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Hinduism then and now
Hinduism in indian culture
History and development of Hinduism
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Hinduism is possibly one of the oldest religions in the world. It was founded by Aryans and has become one of the largest religions in the world, but is mostly practiced in India. This religion is unique, for there is no creator or exact date of when it began. Hinduism was simply founded by the people of India (brittanica.com). The Aryans are said to have founded the Hindu religion around 1800 B.C. Some of the platforms of Hinduism such as the Sanskrit language are said to be attributed by the Aryan people.
Hinduism is a monotheistic religion, which is the belief in one God (blueletterbible.org). I know this is hard to believe, but Hindus do believe in only one God, they just believe in many different forms of that God (religionfacts.com).
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The Vedas are some of the oldest religious texts in the world. They are said to have been passed down orally for over 100,000 years. The Vedas are divided into four groups, Rig-veda, Yajur-veda, Sama-veda and Atharva-veda (brittanica.com). They are written in Sanskrit and contain philosophies, hymns, and guidance for priests in the Vedic religion. The Rig-Veda holds knowledge of the Hymns of Praise, the Yajur-Veda holds knowledge of the sacrificial formulas, Sama-Veda holds knowledge of the melodies, and the Atharva-Veda holds knowledge of the magic formulas (religionfacts.com). The Upanishads are also a very important form of Scripture in the Hindu religion. The Upanishads hold all the central teachings of Hinduism. Some of these teachings include karma, samsara, moksha, atman, and the Brahman.
The idea of karma relates back to reincarnation. In Hinduism, it is believed that wrong-doings a person has done in a past life can affect their new life. The people of Hinduism believe in reincarnation, just like in Buddhism. The cycle of reincarnation will happen many times and allows a person to work through their karma, this cycle is called Samsara (berkleycenter.edu). Samsara relates back to the concept of Moksha, which is also a teaching in the Upanishads (brittanica.com). Moksha is the idea of finally breaking free of Samsara, the cycle of death and
Unlike most religions, Hinduism has no specific founder, scripture or set of teachings. Hinduism has over nine hundred million followers today. The history of Hinduism is that it was found in the Indus Valley and it is an oral religion. Hindu’s believe in the three gods named Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Brahma is believed to be the creator of the world and creatures.
Karma "means action, and also the consequences of action. Every act we make, and even every thought and every desire we have, shape our future experiences. Our life is what we have made it. And we ourselves are shaped by what we have done: "As a man acts, so does he become. . . . A man becomes pure through pure deeds, impure through impure deeds." Not only do we reap in this life the good or evil we have sown; they also follow us after physical death, affecting our next incarnation. Ethically, this is a strong teaching, for our every move has far-reaching consequences." (pg 87) In order to
Hinduism, also known by the name Sanatana-Dharma, is often referred to as the “oldest religion” in the world, is generally considered to be an ethnic religion and is fundamentally based on the religion of the original Aryan settlers. “Hinduism, from the Persian Hindi (Sanskrit sindhu), literally "river." Means "of the Indus Valley" or simply "Indian." Hindus call their religion sanatama dharma,"eternal religion" or "eternal truth” (“Facts on Hinduism”). It was founded around 3000 BCE, and is now considered to be the third largest religion in the world. Followers of Hinduism, which is estimated to be anywhere around 900 million, are especially concentrated in India, Nepal, and other countries throughout Asia. The broader world contact that has occurred since World War II allowed various forms of Hinduism to become more widely known and accepted. The multiple Hindu sects, including the Krishna Consciousness, have been particularly successful among young American and Europeans and claims to be adherent around the world. Hinduism is dissimilar compared to other religions, in the fact that it has no founders. This religion is considered to be permissive in creed or code as it is not necessarily coordinated in any way, even though various sects and cults are formulated. This religion is especially known for its tolerance because it is willing to accommodate those who are exceptionally religious; whether it be a Jew, Christian, or Muslim as a part of their religion. Hinduism is very transformable and accepts elements of different religion. Overtime it has even developed different aspects of both Christianity and Buddhism and incorporated them into the religion of Hinduism. Hinduism worships a multiplicity of gods; the most important in...
The idea of samsara is roughly that of reincarnation. All souls are trapped in a cycle of life, death, and rebirth. The goal of each of these souls is to escape the cycle of samsara and obtain moksha. Moksha is a reincarnation with a god. In recent Hinduism the moksha that you obtain is with the god of your choice, or whomever you worshipped as your patron deity. The terms of dharma and karma are the tools that we must use in order to obtain moksha and escape samsara.
One of the most important elements of these religions is their history. The Hindu religion disputably began around 2500 years before the Common Era (B.C.E.) in India. It was geographically based along the Indus River, which was called “Hindu” by the Persians who had migrated there. They also called the land Hindustan and it’s inhabitants, Hindus. After that, the religion that followed was called Hinduism. Today, almost 800 million people practice the Hindu religion (Spodek, 261)
Hinduism has faith in the deity that is visualized in a triad. They are Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the preserver; and Siva, the destroyer. The article about Hinduism in the www.religioustolerance.org states that there are thousands of gods that Hindus believe, but generally there are two major sects in Hinduism; the Vaishnavaism – esteems Vishnu as the supreme god, and Shivaism – esteems Siva as the supreme god. Like other religions, Hinduism has books that give its followers directions for living. They are the Vedas and Upanishads, and epics such as Mahabarata, Ramayana, and Bhagwad Gita. The Vedas is the most fundamental book for Hindus. It was dictated by the god Syva's
Hinduism is a very unique religion; it is the oldest living religion and does not have a single founder unlike Buddhism. Hinduism
But in reality, they have nothing to do with an alternate universe, but actually an alternate way of life, or more appropriately, understanding. Moksha is the ultimate human goal in Hinduism. It is the liberation of the soul from its egotistical and selfish nature and transformation into connectedness and compassion for all things. When an individual obtains moksha, they also leave the cycle of reincarnation (samsara,) including karma, and only Brahman remains. The goal is to unite the soul (atman) with Brahman.
In addition, what makes Hinduism even more complex, is that fact that it is also “viewed as a monotheistic religion, because it recognizes only one supreme God: the panentheistic principle of Brahman that all reality is a unity. The entire universe is seen as one divine entity who is simultaneously at one with the universe and who transcends it as well. [Still others] view Hinduism as Trinitarian because Brahman is simultaneously visualized as a triad - - one God with three persons” (Robinson, 1995):
Karma, also known as Karman is a basic concept common to Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The doctrine of Karma states that one's state in this life is a result of actions both physical and mental in past carnations, and action in this life can determine one's destiny in future incarnations. Karma is a natural, impersonal law of moral cause and effect and has no connection with the idea of a supreme power that decrees punishment of forgiveness of sins. Karmic law is universally applicable, and only those who have attained liberation from rebirth, called mukti (or moksha) or nirvana, can be transcend it. (The Columbia Encyclopedia)
The Vedas are considered the earliest literary record of Indo-Aryan civilization, and the most sacred books of India. They are the original scriptures of Hindu teachings, and contain spiritual knowledge encompassing all aspects of our life. Vedic literature with its philosophical maxims has stood the test of time and is the highest religious authority for all sections of Hindus in particular and for mankind in general. Veda means wisdom, knowledge or vision, and it manifests the language of the gods in human speech. It is believed that humans did not compose the revered compositions of the Vedas, which were handed down through generations by the word of mouth from time immemorial. The general assumption is that the Vedic hymns were either taught by God to the sages or that they were revealed themselves to the sages who were the seers or mantradrasta of the hymns.
While most traditional religions are easy to define and comprehend, Hinduism is not. It cannot be spoken about as one single entity but rather a label for many different traditions within itself that originated in India. It is the world’s third largest religion with a following of a billion people. Hinduism, at its most basic definition, is the belief in either several gods or goddess, or the belief in one God with many faces. It is a way of life that relies heavily on the ideas of cause and effect. They believe in reincarnation with a desire to be liberated from the cycle of birth and death. They believe it is the key to a lifetime of happiness, prosperity and love. While it is considered to be the oldest
Hinduism is the world’s third largest religion and was originated in the Indian subcontinent. Is rare that a big religion like Hinduism don’t have a single founder, religious organization, specific theological system and don’t even a system of morality, but it is a religion that has evolved over thousands of years. Hinduism has a diverse body of cultural and philosophical practices. Hinduism consists of belief and tradition. The most recognized belief and traditions of the Hinduism are Karma, Dharma, Samsara and Moshka. Hindu people don’t believe in violence, but they do believe in prayers, honesty, truth, austerity, celibacy and penance. The Hindu scriptures are collectively referred to as the Shashtras. The Hindu scriptures were initially passed on orally from generation to generation until finally ancient scholars wrote them down; mainly in the Sanskrit language that was the prevailing language of the time. Some of the Hindu scriptures are the Shruti and Smritis. The Shruti primarily refers to the Vedas which represent eternal truths revealed to ancient sages but some other Hindu individuals associated the Vedas with a God or a powerful person. The Smritis are all of the other text different than the Shruti. The most know of the Smritis are the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Although the Hindus worship a large pantheon of Gods and Goddesses, they believe in the one Supreme Power that manifests itself in various forms.
Hinduism is a major religion of India with a long and complex history. It is also a way of life that embraces many aspects of South Asian culture. Its origins date back to the Indus valley civilization of 2500 be. The word „Hindu‟ was initially, a Persian toponym used for people living beyond the Indus River.
Hindu mythology has interesting theories on how the Earth was created and the reincarnation of people, Hinduism is very different to many other mythologies and has some unique key features that make it stand out from the rest. History tells that there are over 330 million gods in Hindu mythology. There are six main gods in Hinduism. Hindu’s have an interesting belief of what happens to them after death, the afterlife Hindus believe in must be met by accomplishing a goal. Hinduism is a unique belief in many gods, the life cycle and reincarnation of its people.