“ Hinduism is the most ancient mainstream religion in the world today.Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world after Christianity and Islam.Hinduism is the major religion of India,Nepal,Bali Island of Indonesia(90% followers),Trinidad & Tobago,Suriname,Mauritius,Fiji, Singapore etc.
There are many misconceptions regarding Hinduism.We try to remove these misconceptions one by one.
Question 1)Why are there so many Gods in Hinduism.
Answer : It is one of the most important misunderstood concept in Hinduism.In fact the Holy book to Hindus i.e Gita clearly mentions that God is one (Parabrahma) and has no form or gender.All the devas or so called gods in Hindusim were created by the supreme being to control the various forces in the universe.
Question 2) Why do Hindus worship cow?
Before I answer this question,I have a straightforward question to all persons who are reading this.Do you love your mother?When a baby is born he or she drinks their mother's milk for around few months to around 1 yr of age.But after that the baby who later becomes a child and then an adult drinks milk throughout his or her life Cow's milk.So Hindus consider Cow to be their second mother and worship it and never harm or eat it.
GENERAL INFORMATION REGARDING HINDUISM
What is Hinduism?:
Hinduism is the world's oldest extant religion, with a billion followers, which makes it the world's third largest religion. Hinduism is a conglomeration of religious, philosophical, and cultural ideas and practices that originated in India, characterized by the belief in reincarnation, one absolute being of multiple manifestations, the law of cause and effect, following the path of righteousness, and the desire for liberation from the cycle of births and deaths.
The Uniqueness of Hinduism
Hinduism does not have any one founder, and any one core doctrine to which controversies can be referred to for resolution. There is also no point in time when it could be said to have begun. It does not require its adherents to accept any one idea, and thus is cultural, not creedal. The unique concept of the Absolute “Brahman” that cannot be equated with “God” is also exclusive to Hinduism.
Hinduism is also marked by an attitude which seems to accommodate religious and cultural perspectives other than one's own, and so is characterized by a rich variety of ideas and practices resulting in what appears as a multiplicity of religions under one term 'Hinduism'.
Hinduism is perhaps the only religious tradition that is so diverse in its theoretical premises and practical expressions that it is like a compilation of religions with a history contemporaneous with the peoples with which it is associated. According to philosopher Jeaneane Fowler, Hinduism can never be neatly slotted into any particular belief system — monism, theism, monotheism, polytheism, pantheism, panentheism — for all these systems are reflected in its many facets.
How and when did Hinduism originate?:
Hinduism has its origins in such remote past that it cannot be traced to any one individual. Some scholars believe that Hinduism must have existed even in circa 10000 B.C. and that the earliest of the Hindu scriptures – The Rig Veda – was composed well before 6500 B.C. The word "Hinduism" is not to be found anywhere in the scriptures, and the term "Hindu" was introduced by foreigners who referred to people living across the River Indus or Sindhu, in the north of India, around which the Vedic religion is believed to have originated.
What are the basic tenets of Hinduism?:
There is no “one Hinduism”, and so it lacks any unified system of beliefs and ideas. Hinduism is a conglomerate of diverse beliefs and traditions, in which the prominent themes include:
- Dharma (ethics and duties)
- Samsara (rebirth)
- Karma (right action)
- Moksha (liberation from the cycle of Samsara)
It also believes in truth, honesty, non-violence, celibacy, cleanliness, contentment, prayers, austerity, perseverance, penance, and pious company.
The Sacred Texts of the Hindus
According to Swami Vivekananda, "the accumulated treasury of spiritual laws discovered by different persons in different times" constitutes the sacred Hindu texts. Collectively referred to as the Shastras, there are two types of sacred writings in the Hindu scriptures: Shruti (heard) and Smriti (memorized).
Sruti literature refers to the habit of ancient Hindu saints who led a solitary life in the woods, where they developed a consciousness that enabled them to 'hear' or cognize the truths of the universe. Sruti literatures are of two parts: the Vedas and the Upanishads.
There are four Vedas:
- The Rig Veda -"Royal Knowledge"
- The Sama Veda - "Knowledge of Chants"
- The Yajur Veda - "Knowledge of Sacrificial Rituals"
- The Atharva Veda - "Knowledge of Incarnations"
There are 108 extant Upanishads, of which 10 are most important: Isa, Kena, Katha, Prashna, Mundaka, Mandukya, Taitiriya, Aitareya, Chandogya, Brihadaranyaka.
Smriti Literature refers to 'memorized' or 'remembered' poetry and epics. They are more popular with Hindus, because they are easy to understand, explains universal truths through symbolism and mythology, and contain some of the most beautiful and exciting stories in the history of religion world literature. The three most important of Smriti literature are:
- The Bhagavad Gita - The most well known of the Hindu scriptures, called the "Song of the Adorable One", written about the 2nd century BC and forms the sixth part of Mahabharata. It contains some of the most brilliant theological lessons about the nature of God and of life ever written.
- In the image below Lord Krishna is giving discourse to Arjuna which was later compiled as the Holy book of Hindus i.e Bhagavad Gita.
- The Mahabharata - The world's longest epic poem written about 9th century BC, and deals with the power struggle between the Pandava and the Kaurava families, with an intertwining of numerous episodes that make up life.
- The Ramayana - The most popular of Hindu epics, composed by Valmiki around 4th or 2nd centuries BC with later additions up to about 300 CE. It depicts the story of the royal couple of Ayodha - Ram and Sita and a host of other characters and their exploits.
Gods & Goddesses in Hinduism
Hinduism is generally associated with a multiplicity of Gods, and does not advocate the worship of one particular deity. The gods and goddesses of Hinduism amount to thousands or even millions, all representing the many aspects of only one supreme Absolute called “Brahman”.
Therefore, to believe that the multiplicity of deities in Hinduism makes it polytheistic is erroneous. The Rig Veda says: "Ekam sath, Vipraah bahudhaa vadanti" (The Truth is one). However, to equate “Brahman” with “God” is imprecise. It is neither the “old man in the sky” concept, nor the idea of something capable of being vengeful or fearful.
The doctrine of Spiritual Competence (‘Adhikaara’) and that of the Chosen Deity (‘Ishhta Devata’) in Hinduism recommend that the spiritual practices prescribed to a person should correspond to his or her spiritual competence and that a person should have the freedom to choose (or invent) a form of Brahman that satisfies his spiritual cravings and to make it the object of his worship.
Thus, Hindus have a multitude of gods and goddesses. Deities are represented by a complexity of images and idols symbolizing divine powers. Many of these idols are housed within ornate temples of unparalleled beauty and grandeur. Hindus also worship spirits, trees, animals and even planets.
The most fundamental of Hindu deities, is the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva - creator, preserver and destroyer respectively. Other popular deities include Ganesha, Krishna, Hanuman and a number of Goddesses.
Who is a Hindu and how to become one?:
When the question of who is a Hindu is discussed today, we get a multitude of confused and contradictory answers from both Hindu laypersons and from Hindu leaders. That we have such a difficult time understanding the answer to even so fundamental a question as "who is a Hindu?" is a starkly sad indicator of the lack of knowledge in the Hindu community today.
Common Answers
Some of the more simplistic answers to this question include: Anyone born in India is automatically a Hindu (the ethnicity fallacy), if your parents are Hindu, then you are Hindu (the familial argument), if you are born into a certain caste, then you are Hindu (the genetic inheritance model), if you believe in reincarnation, then you are Hindu (forgetting that many non-Hindu religions share at least some of the beliefs of Hinduism), if you practice any religion originating from India, then you are a Hindu (the national origin fallacy).
The Real Answer
The real answer to this question has already been conclusively answered by the ancient sages of Hinduism, and is actually much simpler to ascertain than we would guess. The two primary factors that distinguish the individual uniqueness of the great world religious traditions are a) the scriptural authority upon which the tradition is based, and b) the fundamental religious tenet(s) that it espouses. If we ask the question what is a Jew?, for example, the answer is: someone who accepts the Torah as their scriptural guide and believes in the monotheistic concept of God espoused in these scriptures. What is a Christian? - a person who accepts the Gospels as their scriptural guide and believes that Jesus is the incarnate God who died for their sins. What is a Muslim? - someone who accepts the Qur'an as their scriptural guide, and believes that there is no God but Allah, and that Mohammed is his prophet.
Scriptural Authority
In general, what determines whether a person is a follower of any particular religion is whether or not they accept, and attempt to live by, the scriptural authority of that religion. This is no less true of Hinduism than it is of any other religion on earth. Thus, the question of what is a Hindu is similarly very easily answered.
The Definition
By definition, a Hindu is an individual who accepts as authoritative the religious guidance of the Vedic scriptures, and who strives to live in accordance with Dharma, God's divine laws as revealed in the Vedic scriptures.
Only If You Accept the Vedas
In keeping with this standard definition, all of the Hindu thinkers of the six traditional schools of Hindu philosophy (Shad-darshanas) insisted on the acceptance of the scriptural authority of the Vedas (shabda-pramana) as the primary criterion for distinguishing a Hindu from a non-Hindu, as well as distinguishing overtly Hindu philosophical positions from non-Hindu ones. It has been the historically accepted standard that, if you accept the Vedas (and by extension Bhagavad Gita, Puranas, etc.) as your scriptural authority, and lived your life in accordance with the Dharmic principles of the Vedas, you are then a Hindu. Thus, an Indian who rejects the Veda is obviously not a Hindu. While an American, Russian, Indonesian or Indian who does accept the Veda obviously is a Hindu.
How to become an ideal Hindu?
Being an ideal Hindu simply implies living a righteous life by obeying the two basic tenets of Karma, ie, doing one's duty and Dharma, ie, believing in what is right in order to attain salvation from this world.
Difficulty: Hard
Time Required: Everyday, lifelong
Here's How:
- Rise up from bed before sunrise.
- Complete morning ablutions and bath.
- Pay homage to the family deity.
- Spend 10-15 minutes praying, meditating and reciting from the scriptures.
- Prepare breakfast and eat it only after offering the same to the family deity.
- Then throughout the day execute the tasks pertaining to one's profession with complete devotion, sincerity and honesty for the maintenance of the family.
- In the evening perform group prayers in the family shrine along with all the members of the family.
- This is followed by supper and obeisance to the family deity before retiring to bed.
- Besides this daily routine, an ideal Hindu is advised to visit the nearest Hindu temple once in a while.
- You should observe several important Hindu festivals with due reverence, and go on pilgrimage to a few holy places.
- A Hindu is expected to give charity, help the needy, respect the elders in society and scrupulously pursue the path of moral rectitude in both personal and social life.
- Compassion, consideration for others, love, sympathy, non-violence should be the ruling words in the life of an ideal Hindu.
Tips:
- Avoid the seven deadly sins of wrath, envy, pride, covetousness, gluttony, sloth, and lechery.
- Family deity can be any god or any saint whom you consider your own true god.
- Have faith in God and believe in yourself.
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