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Hinduism
Hinduism is a religion associated with INDIA. Roughly 80% of the population in India is Hindu. Hindus do not
send “missionaries” out and try to convert people to Hinduism, so if it is found outside of India the followers are
usually people who have migrated from India.
Origin
Hinduism is the fusion of Dravidian and Aryan beliefs and values. It is a very complex religion (you are going to
have to think outside the box to understand it)—it has no single founder, no specific founding dates, no single text
and no single administrative authority (no Pope in Hinduism). More than a single religion, it is a family of connected
religions that encompasses the living faiths of all the diverse peoples of India who call themselves Indian.
Beliefs and Practices
Beliefs and practices vary throughout India because there is no set dogma or doctrine. There are many sects, or
divisions, within Hinduism. As political leaders (Rajas and Maharajas) from north/central India expanded south they
incorporated the various gods and practices of the newly conquered people into the Hindu belief system (but
everyone else didn’t necessarily adopt those local gods and customs). As a result even Indians will debate the issue
of whether Hinduism is monotheistic or polytheistic.
While there are MANY gods (the argument supporting polytheism) all these gods are incarnations or avatars of the
three main “trinity” of gods. Hindus believe that Vishnu and Shiva incarnate themselves into forms, human or other
living beings on earth, to help humans in times of crisis. Each village and family has chief gods that they worship.
The trinity is made up of:
 Brahma—the great four headed god of creation.
 Vishnu—the preserver and sustainer of life. There are a total of ten incarnations of Vishnu including a fish,
boar, Krishna, Buddha (to some), and a man-lion.
 Shiva (Siva)—the destroyer and regenerator. While he has destructive power it leads ultimately to good for
he removes impurity for the sake of liberation.
WHAT ASPECTS ARE COMMON TO MOST HINDUS?
Belief in the Caste System or Varna
The caste system is first discussed in the Rig-Veda the oldest of the Vedas. Varna comes from the Sanskrit
word for color and refers to the class system in India. There are four major Varna described in the sacrifice of
Purusha. Around the 6th century BCE the caste system became an umbrella for a complicated hierarchy of subcastes known as jati, even the untouchables (or outcastes) divided themselves into jati.
 4 major Varna in India:
o Brahmins: priests and teachers
o Kshatriyas: rulers, warriors, and aristocrats (nobles)
o Vaishyas: cultivators, artisans, and merchants
o Shudras: Landless peasants, and serfs
 Untouchables: At the end of the Vedic Age some of the shudras became known as
untouchables or outcastes. They performed dirty or unpleasant tasks such as butchering
animals or handling dead bodies: they were considered spiritually impure or polluted by their
work.
 Occupation largely determined Varna and jati. There were specific rules of life for each Varna and jati—
what you could eat, who you could socialize with, who you could marry. Violation of these rules could
result in expulsion from the larger group—an outcaste individual could not function or survive outside the
group if shunned.
 There is no mobility between Varna but the system did accommodate social change. Jati could improve
collective position and foreign people could find a place in Indian society by adopting caste identities.
People in India identified more with jati than a city or state.
 Untouchability was outlawed in the constitution in 1947 (they were legally added to the Shudra caste) but
how do you get rid of 3000 years of tradition?
Belief in Brahman, atman, samsara, karma, dharma, and moksha
Another common belief among most Hindus and described in the Upanishads, written around 800-400 BCE, is the
idea that while Hindus worship many gods they are all part of one universal spirit “Brahman” (this leads some
Hindus to see Hinduism as monotheistic or polymorphic monotheism). In fact all individual souls are part of this
same spirit in the form of atman (like sparks of a fire are part of the fire). That is why most (not all) Hindus are
vegetarians—all living creatures are part of this universal soul. In time (it is hard to do and takes many life times) the
atman will be united with the universal Brahman in liberation or release of the soul called moksha.
 To reach unity each soul will be reincarnated, called samsara, in a series of bodies until it is purged of its
attachments to the physical world and achieves pure “tranquility.” After the death of this final body, the atman
is released to its union with the Brahman.
The Upanishads also explain that the form taken when a soul is reborn is determined by the laws of karma and
dharma or the actions and fulfillment of duties a person performs while alive. Karma: (Sanskrit word for deed)—
actions of each creature and the effects these actions have on its atman. Every action has a reaction—like a
boomerang. Activities and actions in opposition to one’s dharma pollute atman and visa versa. Dharma: (one’s duty
in ones lifetime) a set of religious and ethical duties to which each living creature in the universe is subject—you
must do your duty properly and without complaint to be reborn in a higher form.
Sacred Books—Hinduism has many sacred texts:
 Vedas: Made up of four books, Veda means wisdom or knowledge. The oldest of the four books is the RigVeda, a collection of 1028 verses of Sanskrit poetry and hymns. This book speculates on the creation of the
world and the significance of life in this world. It introduces the mythic origins of the caste system which is
told in the story of the sacrifice of Purusha, a mythical creature, who after his death was carved into four
sections: his mouth became the brahman caste (priests or teachers), his arms the kshatriya (warrior or
politician), his thighs the vaishya (farmer, merchant or professional) and his feet the Sudra (landless peasant,
servant or laborer).
The Emergence of Brahminical Hinduism
 Upanishads (800-500BCE): Discusses the idea of the oneness of the individual with the universe, karma,
dharma, moksha and samsara. It also describes the life stages on earth youthful time of study and celibacy,
household stage of having a family, forest wondering and lastly the total immersion in religious pursuits in
preparation for death.
 The Mahabharata is the world’s longest epic (10 times longer that the Bible). One part of the Mahabharata
is the Bhagavad-Gita that summarizes many of the key doctrines of Hinduism through the story of a civil
war fought between two branches of the same family. In it the warrior prince, Arjuna, struggling with the
idea of killing members of his own family, is advised by Krishna (an avatar of Vishnu) not to waver but to
perform his duty as a Kshatriya.
 The Ramayana, much shorter than the Mahabharata, tells of the mythical god-king Rama’s victory over the
“demon king” of Sri Lanka, who had kidnapped Rama’s wife, Sita. The Ramayana reinforces the very
patriarchal society of the Aryans but also reflects a greater prestige for women. In the story the hero Rama
fulfilled his dharma and so does his wife Sita by remaining loyal and faithful to her husband. The story takes
place when the Aryan rajas (in the north) worked to control Indian lands to the south.
Worship
Early religious worship in Hinduism began with rituals and animal sacrifice done by Brahmins (yes—animal
sacrifice—mostly horses and cattle). Later, by the 7th century CE prayer replaced animal sacrifice. How one prays
depends on region or time of the year. Hindus pray and give offerings of food and wine to representations—statues,
intricate carvings and pictures—of gods. Temples and Shrines were also built later around the 7th or 8th century CE
and beyond. Some Hindus will take pilgrimages to important shrines or cities. Many Hindus pilgrimage to the city
of Banaras (Varanasi) on the Ganges River to cleanse themselves in the holy waters of the Ganges River.