river." Means "of the Indus Valley" or simply
"Indian." Hindus call their religion sanatama dharma,"eternal
religion" or "eternal truth."
date founded
Earliest
forms date to 1500 BC or earlier
place founded
India
founder
none
adherents
900
million
size rank
third
largest in the world
main location
India,
also United Kingdom and United States
major sects
Saivism,
Vaisnavism, Saktism
sacred texts
Vedas,
Upanishads, Sutras, Bhagavad Gita
original language
Sanskrit
spiritual leader
guru
or sage
place of worship
temple
or home shrine
theism
ultimate reality
Brahman
human nature
in
bondage to ignorance and illusion, but able to escape
purpose of life
to
attain liberation (moksa) from the cycle of reincarnation
how to live
order
life according to the dharma
afterlife
if
karma unresolved, soul is born into a new body; if karma resolved, attain moksa
(liberation)
major holidays
Mahashivarati
(mid-February)
Holi (Spring)
Ramnavami (late March)
Dusserah (early November)
Diwali (mid-November)
Modern Hinduism is divided into four
major devotional sects: Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism.
Vaishnavism and Shaivism are generally regarded as monotheistic sects: each
believes in one supreme God, who is identified as Vishnu in Vaishnavism and
Shiva in Shaivism.
Vaishnavism, Shaivism and Shaktism
are the most prevalent Hindu sects; among these, Vaishnavism is the largest.
The devotional sects do not generally regard other sects as rivals, and each
sect freely borrows beliefs and practices from others.
In addition to the four theistic
sects, there are six schools of Vedantic philosophy within Hinduism.
These schools tend to emphasize Ultimate Reality as Brahman, the great
"Self" who must be realized to attain liberation.
The six Astika (orthodox; accepting
the authority of the Vedas) schools of Hindu philosophy are Nyaya, Vaisheshika,
Samkhya, Yoga, Purva Mimamsa (also called just 'Mimamsa'), and Uttara Mimamsa
(also called 'Vedanta'). Of these six, three continue to be influential in
Hinduism: Purva Mimamsa, Yoga, and Vedanta.
Click on the links below for more
information on each of these sects and schools of Hinduism.
Four Theistic/Devotional Sects of
Hinduism
Six Philosophical Schools of
Hinduism
- Yoga
- Purva Mimamsa (Mimamsa)
- Uttara Mimamsa (Vedanta)
- Nyaya
- Vaisheshika
- Samkhya
·
Hinduism embraces a great diversity
of beliefs, a fact that can be initially confusing to westerners
accustomed to creeds, confessions, and carefully-worded belief statements. One
can believe a wide variety of things about God, the universe and the path to
liberation and still be considered a Hindu.
·
This attitude towards religious
belief has made Hinduism one of the more open-minded religions when it comes to
evaluating other faiths. Probably the most well-known Hindu saying about
religion is: "Truth is one; sages call it by different names."
·
However, there are some beliefs
common to nearly all forms of Hinduism that can be identified, and these basic
beliefs are generally regarded as boundaries outside of which lies either
heresy or non-Hindu religion. These fundamental Hindu beliefs include:
the authority of the Vedas (the oldest Indian sacred texts) and the Brahmans
(priests); the existence of an enduring soul that transmigrates from one body
to another at death (reincarnation); and the law of karma that
determines one's destiny both in this life and the next.
·
Note that a specific belief about
God or gods is not considered one of the essentials, which is a major
difference between Hinduism and strictly monotheistic religions like
Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Sikhism. Most Hindus are devoted followers of
one of the principal gods Shiva, Vishnu or Shakti, and often others besides,
yet all these are regarded as manifestations of a single Reality.
·
The ultimate goal of all Hindus is
release (moksha) from the cycle of rebirth (samsara). For those
of a devotional bent, this means being in God's presence, while those of a
philosophical persuasion look forward to uniting with God as a drop of rain
merges with the sea.
·
The authority of the ancient
scriptures known as the Vedas as well as that of the priests known as the
Brahmans are two concepts that are fundamental to Hinduism and differentiate
the faith from Buddhism and Jainism.
·
Most Hindus venerate one or more
deities, but regard these as manifestations of Ultimate Reality. So who, or
what, is the Ultimate Reality that is behind the universe and all the gods? In
the Rig Veda, it is referred to as "the One." In the Purushasukta,
it is given the name "Purusha," and in the Upanishads it is
called "Brahman," "the One," and several other names.
·
The Sanskirt word karma means
"actions" and refers to the fundamental Hindu principle that one's
moral actions have unavoidable and automatic effects on one's fortunes in this
life and condition of rebirth in the next.
·
Hinduism is a decidedly theistic
religion, but it can be difficult to determine whether it is a polytheistic,
pantheistic, or even monotheistic religion. Of course, this is chiefly a
western question: the Indian mind is much more inclined to regard divergent
views as complementary rather than competing.
·
In Hinduism, there is not just one
purpose of human life, but four: Dharma - fulfilling one's purpose; Artha -
prosperity; Kama - desire, sexuality, enjoyment; and Moksha - enlightenment.
