Hinduism | Origin, History, Beliefs, The term Hinduism became familiar as a designator of religious ideas and practices distinctive to India with the publication of books such as Hinduism (1877) by Sir Monier Monier-Williams, the notable Oxford scholar and author of an influential Sanskrit dictionary. Initially it was an outsiders’ term, building on centuries-old usages of the word Hindu. Early travelers to the Indus valley, beginning with the Greeks and Persians, spoke of its inhabitants as “Hindu” (Greek: ‘indoi), and, in the 16th century, residents of India themselves began very slowly to employ the term to distinguish themselves from the Turks. Since the late 19th century, Hindus have reacted to the term Hinduism in several ways. Britannica Quiz World Religions & Traditions Since the early 20th century, textbooks on Hinduism have been written by Hindus themselves, often under the rubric of sanatana dharma.
Hinduism Sacred-texts home Journal Articles: Hinduism OCRT: Hinduism Buy CD-ROM Buy books about Hinduism Vedas Upanishads Puranas Other Primary Texts Epics Mahabharata Ramayana Bhagavad Gita Vedanta Later texts Modern books The Vedas There are four Vedas, the Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda. The Vedas contain hymns, incantations, and rituals from ancient India. Rig Veda The Rig-Veda translated by Ralph Griffith [1896]A complete English translation of the Rig Veda. Rig-Veda (Sanskrit)The complete Rig Veda in Sanskrit, in Unicode Devanagari script and standard romanization. Vedic Hymns, Part I (SBE 32)Hymns to the Maruts, Rudra, Vâyu and Vâta, tr. by F. Vedic Hymns, Part II (SBE 46)Hymns to Agni, tr. by Hermann Oldenberg [1897]The Vedic Hymns to Agni. A Vedic Reader for Students (excerpts) by A.A. Sama Veda The Sama-Veda translated by Ralph Griffith [1895]A collection of hymns used by the priests during the Soma sacrifice. Yajur Veda Atharva Veda Upanishads Thirty Minor Upanishads by K.
Hinduism | Religious Literacy Project What has come to be called the “Hindu” tradition is a rich fabric of civilization, including many hues and textures of religious life. It is woven of the religious cultures and ways of many peoples, speaking many languages, and worshipping through many images of the Divine. The most ancient peoples of South Asia lived in the cities of the Indus River Valley for perhaps a thousand years, from about 2500 to 1500 BCE. The remains of their finely planned cities, Mohenjo Daro and Harappa, give clues to the ritual life of what was once a widespread civilization. The Aryan peoples began to move into northwest India from Central Asia aroundabout 1500 BCE, eventually settling in the wide plains of the Ganges River. The Aryans did not, however, erase the indigenous civilization of ancient India, which is speculatively identified with the Dravidian culture and language groups of south India. The Evolution of Hinduism→ Image Credits:
Hinduism Hinduism Beliefs, Symbols Some basic Hindu concepts include: Hinduism embraces many religious ideas. For this reason, it’s sometimes referred to as a “way of life” or a “family of religions,” as opposed to a single, organized religion.Most forms of Hinduism are henotheistic, which means they worship a single deity, known as “Brahman,” but still recognize other gods and goddesses. Followers believe there are multiple paths to reaching their god.Hindus believe in the doctrines of samsara (the continuous cycle of life, death, and reincarnation) and karma (the universal law of cause and effect).One of the key thoughts of Hinduism is “atman,” or the belief in soul. A swastika symbol featured on a tile at Hindu temple on Diu Island, India. There are two primary symbols associated with Hinduism, the om and the swastika. The om symbol is composed of three Sanskrit letters and represents three sounds (a, u and m), which when combined are considered a sacred sound. Hinduism Holy Books Hinduism vs.
Hinduism Basics Hinduism is the major religion of India, and the vast majority of India's population today is Hindu; however, Hinduism has spread all over the world and is truly a "world" religion. Almost one billion people (approx. 900 million) practice Hinduism today. Hinduism is arguably the world's oldest organized religion. What's the connection between "old" and "diverse?" Hinduism has evolved and adapted into many different forms over the centuries, in order to speak to human needs and to remain meaningful to people's lives. Therefore, when looking at the history of Hinduism, we see lots of different forms, ideas, practices, etc. that may seem contradictory to each other, but all of which form part of a large, complex tapestry of Hindu belief and practice. Given this complexity, it is sometimes hard to describe Hinduism in simple-to-understand ways. - the Vedas - the Upanishads - the Bhagavad Gita (part of the larger Mahabharata) Click here to learn about these three modes of Hinduism.
Hinduism Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world, originating in Central Asia and the Indus Valley, still practiced in the present day. The term Hinduism is what is known as an exonym (a name given by others to a people, place, or concept) and derives from the Persian term Sindus designating those who lived across the Indus River. Adherents of the faith know it as Sanatan Dharma (“eternal order” or “eternal path”) and understand the precepts, as set down in the scriptures known as the Vedas, as having always existed just as Brahman, the Supreme Over Soul from whom all of creation emerges, has always been. Brahman is the First Cause which sets all else in motion but is also that which is in motion, that which guides the course of creation, and creation itself. There is no founder of Hinduism, no date of origin, nor – according to the faith – a development of the belief system; the scribes who wrote the Vedas are said to have been simply recording that which had always existed. Brahmanism
Hinduism: Basic Beliefs | URI Hinduism or Sanatana Dharma ("eternal spiritual path") began about 4000 years ago in India. It was the religion of an ancient people known as the Aryans ("noble people") whose philosophy, religion, and customs are recorded in their sacred texts known as the Vedas. These texts were initially handed down by word of mouth from teacher to student. It was not until much later that they were actually written down. Archeological evidence from the Indus Valley civilization of northwestern India helps to establish Hinduism as the world's oldest living religion. The fundamental teaching of Hinduism, or Vedanta, is that a human being's basic nature is not confined to the body or the mind. Karma Yoga or the discipline of right actions is for those of active temperament, striving to eliminate selfishness, and to cultivate universal sympathy by seeing the divine reality in all. Bhakti Yoga is the path of devotion to God whose presence can be felt in all things. The code of behavior is one's dharma.
Hindu Devotional Groups What is Hinduism? - Center for Religious & Spiritual Life - Gettysburg.edu How and when did Hinduism begin? While there is no shortage of historical scholars, sages, and teachers in Hinduism, there is no historical founder of the religion as a whole, no figure comparable to Jesus, the Buddha, Abraham, or Muhammad. As a consequence, there is no firm date of origin for Hinduism, either. The earliest known sacred texts of Hinduism, the Vedas, date back to at least 3000 BCE, but some date them back even further, to 8000-6000 BCE; and some Hindus themselves believe these texts to be of divine origin, and therefore timeless. Related to this, it is worth mentioning here that there is no designated religious hierarchy that determines official Hindu doctrine or practice. Sacred Texts of Hinduism There is no single, authoritative text in Hinduism that functions like the Bible for Christians, or the Qur’an for Muslims. Gods in Hinduism Hinduism encompasses a lush, expansive understanding of the divine accommodating a vast assortment of dynamic and multifaceted concepts.
Samsara (Hinduism) Samsara is the continuous cycle of life, death, and reincarnation envisioned in Hinduism and other Indian religions. In Hindu and Buddhist practice, samsara is the endless cycle of life and death from which adherents seek liberation. In Hinduism, the prominent belief is that samsara is a feature of a life based on illusion (maya). Illusion enables a person to think s/he is an autonomous being instead of recognizing the connection between one's self and the rest of reality. Believing in the illusion of separateness that persists throughout samsara leads one to act in ways that generate karma and thus perpetuate the cycle of action and rebirth. By fully grasping the unity or oneness of all things, the believer has the potential to break the illusion upon which samsara is based and achieve moksha—liberation from samsara. Whereas moksha (liberation) acts as the positive motivation for Hindu religious practice, samsara is the negative motivation from which Hindus seek liberation.