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HISTORY of HINDUISM
Hinduism is the oldest and most complex of all religious systems.
Providing an adequate history for the development of Hinduism is
difficult, since it has no specific founder or theology and originated
in the religious practices of Aryan tribes who moved to India from
central Asia more than three thousand years ago. The Aryans
attacked the Harappan people who lived in modern day India
around 1500 BC. Eventually, through adaptation to the religious
beliefs of the other, both groups developed similar religious belief
systems, founded on the polytheism of the Aryans and the sanctity
of fertility of the Harappans.
Soon, the predominantly Aryan society developed the caste system,
which ranked society according to occupational class. The caste
system is as follows:
Brahmins
Priests and their families, the highest class.
Kshatriyas Soldiers, king-warrior class
Vaishyas
Merchants, Farmers, Laborers, Craftspeople
Harijahns "Untouchables"- those thought to be descended from the Harappan aboriginal peopleextremely poor and discriminated against
The higher a person's caste, the more that person is blessed with the benefits and luxuries life has to
offer. Although the caste system was outlawed in 1948, it is still important to the Hindu people of
India and is still recognized as the proper way to stratify society.
Since the early days of Hinduism, it has branched and now encompasses a wide variety of religious
beliefs and religious organizations. Not only is it the primary religion of the region around India,
but portions of Hindu beliefs have found their way across oceans to other countries and have been
influential in the foundations of other religions, such as Transcendental Meditation and Buddhism.
References
McDowell, Josh and Don Stewart, Handbook of Today's Religions. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers,
1983. Twelfth printing, June 1992.
Shelley, Fred M. and Audrey E. Clarke, eds. Human and Cultural Geography. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C.
Brown Publishers, 1994.
Images
'Brahma' courtesy of http://members.nbci.com/_XMCM/ekprem/hinduism.htm
Written by Sara Wenner, 2001
Basic Beliefs of Hinduism
Hinduism is based on the concept that human and animal spirits reincarnate, or
come back to earth to live many times in different forms. The belief that souls
move up and down an infinite hierarchy depending on the behaviors they
practiced in their life is visible in many of the Hindu societal policies. The caste
system survives and charity towards others is unheard of because each
individual deserves to be in the social class they were born in. A person is born
into the highest class because they behaved well in a past life, and a person is
born into poverty and shame because of misbehaviors in a past life.
Today, a Hindu can be polytheistic (more than one god), monotheistic (one
god), pantheistic (god and the universe are one), agnostic (unsure if god exists),
or atheistic (no god) and still claim to be Hindu. This open theology makes it
difficult to discuss basic beliefs since there are many ideas about what
Hinduism means. However, these
universal ideas must be mentioned.
Central to Hinduism are the concepts of
reincarnation, the caste system, merging
with brahman (or the ultimate reality),
finding morality, and reaching Moksha
(the peaceful escape from the cycle of
reincarnation).
Religious documents include Sruti, (what is heard) and Smriti,
(what is remembered). The Sruti include deeply religious
things communicated to a seer and recorded. The Vedas, the
religious writings, include mantras (hymns of praise),
brahmanas (sacrificial rituals) and upanishads (108 sacred
teachings). The Smriti include the law (books of laws),
puranas (myths, stories, legends) and epics (sets of holy
myths including Ramayana and Mahabharata).
The Hindu paths to salvation include the way of works
(rituals), the way of knowledge (realization of reality and selfreflection), and the way of devotion (devotion to the god that you choose to follow). If the
practitioner follows the paths of these ways, salvation can be achieved.
References
McDowell, Josh and Don Stewart, Handbook of Today's Religions. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers,
1983. Twelfth printing, June 1992.
Shelley, Fred M. and Audrey E. Clarke, eds. Human and Cultural Geography. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C.
Brown Publishers, 1994.
Images
'Krishna' courtesy of About Rajasthan- http://www.rajasthanweb.com/about/religion/index.htm
'Ganesh' and 'Shiva' courtesy of World Religions in Images
'Gsarawt' courtesy of Presja http://members.nbci.com/_XMCM/ekprem/hinduism.htm
Written by Sara Wenner, 2001
Hindu Terms
Atman The real self, the eternal life principle. (Soul)
Brama The creator god
Brahmin A member of the priestly caste, the highest class.
Dharma The teachings of virtue and principle
Karma The culminating value of all of one's life actions, good and bad, which together determine
one's next rebirth and death.
Moksha The term for liberation from the bondage of finite existence.
Puranas Part of the Hindu scriptures consisting of myths and legends mixed with historical events.
Samsara The rebirth of souls passing on from one existence to another until release can be
achieved, reincarnation.
Upanishads Part of the Hindu sacred texts containing treatises on the nature of ultimate reality and
the way to achieve union with the absolute.
Veda The oldest of the Hindu scriptures, consisting of four collections of sacred writings.
Yoga The Hindu path of union with the divine. Any sort of exercise (physical, mental or spiritual)
which promotes one's journey to union with Brahma.
References
McDowell, Josh and Don Stewart, Handbook of Today's Religions. Nashville: Thomas Nelson
Publishers, 1983. Twelfth printing, June 1992.
Written by Sara Wenner, 2001