HINDUISM
By: Zahrah Khan,
Kaitlyn Pear son,
Chloie Siegner,
Spoor thy
Bharadwaj, &
Isabella
Echeverria
TRANSFORMATION OF HINDUISM & ITS
INFLUENCE
 Hinduism does not originate from one single
founder, a single book, or a single point in time.
It contains many different beliefs, philosophies,
and viewpoints.
 The Vedic religion comes from the ancient
religion of the Aryan peoples who entered
northwestern India from Persia circa 2,000-1,200
B.C.
 The Sanskrit language and the Vedic religion are
the foundation to Hinduism and are attributable
to the Aryans and their descendants.
TRANSFORMATION OF HINDUISM & ITS
INFLUENCE (CONT.)
 The first Hindu teachers were called Brahmins. They passed
down teachings of Hinduism through oral stories at first.
Later, the stories became Rig -Veda, which was written down
in 1500 B.C. These teachings may have come from people
called the Aryans whose language may have been the
predecessor of Sanskrit.
 The lack of unifying overall religious authority and the total
absence of a book claiming supreme truth have contributed to
the diversity of Hinduism.
MAIN GODS
 Most Hindus have a personal god or goddess such as Shiva,
Krishna or Lakshmi that they pray to regularly.
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Brahma: known as the Creator
Shiva: God of self-control and meditation
Krishna: God of culture and knowledge
Lakshmi: God of wealth and beauty
POLY THEISM
 Polytheism is the worship of more than one god.
 In classical civilizations, Polytheism was popular in ancient
Greece, the Republic of Rome, India and ancient Egypt.
 Zoroastrianism was the first monotheistic religion then
followed by Christianity. Soon after these religions began, the
popularity of polytheism began to decrease.
FORMS OF WORSHIP
 With Hindus, worship can include a wide variety of prayers
and practices. However, there are ten extremely common
forms of worship practiced in today’s modern religion:
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Puja – ritual worship, especially of the deity
Arti – the greeting ceremony with lamps, etc.
Bhajan or Kirtan – hymns and chants (often during Arti)
Darhsan – taking audience of a deity or holy person
Parsad – offering and eating sacred food
Pravachan – talk or lecture on the scriptures
Havan – sacred fire ceremony
Japa/Meditation/Prayer – internal practices of worship
Parikrama/Pradakshina – circumambulation
Seva – active service to the deity, holy people, etc.
HOW GOD IS APPROACHED
 The relationship between man and God is purely personal so
there is no set way of approaching. However, it is most
common and expected to remove ones shoes before entering
a temple. This ritual is strongly enforced outside in public
temples, and people follow this at home as well.
FORMS OF DISCIPLINE
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Satya (Truth)
Ahimsa (Non-violence)
Brahmacharya (Celibacy, non-adultery)
Asteya (No desire to possess or steal)
Aparighara (Non- corrupt)
Shaucha – (Cleanliness)
Santosh (Contentment)
Swadhyaya (Reading of scriptures)
Tapas (Austerity, perseverance, penance)
Ishwarprandihan (Regular prayers)
KARMA
 The sum of a person’s actions in this and previous states of
existence, are viewed in deciding their fate in future
existences.
 A Sanskrit term meaning “actions” or “deeds”. Karma is a
concept common to Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, yet is
interpreted in many dif ferent ways.
 Karma is a broad principle of life based on a system of cause
and ef fect, action and reaction.
 In Hinduism, karma is used as an explanation for evil and
misfortune in the world. If you appear to not derive your
misfortune, it is assumed that you had done some wrong
action in a previous life. Karma is primarily tied to “bad
karma” which blinds a person’s soul or “good karma” that can
wipe out the bad.
KARMA (CONT.)
 3 Types of Karma:
 Prarabdha – Karma experienced during present life
 Sancita – The store of karma that has not yet
reached fruition
 Agamin or Sanciyama – karma shown in present life
foreshadowing future karma: answers, why is there
suffering?
REINCARNATION
 Reincarnation, “passage from one body to another”, “to begin
again”, involves the rebirth of the soul in a series of
embodiments. The embodiments are most commonly human
or animal but can also be divine.
 The process of ones reincarnation is dependent on their
karma.
 “Just as a man discards worn out clothes and puts on new
clothes, the soul discards worn out bodies and wears new
ones.” (2.22)
 Answers the question, “What happens after death? Before
birth?”
MOKSHA
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Moksha is the ultimate goal of life.
Moksha means release from samsara.
It is only achieved through union with God.
Union with God is understood in dif ferent ways:
 Complete union of identity
 Unity of purpose
 The soul is compared to a drop of water and liberation to its merging
into the ocean represents the Supreme Soul (God)
 Answers the question, “What is the goal in life?”
DHARMA
 Dharma is the duties that sustain us according to ur intrinsic
nature. It is to sustain us. It is what we are meant to do.
 Answers the question, “What is the right way to act?”
 Two main types:
 Sanatana-Dharma: duties which take into account one’s spiritual
identity
 Vamasharma-Dharma: Duties performed according to one’ s material
nature.
 Basic moral codes are called sadharana.
KEY POINT OF HINDUISM
 Hinduism is diverse
 Begins simply by dif ferentiating between matter and spirit.
 Spirit is understood within two main categories:
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Individual self or soul
Supreme Self or God
The Atman is the soul. It answers, who are we? What is the real self?
The three truths
ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE RELIGON
 Women often studied sacred traditions or lore and were also
known for producing hymns.
 Women were allowed to own property and often get married in
their teens to establish strong discipline to their husbands.
 Married women could participate in more rituals but were
rather limited in comparison to the male.
HOW THE CASTE SYSTEM TIES IN WITH
RELIGION
 Religious practices are tied in very strongly with the caste
system.
 Brahmans were often orthodox to the point where it was and
still is an obsession.
 There are several sub categories Brahmins
 These sub categories have dif ferent gods they worship, and
gods they exclude, can sometimes be prejudiced against
certain gods.
 Even if both the groom and bride are Brahmins, parents often
look for the exact “pedigree” of Brahmins.
GREAT SCRIPTURES
 The Mahabharata is known for being the longest epic in world
literature. Bharata was an early ancestor of both the
Pandavas and Kauravas who fight each other in a great war.
The conflict is over succession to the throne of Hatinapura, a
kingdom north of modern Delhi that was most commonly
known as the Bharatas. The work is divided into 18 books
(concering an 18-day war among 18 armies).
 The Bhagavad Gita is a part of Mahabharata. It means the
Song of the Bhagavan. Also known as the Gita, it is set in a
dialogue between Pandava prince Arjuna and his guide godking Krishna. They are facing the duty of killing his relative
and with the assistance of Krishna, is advised to “fulfill his
Kshatryia (warrior) duty as a warrior and kill.”
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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•http://www.ancient.eu/hinduism/
•http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/26631 2/Hinduism
•http://edhelper.com/ReadingComprehension_42_42.html
- http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/beliefs/karma.htm
- http://www.hinduwebsite.com/reincarnation.asp
- http://www.spiritual -wholeness.org/faqs/reincgen/hindrein.htm
- http://hinduism.iskcon.org/concepts/106.htm
- http://hinduism.iskcon.org/concepts/108.htm
- http://hinduism.iskcon.org/concepts/100.htm
-http://www.polytheism.net/
-http://www.sanatansociety.org/hindu_gods_and_goddesses/shiva.htm
-http://www.koausa.org/Gods/God6.html