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A Short History Of Hinduism

Hinduism is a complex combination of polytheistic religion, a (belief in many go


ds, rather like the Greek and the Roman deities) and philosophy. It originated f
rom Vedism, which dates back to the second millennium before Christ. It is not a
stounding therefore that many sects have developed or broken away from a belief
of this age.
However, most of these sects read the one book, the Vedic texts known collective
ly as the 'Upanishads', and their differences result from their individual inter
pretations of it. These writings describe the events of Shiva, the creator, pres
erver and destroyer of the universe and they are based on even more ancient writ
ings such as the Mahabharata, the Ramayana and, less well-known in the West, the
Puaranas.
The Bhagavad Gita, the Lord's Song, a part of the Mahabharata, relates a dialogu
e between Krishna (another incarnation of the god Vishnu) and the acolyte Prince
Arjuna. This dialogue elucidates the three paths to enlightenment or union with
God.
This might sound dreary, but I can assure you that reading the Bhagavad Gita cou
ld easily transform the manner in which you look upon life no matter what religi
on you adhere to, if you have one.
The basics of Hinduism are that individuals ought to attempt to connect their se
lves (Atman) with the Godhead (Brahman) and reincarnation (samsara). Just what i
ndividuals come back as is determined by how people have led their lives, that i
s, one's actions (karma) and one's duty (dharma).
This continuous reincarnation into a life of suffering can only be broken when o
ne joins the Godhead in a state of Atman-Brahman. Their are four paths to attain
this divine condition in Hinduism. These are: jnana yoga, which is based on kno
wledge; bhakti yoga, which is based on service to God; karma yoga, which is base
d on work for God (rather than oneself) and raja yoga, which is based on psychop
hysical exercise.
Raja yoga, or the 'Royal Path', is the form of yoga that most Westerners will ha
ve heard of and seen. Raja yoga is more common in these West nowadays than at an
y other period in history.
Hinduism has three primary theistic traditions founded on anthropomorphic gods.
Vishnu is a loving god incarnated as Krishna; Shiva is both protective and destr
uctive and Brahma is the creator. Saktism is a kind of worship dedicated to the
female partners of Vishnu and Shiva. Hindu's revere all types of life, but the m
ost sacred animal to Hindus is the cow.
Hindu worship revolves around a person's and a family's devotion to a particular
'favourite' god or group of gods. The act of worship is carried out at a shrine
, which can be at home or communally in public. There are a number of places of
pilgrimage including the Ganges in northern India.
The three main festivals are Dipavali - the 'festival of lights' - which sacred
to Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity; Holi, a spring festival and Dashara, a ha
rvest festival.
Hinduism is the oldest of the world's great religions. It is most widespread in
India, which has outlawed the ancient caste system of Hinduism. This caste syste
m used to segregate society into five foremost groups: brahmins were leaders, ph
ilosophers and artists; kshatriyas were princes, soldiers and administrators; va
ishyas were merchants and landowners; shudras were labourers and the remainder w
ere outcasts or untouchables.
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