The History of Hinduism

Hinduism

The term

Hindu

was traditionally used by outsiders to describe the

people of South Asia

, now it has come to describe their religion A

“Hindu”

is someone who accepts the authority of the

Vedas

Hinduism is

the largest religion in India today

Hinduism began

with the beliefs of the Aryan people

and the

Harappans

cultures collided.

and mixed as the two Hinduism is one of the oldest of the

world religions

of today, originating well before the Vedas were

written down

.

Hinduism is

incredibly tolerant

of other religions, often incorporating their beliefs and practices to at least some degree.

Vedas

The Vedas

are ancient books of Aryan

poetry, songs, hymns, myths, stories, etc. that focus on

gods, religion, and history.

There are a total of four Vedas

0

Rig Veda

(oldest)

0

Sama Veda

0

Yajur Veda

0

Atharva Veda

Each Veda has four layers of text

0

Samhitas

0

Original verses

0

Brahmanas

0

Commentary by Brahmins on keeping cosmic balance (purity)

0

Aranyakas

0

primarily concerned with the proper performance of ritual

0

Upanishads

0

Philosophy-

Scripture

Brahman (Universal Spirit)

According to Hinduism, everything

that exists is a part of a single supreme force.

Nothing exists separate from this force.

Since Brahman can be difficult to understand, Hindus focus on aspects of Brahman which are incorporated into many gods

Gods

0

Brahma:

Creation God

0

Shiva:

Destroyer god

0

Vishnu:

Preserver god

0

These are only three of literally gods. Different sects worship different gods

in different ways.

thousands

of

Beliefs

0

Karma:

Every deed affects a person’s fate in this and future lives.

Good or Bad In other words the consequences of how a person lives their life.

0

Dharma: One’s duties and obligations in life

0

Caste: A result of Karma and Dharma, directly related

Beliefs

Samsara:

The endless cycle of rebirths a person must endure before achieving Moksha (liberation)

0

Reincarnation

learned.

: Hindus believe that a person’s Atman is reborn over and over again until all the lessons of life are

0

Hindus want to achieve good Karma by fulfilling their Dharma and observing Caste so that they can reunite their Atman with Brahman in order to break free of Samsara.