Hinduism

Hinduism is one of the least understood, but the most ancient living religions in the world. It is the world's oldest extant religion, with a billion followers, which makes it the world's third largest religion. Hinduism is essentially an Indian phenomenon. It is the dominant faith of India, practiced by over 80% of the population. Since religion is a way of life in India, Hinduism forms an integral part of the entire Indian tradition. I choose Hinduism for my assignment because, when I study about this religion, I found many interesting and important things about this religion. Now I am going to share those things... The word "Hindu" comes from the name of the river Indus, which flows 1800 miles from Tibet through Kashmir and Pakistan to the sea. Hinduism has no founder, single teacher or no any prophets. Hinduism is not a Single Religion. Hinduism is the practices of a variety of different religious groups which come out of India. In ancient period the most ancient religion was vedic religion. It was originated in India. It came to Bengal with the arrival of Aryans. Vedic means knowledge or wisdom. Hinduism is often referred to as Sanatana Dharma by its adherents. Generic "types" of Hinduism that attempt to accommodate a variety of complex views span folk and Vedic Hinduism to bhakti tradition, as in Vaishnavism. Hinduism also includes yogic traditions and a wide spectrum of "daily morality" based on the notion of karma and societal norms such as Hindu marriage customs. Hinduism cannot be neatly slotted into any particular belief system. Unlike other religions, Hinduism is a way of life, a Dharma, that is, the law that governs all action. It has its own beliefs, traditions, advanced system of ethics, meaningful rituals, philosophy and theology. The religious tradition of Hinduism is solely responsible for the creation of such original concepts and practices as Yoga, Ayurveda, Vastu, Jyotish, Yajna, Puja, Tantra, Vedanta, Karma, etc. 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. 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 basic scriptures of Hinduism, which is collectively referred to as "Shastras", are essentially a collection of spiritual laws discovered by different saints and sages at different points in its long history. The Two types of sacred writings comprise the Hindu scriptures: "Shruti" (heard) and "Smriti" (memorized). They were passed on from generation to generation orally for centuries before they were written down mostly in the Sanskrit language. The major and most popular Hindu texts include the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, and the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Hinduism believes that there is only one supreme Absolute called "Brahman". However, it does not advocate the worship of any one particular deity. The gods and goddesses of Hinduism amount to thousands or even millions, all representing the many aspects of Brahman. Therefore, this faith is characterized by the multiplicity of deities. The most fundamental of Hindu deities is the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva - creator, preserver and destroyer respectively. Hindus also worship spirits, trees, animals and even planets. In Hinduism durga is a form of devil, the supreme goddess, also identified with parvati. As a mother goddess, she is frequently called maa durga and is sometimes referred to as the mother of Kartik, Ganesh, Lakshmi and Saraswati. Durga is depicted as a warrior woman riding a lion or a tiger with multiple hands carrying weapons and assuming mudras or symbolic hand gestures. This form of goddess is the embodiment of feminine and creative energy (SHAKTI). Conclusion: Hinduism has many festivals throughout the year. The Hindu calendar usually prescribes their dates. The festivals typically celebrate events from Hindu mythology, often coinciding with seasonal changes. There are festivals which are primarily celebrated by specific sects or in certain regions of the Indian subcontinent. Some widely observed Hindu festivals are Maha Shivaratri, Holi, Ram Navami, Krishna Janmastami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Dussera, Durga Puja and Diwali. Comments: In my comments I just want to said that, Hinduism tries to justify existence and a distinction between good and evil, justice and injustice, truth and falsehood, knowledge and ignorance, love and hatred, and between being and non-being in this world. But People with other religion often show there disrespect to this religion which is not good at all. It creates disorder with each other. If we dont want to see disorder, we must show our respect to all religion.