What is Hinduism?
Hinduism is quite different from other world religions. For example, if you were a Muslim, you would read the Koran. If
you were a Christian, you would read the Bible. However, if you were a Hindu, you would read a variety of ancient texts.
While other major religions have a founding father or prophet, Hinduism has no original teacher. Hinduism is a unique
religion in many ways.
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Hinduism is over three thousand years old. The word "hindu" comes from Hind, which is a Persian word for India.
Indians call their religion the Sanatan Dharma, which means "Universal Religion." In the broadest sense, Hinduism is the
religion of the many peoples of India.
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The country of India has many different regions, and Hinduism is not the same in each region. However, all Hindus
love their sacred scriptures. The Rig-Veda is the oldest of the Hindu scriptures. In one part of this legend, a dragon named
Vritra steals all of the water on earth. A god named Indra heroically fights the dragon to get the water back, and when he
does, life is restored to the land. This story was first told orally. Later, Indians wrote them down in Sanskrit around 1500
B.C. Other Hindu scriptures include the Ramayana, the Upanishads, and the Mahabharata. These texts contain the core
beliefs of Hinduism.
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One central belief in Hinduism is a belief in Brahman, the universal spirit behind everything. He is the force behind all
other deities. Brahman shows himself through many gods and goddesses. Every Hindu has his or her favorite god or
goddess, and many temples dot the landscapes of India. There are also stunning statues of the Hindu deities in every
home. This idea of a host of deities representing different aspects of Brahman is quite different from the Jewish, Christian,
or Muslim idea of one god.
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Some of the most dramatic statues represent the Hindu trinity. Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are the three parts of the
Trimurti, or holy trinity. Brahma's job was to create the universe. He is different than Brahman, the universal spirit.
Representations of Brahma sometimes show three heads so that he can keep an eye (or six of them) on his creation! After
he made the world, he was done with his job.
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However, the other two parts of the Hindu trinity have ongoing work like the rest of us. Shiva's job is to destroy one
cycle of life so that a new cycle can begin. One common statue of Shiva shows him dancing with a circle of flames
surrounding his head. He is balancing on his right foot, while lifting up his left foot. His right foot rests on top of the
Black Dwarf, a demon of ignorance. Shiva has four arms and wild, whirling hair! Flowers, snakes, and even a skull are
held in his wavy locks. The symbols in this statue come from an ancient legend where Shiva conquered 10,000 nonbelievers by stomping on the demon of ignorance. Many Hindus love Shiva's fierceness!
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Another part of the Hindu trinity is Vishnu. He has the 24/7 job of keeping order in the universe, which is probably a
bit harder than keeping your room clean! Some of the liveliest stories in the Hindu tradition are about the avatars of
Vishnu who came down to earth. An avatar is an incarnation of a god. Each of the ten avatars of Vishnu came to rescue
earth from trouble. The first avatar came as a fish to rescue the world from a flood. Another avatar was a warrior named
Parashurama. He wiped out a bad king. One of the liveliest avatars of Vishnu was Krishna. He was avatar number eight.
He had the blue skin and was a butter-loving, flute-playing cowherd. Krishna has unofficially won the most popular avatar
award in Hinduism!
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One of the reasons that Indians love Krishna is because he is the central character in an enormous poem called the
Mahabharata. One important part of this poem is called the Bhagavad-Gita, which tells the story of a war between
relatives. One family represents good, while the other family represents evil. Arjuna is the leader of the good side, and
Krishna is his charioteer. Together they wage an exciting war against darkness!
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However, this great story has a twist to it. Since Krishna is really a god, he gives Arjuna lots of divine advice and
help. Krishna tells Arjuna to lead his people into battle and tells him that even if people die, their souls will live forever.
Hindus believe that a person has many lives. Krishna tells Arjuna that a soul can escape the cycles of rebirth in three
ways. The soul can be free by doing good works and making good karma, by meditation, or by devotion to God. Hindu
children enjoy the ancient Krishna stories in the same way that many Christian children like Bible stories.
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Not all Hindu stories are thousands, or even hundreds, of years old. Sri Ramakrishna was a Hindu teacher who lived
in the 19th century. He used stories all the time to teach his students different spiritual truths. You might even recognize
some of his stories, like the story about four blind men and an elephant.
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One day, four blind men were led to an elephant to "see" it. Each of them felt a different part of the great beast, but
being blind, each had different idea about the nature of the animal. The first man felt the elephant's leg and said that an
elephant is like a pillar. The second man felt the elephant's tummy and said that an elephant is like a large jar. The third
man had a different idea after he felt the elephant's trunk. He said the elephant is like a thick club. The last man disagreed
with all of his friends. He felt the elephant's huge ears and was sure that the elephant was like a fan.
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Soon the four friends were all arguing about the true nature of the beast. A passerby asked them what they were
fighting about, and they told him. The man explained to them that the elephant had different parts, and that each of them
had only experienced one part. Sri Ramakrishna used this elephant story to explain why it is ridiculous for men to argue
about which religion is best because anyone who fights about God has only seen a part of him!
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One common theme in many Hindu stories is their belief in reincarnation, or the idea that we are born many times. In
Hinduism, the soul does not stay in one body. The soul first enters the body of something simple, not human. You might
be a bug in your first life! As your soul evolves, it enters more and more complex life forms (here kitty, kitty). Eventually,
the soul enters a human body. Then the law of karma kicks in. This means that good choices in one lifetime lead to good
things in the next lifetime. Unkind acts may mean hardships in the next life. Hindus believe that we create our own future
circumstances. A belief in karma is a good reason to be nice to people!
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Another important idea in Hinduism is dharma. Dharma means fulfilling our purpose in life. Everyone has a special
dharma. Your dharma right now is to be a student. Later, you might be a parent, an employee, a businessperson, or
something else. The idea of fulfilling one's purpose is important to every Hindu, and each person's ultimate goal is to
reunite with Brahman.
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Like many religions, Hinduism has many festivals throughout the year. One of the most important is Divali, the
Festival of Lights, which celebrates the New Year. Divali means "row of lamps." Hindus light clay lamps filled with oil
and place them in windows, on roofs, and around courtyards. Divali celebrates the triumph of light over darkness. Holi is
the rowdy, spring harvest festival. Everyone throws colored powder at each other! Janmashtami is Krishna's birthday.
During Janmashtami, the streets and homes are decorated with mango leaves and banana trees. Temples to Krishna are
decorated with flowers and lights to honor the blue avatar.
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With its many gods, colorful festivals, and rich stories, Hinduism is unique. Every Hindu can find a special god or
goddess to worship. Hinduism affects all elements of life for those who follow it. Hindus don't simply practice their
religion. They live it!
History of Hinduism
Hinduism is so old that no one knows exactly how it began. Most scholars think that it began about 3,000 years ago near
the Indus River of northwestern India. It spread across India and then to the rest of Asia. Even though some Asian
countries later made Islam or Buddhism their state religion, Hinduism is still the major religion of the people of India.
Colorful roadside shrines and the tinkling of temple bells in Asia are constant reminders of Hinduism.
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Hinduism has no original founder and no single holy text. The first Hindu teachers were called Brahmins. They passed
down the teachings of Hinduism through oral stories at first. Later, the stories became the Rig-Veda, which was written
down in 1,500 B.C. These teachings may have come from a people called the Aryans whose language may have been the
predecessor of Sanskrit.
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The Aryans were nomadic warriors who dominated northern India between 3,000 and 1,500 B.C. Later, they moved
down into southern India where they met powerful local tribes. We don't know a lot about the Aryans because they left no
cities behind for archaeologists to study. These nomads finally settled near the Ganges River around 400 B.C.
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In the centuries before the birth of Christ, a mysterious author/authors (or authoress/authoresses) wrote two important
Hindu scriptures, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Both of these epic poems tell stories involving kings and conflicts.
They convey many truths in an entrancing, poetic form. During these centuries, India was divided into kingdoms that were
ruled by rich princes.
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A certain order of society in India was firmly established. This became known as the caste system, and it was based on
another ancient Hindu text called the Bhagavad-Gita. The legend said that out of the mouth of a god came the scholars
and priests. Rulers and warriors came from the god's arms. From the god's thighs came the merchants and farmers. The
servants and laborers came from the god's feet. A last group, called the "untouchables," performed some of the most
menial labor in society, such as cleaning bathrooms and sweeping the streets.
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The caste system dominated Indian society for centuries. Hindus thought that if they earned good karma, they would
be born into a higher caste in their next life. Some Hindus believed that this system helped their society run well for
hundreds of years. They believed that it made things easier because everyone had certain duties to perform. If you were
born into the laborer caste, you were expected to work with your hands. Those who opposed this system said that it was
wrong because people's abilities were not always inherited. The caste system still influences Indian society today.
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In addition to the caste system, Hindus lived by a code of ethics written down by an Indian sage named Patanjali. He
lived in about 200 B.C., and he wrote a list of five things that people should do and five ways in which people should
exercise restraint. The things people should do are called niyamas, and include being pure in body, mind, and speech. The
yamas are what people should not do, and include lying and stealing. His ideas became important elements of daily life,
but no one forced Hindus to follow these rules.
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Hinduism is not a religion of force. It was not spread through conquest or aggression. By its very nature, Hinduism is
fluid and tolerant of many types of spiritual paths. Hinduism advocates achieving one's spiritual potential, but recognizes
that there is more than one way to accomplish this goal. Instead, it focuses on the spirit rather than rigid rules or
ceremonies. Its history does not have dramatic battle scenes or massive conversions, and Hinduism reached its height
around 350 A.D. in what was called its Golden Age.
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Hinduism's recognition of the spirit behind all things is evident in the wistful words of the Bhagavad-Gita:
"Never the spirit was born,
The spirit shall cease to be never.
Changeless the spirit remains,
Birthless and deathless forever."
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Hindus have faced domination by other peoples during their long history. Two excellent examples of this were the
Muslim invasion of India in the 8th century, and the control of India by the British until the early 20th century. During the
8th century, Hinduism faced severe challenges. Islamic invaders destroyed many temples and villages in northern India
and tried to introduce Islam. In spite of these invasions, most Hindus still clung to their religion rather than convert.
Unfortunately, many Hindus suffered under the Muslim conquerors through excessive taxation and persecution.
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Hinduism survived because it was not just a belief system. It was a way of life for the Indians. Hinduism survived
under different Mogul emperors partly of the idea of bhakti, or devotion and surrender to a particular god. This attitude
enabled the Hindus to endure their persecution. In spite of many hardships, some elements of Islam and Hinduism
intertwined in a positive way. Islamic art and architecture became common in India, and many Muslims also adopted
Hindu art and culture.
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Another example of external domination of the Hindus occurred during the British control of India from the 17th to
the early 20th century. The word "Hinduism" was first used in the early 1800s. Christian missionaries came to India to
convert the Hindus to Christianity. While the missionaries were sincere in their efforts, they were not sensitive to the
ancient Indian culture, and their message was not received well. During this time, other reformers advocated positive
change and growth in some elements of Hinduism. Two important reformers were Ramakrishna, a 19th century teacher,
and Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of the independence movement of India in the early 20th century. Gandhi used many
ideas from the Bhagavad-Gita in his life's work.
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India became independent in 1947 and became a secular country. Hinduism is still practiced by 80% of the Indian
population and has about 800 million followers worldwide. Nepal is the only official Hindu state, but the influence of
Hinduism is seen everywhere in Southeast Asia. Some ideas from Hinduism, such as karma and reincarnation, show up in
movies and late-night television. As one comedian says, "Don't worry! If you don't believe in reincarnation this time
around, you'll get another chance!"