Hinduism has been explained with its origins, beliefs, way of life, sacred texts, gods and goddesses, holiest things, interesting facts and hinduism. The vedas are scriptures that the hindu people use as a guide to daily and religious life. The hindu sacred texts about human origins ancient origins. It was narrated by lord krishna to prince arjuna in mahabharatha. Many religions on earth teach concepts revolving around life being symbolized by light, and fire representing darkness. Hinduism is the largest and oldest religion on earth almost 5,000 years old. The buddha, dharma and sangha are said to be holy and worthy of reverence. You should read enough of the materials presented in this section concerning the tradition of hinduism in order to understand how this tradition displays the characteristics or elements that make a tradition one that would be termed a religion. Evidence of hinduisms early antecedents is derived from archaeology, comparative philology, and comparative religion. Many hindu texts mention the cycle of creation and destruction. A few texts are shared resources across these traditions and broadly considered as hindu scriptures. The majority of the vedas are considered the shruti, which is translated to that which is hard. Some of the other holy works and books of hinduism.
The bhagavad gita, usually considered part of the sixth book of the mahabharata dating from about 400 or 300 b. It describes the creation of the universe, the solar system and the living beings in the course of six days by god. The meaning of life according to hinduism philosophy. The books of joshua, judges, first samuel, second samuel, first kings, second kings, isaiah, jeremiah, ezekiel, and the twelve make up the neviim or prophets. The word hindu is derived from the sanskrit word sindhu rivermore specifically, the indus. The earliest literary source for the history of hinduism is the rigveda, consisting of hymns that were composed chiefly during the last two or three centuries of. Hinduism includes a range of viewpoints about the origin of life, creationism and evolution. Iskcon, the international society for krishna consciousness, belongs to the vaisnava tradition of hinduism. Of the major indian religions, only sikhism has a holy book. It has no single founder, no single book of theological law and truth, no central religious organization, and no definition of absolute beginning and end. The four noble truths are said to be a holy teaching. Hinduism stands apart from all other religions for several reasons. We need not accept at face value this godless judgment on our origins.
A fresh introduction to an ancient religion explaining the origins, beliefs, scriptures and philosophies of this ancient religion, klaus k. Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world, and hindus refer to it as sanatana dharma, the eternal tradition, or the eternal way, beyond human history. The primary sacred texts, known as the vedas, were composed around 1500 b. Hinduism is widely practiced in south asia mainly in india and nepal. Various aspects of creation are mentioned throughout the holy book of islam, including lines that some muslims believe refer to theory of evolution and even the big bang. The narration happens in the battlefield of kurukshethra. For this reason, its sometimes referred to as a way of life or a family of. Celebrating the diversity for which hinduism is known, this volume begins its journey in the new india of bangalore, indias silicon valley, where global connections and local traditions rub shoulders daily. There is the glorious splendor of that light from whom in the beginning sprang ancient wisdom shvetashvatara upanishad 4. He represents the regal authority of the divinity with magisterial powers on earth and regulates the evolution of life on earth.
The question is apparent as there is no preceptor of hinduism that started hinduism. Hinduism cannot be destroyed, even if we burn every hindu scripture and kill every hindu theologian on earth. Life on earth according to the vedic teachings, as we have already seen, always begins with the four rishis reclining on the tibetan roof of the world. These are the holy books of hinduism that govern the tenets of life and religion. Could we have migrated here from another planet or arrived on a comet. Apr 03, 20 movies bheeshma day 4 box office collections. Life after death, jesus was gods son, golden rule when did confuncianism begin. Although there is an emphasis on personal spirituality, hinduisms history is closely linked with social and political developments, such as the rise and fall of different kingdoms and empires. The quran also states that human life on earth began with adam and eve in the garden of eden, a belief shared with the christian and jewish faiths. Still, since hindu texts do not state one clear origin of everything, the creation tradition in hinduism is a little bit obscure. Jun 21, 2017 it covers jewish religious history from the earth s creation to the death of moses.
The beauty of hinduism is that it does not demand of every soul perfection in this life, a necessary conclusion for those who believe in a single lifetime during which human perfection or grace must be achieved or all is lost. Strength of hinduism lies in its most amazing ability to adapt to different circumstances and different ages while maintaining its very strong continuity with the past. Hinduism comes from india and is practiced by over. It is usually sung as verses on mahalaya, the first day of the navratri. Hinduism started when people began asking questions about the earth and the universe. According to the hindus, darsan is a twoway flow of vision. Its offshoot buddhism, shaped and molded the civilizations. The beginning of creation in scriptures of different religions. Because hinduism is plural, with a vast collection of customs and beliefs of numerous communities, over many periods of history, there is no. Buddhism, much like hinduism, has many, many books but not a central text. Hinduism is the worlds third most popular religion, with around 750 million followers. Page 28 the rising sun shines forth above the world.
More than a billion people are followers of indias eternal faith. This is one of the most popular and accessible of all hindu scriptures, required reading for anyone interested in hinduism. The scriptures of the vedas are meant to guide hindu believers in their daily lives. The rigveda mentions the hiranyagarbha hiranya golden.
Nobody known when it began but we do know that it is at least 12,000 years old. Belief in reincarnation gives the hindu an acceptance of every level of humanity. The meaning of life according to hinduism philosophy 1100h blog. While we have the main vedas, upanishads, the mahabharata in several translations we also present newer commentaries, anthologies, and entirely new branches of hinduism. Whereer let loose in space, the mighty waters have gone, depositing a fruitful seed and generating fire, there he arose, who is the breath and life of all the gods, whose mighty glance looks round the vast expanse of watery vapour source of energy, cause of the sacrifice the only god above the gods.
Although the name hinduism is relatively new, having been coined by british writers in the first decades of the 19th century, it refers to a rich cumulative tradition of texts and practices, some of which date to the 2nd millennium bce or possibly. Most christians accept that story as the beginning of mankind. The history of hinduism in india can be traced to about 1500 bce. Around 1750 bc aryan invaders from central asia settled in north west india and introduced their own religious ideas. He is coloured blue black combining the blueness of the terrestrial sky with the blackness of the outer space. I think you are confusing something that is holy from something that is dogma. Oct 26, 2011 we have all heard of the adam and eve story in the book of genesis in the holy bible. Religion is a way of life in india, where hinduism is practiced by over eighty percent of the population.
The veda consists of four books and more than 100,000 verses. The hindu view of genesis is more detailed and is explained here. Hinduism is an indian religion and dharma, or way of life, widely practiced in the indian subcontinent and parts of southeast asia. The vedas are a collection of hymns and other ancient religious texts written in india between about 1500 and bce. Hinduism is practised by more than 80% of indias population. The quran does not offer a single, unified theory regarding the creation of the universe and how life began on earth. There is no such a single theory about it, because of its dynamic diversity and electic source like vedas, brahmanas, puranas, some are based on c. Klostermaier succeeds in capturing the rich diversity of rituals and gods that comprise hinduism, while keeping the tone both engaging and informative.
Explore the rich world of indian art and culture, from painting and sculpture, to movies, music, and performing arts. May 11, 20 hinduism attaches a very special value to the the darsan a sanskrit word meaning sight, of gurus, leaders, saintly persons and even holy places and holy images. Hinduism simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Introduction hinduism, religion that originated in india and is still practiced by most of its inhabitants, as well as by those whose families have migrated from india to other parts of the world chiefly east africa, south africa, southeast asia, the east indies, and england. The distinguishing feature of the vedas from other religious texts of the hindu. Aug 05, 2016 hinduism is the oldest religion of the world. Hinduism, major world religion originating on the indian subcontinent and comprising several and varied systems of philosophy, belief, and ritual. An indianorigin scientist claims to have solved the mystery of how life on earth exactly began about 4 billion years ago after studying three sites containing the worlds oldest fossils. Hinduism has been explained with its origins, beliefs, way of life, sacred texts, gods and goddesses, holiest things, interesting facts and. The three worlds are the three dimensions of space or the x, y, z, axes of coordinate geometry. Life on earth has been declared and accepted as meaningless. The most holy of the hindu books is written in sanskrit and is referred to as the vedas. The religion of hinduism originated in northern india, near the river indus, about 4000 years ago and is the worlds oldest existing religion.
While we have the main vedas, upanishads, the mahabharata in several translations we also present newer commentaries, anthologies. What makes hinduism the greatest religion on earth answers. Hinduism or hindu culture is a very dynamic living, breathing reality. The holy book in the hindu religion is known as the vedas.
Bhagavad gita the holy book of hindus 2059 words bartleby. Aug 24, 2009 although there is an emphasis on personal spirituality, hinduism s history is closely linked with social and political developments, such as the rise and fall of different kingdoms and empires. Feller learn with flashcards, games, and more for free. Hindus value many sacred writings as opposed to one holy book. Hinduism is thought to go beyond religion to describe a way of life known as a dharma. Indiaorigin scientist explains how life began on earth. The heart of hinduism text book is produced by iskcon educational services, uk. The life of hinduism brings together a series of essaysmany recognized as classics in the fieldthat present hinduism as a vibrant, truly lived religion.
Hindu texts are manuscripts and historical literature related to any of the diverse traditions within hinduism. Unlike christianity or islam, it is a not a religion that is. Hindu include a number of theories or viewpoint about the origin of life, creationism and evolution. But what most people dont realize is that the story of our beginnings in the holy bible was based off a more ancient text from the ancient sumerians. Here at the hinduismsection of, we aim at presenting the original works that lay the foundations of hinduism.
Hinduism goes back to 5000 bce and is a compilation of many diverse traditions in contrast to christianity and muslim traditions, both of which emerged from a single founder making it the oldest practised religion, closely related to that of jainism, sikhism, and buddhism. According to hinduism, the meaning purpose of life is fourfold. Hinduism, major world religion originating on the indian subcontinent and. Jul 08, 2015 we have all heard of the adam and eve story in the book of genesis in the holy bible. Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, and some practitioners and scholars refer to it as sanatana dharma, the eternal tradition, or the eternal way, beyond human history. Hinduism is a code of life a collection of attitudes, personal experiences, and spiritual practices.
Dec 04, 2006 the life of hinduism brings together a series of essaysmany recognized as classics in the fieldthat present hinduism as a vibrant, truly lived religion celebrating the diversity for which hinduism is known, this volume begins its journey in the new india of bangalore, indias silicon valley, where global connections and local traditions rub shoulder. What does hinduism say about the shape of the earth answers. The book of genesis or breshiyth is the first book of the jewish bible. The origin of the vedas can be traced back as far as 1500 bce, when a large group. Various aspects of creation are mentioned throughout the holy book of islam. Scholars regard hinduism as a combination of different indian cultures and traditions, with diverse roots. Hinduism is the older of the two with a literature going back to the beginning of recorded history. How on earth could the vermin and insects and centipedes and rats and skunks the end products of the sinful humans, be hooked on to the lofty start of life in the holy personages of the four. The heart of hinduism, in the spirit of the tradition, aims to be nonsectarian, evenhanded, and respectful in its description of all the hindu traditions. Scholars regard hinduism as a fusion or synthesis of various indian.
If the indus valley civilization 3rd2nd millennium bce was the earliest source of hindu traditions, then hinduism is the oldest living religion on earth. Hinduism is such an ancient religion that it had many types of beliefs and religious practices. We turn our attention first to hindu scriptures, wherein the vedas constitute the. May 04, 2020 here at the hinduism section of, we aim at presenting the original works that lay the foundations of hinduism. This holy book is written in the sanskrit language. Hinduism is neither monotheistic nor restricted to one religious scripture. Hindu civilisation originated in the gangetic and indus valleys and from there spread out over the entire region of southeast asia. The belief system in the hindi religion is outlined from these scriptures. The vedas and these other works are further divided into two sections. Bhagavad gita the holy book of hindus, is one of the major literature work from india to the entire mankind. Hinduism stands for the faith and the way of life most of the people who live in india. Other holy scriptures in hinduism are called the upanisads, the smrutis, the puranas, the ramayana and the mahabharata.
We have all heard of the adam and eve story in the book of genesis in the holy bible. There is no single story of creation, due to dynamic diversity of hinduism, and these are derived from various sources like vedas, some from the brahmanas, some from puranas. How on earth could the vermin and insects and centipedes and rats and skunks the end products of the sinful humans, be hooked on to the lofty start of life in the holy personages of the four rishis to complete the circle. At the moment of death the sum of all the experiences of life on earth comes to the surface of the mindfor in the mind are stored all the impressions of past deeds and the dying man then becomes absorbed in these experiences. Five of the hindu holy books are the rig veda, bhagavad gita, sama veda, yajur veda, and athava veda. In class this past week, we discussed the meaning of life. In the beginning god created the heavens and the earth. Islamic jewish mormon v t e hinduism includes a range of viewpoints about the origin of life, creationism and evolution. But why is it that people dont really have a good answer when asked, what is hinduism. Scholars hesitate in defining the term hindu scriptures given the diverse nature of hinduism, but many list the bhagavad gita and the. How was life on created on earth, according to hinduism. This page introduces their poignant quotations from legends and ancient texts. Some of the other holy works and books of hinduism are stories and epic poems. In this post, i would like to discuss the meaning of life based on hinduism.