Hinduism

Hinduism Hinduism is the chief religion of India, having evolved over several thousand years. It has no creed nor firm institutional structure, although the belief in reincarnation runs through almost every form of Hinduism. Instead of one holy book like the Bible or the Koran, Hinduism relies on a variety of sacred scriptures. The oldest are the Vedas (1500-1200 BCE), with the Rig-Veda being prominent. Later the dharma sutras and dharma shastras appear (500 BCE – 500 CE). These ancient codes of conduct were in Sanskrit, spelling out rules for a wide variety of situations and numbering over 5,000 separate titles. They legitimized the caste system and the Hindu stages of life (asrama) and were legally binding in India until contrary legislation appeared in 1955-56. The Upanisads (1000-600 BCE) are an introspective set of scriptures dealing with the eternal self and its relation to temporal life. Also important are the two epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata. While the Bhagavad-Gita belongs within the Mahabharata, most scholars believe it is a later insert, crystallizing various strands of Hindu belief. The most important gods of the “Hindu Trinity” are Brahma (Creator), Vishnu (Preserver) and Siva (Destroyer and Cosmic Dancer) but many other deities, known as avatars, and their consorts are publicly and privately worshipped (e.g., Krishna-Radha, Hanuman, Ganesha, Kali). In some strands of Hinduism the Buddha is regarded as a demonic avatar. This is probably because Buddha’s teaching challenged the Hindu priestly and caste traditions. While Hindus have a long history of holy men, saints and gurus, in modern times the guru has become an international phenomenon. Since the 1800’s the Indian gurus Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekenanda, Sai Baba, Sri Aurobindo, Paramahansa Yogananda and Sri Rajneesh have been prominent. Meanwhile the Indian poet, dramatist and musician Rabindranath Tagore pioneered an innovative, internationally based ashram-style university at Santiniketan and Mohandas Gandhi, who championed the Bhagavad-Gita, has been a key political and spiritual figure around the world. » Ahimsa, Asrama, Atman, Avatar, Brahmanas, Brahmanism, Buddhism, Celibacy, Chakras, Demons, Deva, Dharma, Dyaus, Evil, Faith and Action, Fallen Angels, Gunas, Heaven, Hell, Jainism, Kali, Kama, Karma, Karma Transfer, Kundalini, Levels of Knowledge, Linga, Manu, Matsu, Mela, Nandi, O’Flaherty (Wendy Doniger), Panentheism, Pantheism, Pollution, Puranas, Q, Radha, Radhakrishnan (Sarvepalli), Rakshakas, Reincarnation, Samsara, Sanskrit, Seer, Sikhism, Soul, Tantra, Trinity (Holy Trinity), Yantra, Yoga, Yogini, Yoni

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