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HINDU
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A Hindu (Devanāgarī:हिंदु) , as per modern definition is an adherent of philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, the predominant religious, philosophical and cultural system of the Indian subcontinent and the island of Bali. Most of the Hindus today live in India. Bharat is the ancient name of India. Laterly it is known as India. Another popular name for Bharat is Hindustan, meaning the land of Hindus.
According to this link there were about 900 million Hindus in the world in 2005. The 2001 Census of India estimates the number of Hindus in India to be about 827 million, or 80% of India's total population. Although such a large fraction of India's population practices Hinduism, India is officially a secular republic. More than 80% of population in Nepal follows Hinduism. Large Hindu communities, mostly expatriates from India, live in South East Asia, North America, the West Indies, Western Europe, the Middle East, East Africa and South Africa. The Hindus of Bali, and in other parts of Indonesia are indigenous Indonesian Hindus.
Origins of the word Hindu
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One interesting theory as regards the origin of term Hindu which is as follows. Ha(hi) - denotes the sun(hiranya?) and I(ee) denotes the moon(indu) and the land which was ruled by the suryavamsa(solar race) as well as the chandravamsa(lunar race) kings came to be called as Hindu.
An alternative explanation is that the word 'indu' originates from Rigveda with reference to a mythological plant juice offered for oblations, while the 'h' represents auspiciousness or delight, thus implying that one who propitiates by drinking soma is a hindu.[3]
Until about 19th century, the term Hindu implied a culture and ethnicity and not religion alone. So Hindus have adopted this term because "Hind" (India) is their motherland. The term some Hindus have used for their religious beliefs is Sanatan Dharma ("Eternal Dharma" - see also Dharma). When the British colonial government started taking a periodic census and established a unified legal system, the need arose to define what constitutes Hinduism as a religion, in order to compare it with the likes of Christianity or Islam. Since then, various definitions have been proposed by scholars like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, who defined it as a religion based on the Vedas, just as the Bible and the Qur'an are the basis of Christianity and Islam, respectively.
Who is a Hindu?
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A Hindu is one who follows his or her own religion of Sva-Dharma, practices Bhakti (devotion) on any form of God (who is Brahman or creator of the universe), practices virtuous path of life believing in the concept of Karma for the purpose of Moksha. Sva - is the "self". Karma is the law of eternal onus of one's actions leading to balanced effects for all times to come. Moksha is the ultimate resolution of life and death cycle.
Some have proposed that a Hindu is one who believes in the Vedas ("Vaidik Dharma"). But this is a simplification. Not all Hindus believe in the Vedas; for example, the Lingayat people believe in non-vedic Agamas. It can be safely said that Hinduism is a way of life which has led to many civilized forms of religion.
The most accurate definition of a Hindu is one who declares oneself a Hindu. Hinduism holds no requirements for being a Hindu, although many beliefs are accepted by nearly all Hindus.
The colonial British government introduced the census as it is today, and for legal purposes set worded definitions and distinctions between populations that had lived interwoven for thousands of years.
Many Hindus identify the Brahma itself as Vishnu and believe that Vishnu Himself represents the Trinity and are known as Vaishnava; many others believe the Supreme Being is Shiva or Shankara and that He represents the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva Himself and are known as Shaiva; while yet others believe in the female Principle Shakti as the Supreme Energy or Force for life (birth and preservation) and destruction unified, and are called Shakta. In Vaishnavism and Shaivism, Shakti is God's Unified Energy (Power) personified. The fourth major group, the Smarta, are non-sectarian Hindus that call the Trinity and Shakti the Supreme One Brahman, which manifests into personal forms of God, such as Brahma, Vishnu or Shiva (also known as Mahesh). However, no barrier or distinction or rivalry of any nature exists between any of these - historically, Hinduism is known for its religious tolerance and there is no friction whatsoever between these groups, who respect each other's practices. Each naturally respects all incarnations of the God, only choosing to see the Supreme in one particular form. Many follow a blend of all three beliefs and this is by far the most common form of religion for Hindus, with a mix of Shaivism, Shaktism and Vaishnavism as well as other reform movements. In most Hindu temples one will find Shiva lingam together with vaishnava aspects of worship.
Because the foundation of Hinduism, the Rig Veda says that there are many paths to the Lord, any God may be worshipped for the achievement of a union with the Supreme, Moksha. In certain sections, contradictions appear such as depicting Vishnu and the Lord, while other sections maintain that another spirit is God. The contradictions are believed to come from the same truth because, for Hindus as well as others such as Zoroastrians or Parsis, God is beyond conception, beyond imagination. God is believed to be both impersonal (without qualities) and yet transcendent (with qualities) by Hindus.
Hinduism, especially its history and heritage, is vitally important to the political identity and expression of India and other countries' Hindus.
Hallmarks of Hindu society
Ethnic and cultural fabric
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Hinduism has one of the most genetically and ethnically diverse body of adherents in the world. For some, it is hard to classify Hinduism as a religion, as the framework, symbols, leaders and books of reference that make up a typical religion are not uniquely identified in the case of Hinduism. However, it is the world's oldest religion which inspired others and is seen as the mother of all religions just as India is seen as the father of all civilizations. Most commonly it can be seen as a "way of life" which gives rise to many civilized forms of religions. Hinduism, its religious doctrines, traditions and observances are very typical and inextricably linked to the culture and demographics of India.
Then Hinduism is not just a religion; it is also a philosophy and a culture ("Sanatan Parampara," the "Eternal Tradition.")
Large tribes and communities of indigenous origins, are also closely linked to the earliest synthesis and formation of Hindu civilization. Peoples of East Asian roots living in the states of north eastern India and Nepal were also a part of the earliest Hindu civilization. Immigration and settlement of peoples from Central Asia and peoples of Indo-Greek heritage have brought their own influence on Hindu society. Some of the staunchest defenders of Hindu India against Muslim invaders were the Rajputs of modern Rajasthan, who were originally from Central Asia.
The deities of the Indus Valley Civilization have uncanny resemblances to Hindu gods such as Shiva. Worship of Lord Vishnu also, could be an ancient indigenous practice and the scarce mention in Vedas could be a later inclusion. The roots of Hinduism in southern India, and amongst tribal and indigenous communities is just as ancient and fundamentally contributive to the foundations of the religious and philosophical system.
Ancient Hindu kingdoms arose and spread the religion and traditions across South East Asia, particularly Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia and what is now central Vietnam. A form of Hinduism particularly different from Indian roots and traditions is practised in Bali, Indonesia, where Hindus form 90% of the population. Indian migrants have taken Hinduism and Hindu culture to South Africa, Fiji, Mauritius and other countries in and around the Indian Ocean, and in the nations of the West Indies and the Caribbean.
Many Europeans, Africans and Americans have adopted spiritual and religious exercises inspired by Hinduism in North America, Western Europe and Southern Africa. The ISKCON is a sect of the devotees of Krishna, specifically, Gaudiya Vaishnavism, mainly in the United States but spreading across the world, embracing people and working in countries completely unassociated with India.
Linguistics of Hinduism
from the Mahabharata.
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Although the Vedas, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana have been written in the ancient language of Sanskrit, Hinduism has several important religious and philosophical works written in other ancient languages like Tamil, Pali, Prakrit, and modern languages like Hindi, Punjabi, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Gujarati, Marathi, Oriya and Bengali.
The approximately 950 million Hindus who live in the Indian subcontinent are the people who speak the 18 official languages of India, Tamil in Sri Lanka,Singapore and Malaysia, Nepali in Nepal, Balinese in Indonesia some 5-10 more unofficial languages and over 1,000 dialects.
Millions of Hindus are well-versed with English. Many of modern discourses, essays and analysis of Hindu religion and society, and re-telling of its greatest epics, are published in the English language.
Ceremonies, observances and pilgrimage
Hinduism is also very diverse in the religious ceremonies performed by its adherents for different periods and events in life, and for death.
Initiation
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Many Hindus, may perform coming of age ceremonies like Upanayana or Janoy or 'Bratabandha'. These ceremonies have variants depending on the caste, the culture and the country.
The Upanayana is akin to the Jewish B'nai Mitzvah. It is very similar to the Navjot ceremony of the Zoroastrians. In a ceremony administered by a priest, a coir string, known as Janoy, is hung from around a young boy's left shoulder to his right waist line for Brahmins and from right shoulders to left waistline by Kshatriyas. The ceremony varies from region to community, and includes reading from the Vedas and special mantras and shlokas.
Young females (prepubescent until married) do not have similar ritual passage as young males. However, some young Hindu females, especially those from southern India, may follow annual Monsoon Austerity Ritual of Purification by not eating cooked food for one or two weeks, depending on age of child. This is known as "Goryo" or "Goriyo".
Generally speaking, Hindus are free to join an order or inner circle, and once they have joined it they must submit to its rites and way of living. But this type of joining is voluntary and has the possibility of leaving the order at any time without serious objection from fellow followers as long as one says and does things without associating them with the order which he or she has left. It is a social form of co-option of life style. There is a Sanskrit saying "Dharmo rakshati rashitah.." which translates to "religion protects those who protect it.." meaning religion is with the believer as long as the person believes in it. The initiation (diksa), a sort of purification or consecration involving a transformation of the aspirant's personality, is regarded as a complement to, or even a substitute for, the previous initiation ceremony rite of consecration that preceded the Vedic sacrifice in ancient India; in later and modern Hinduism, the initiation of a layman by his guru (spiritual guide) into a religious sect. In the soma sacrifices of the Vedic period, the lay sacrificer, after bathing, kept a daylong (in some cases up to a yearlong) silent vigil inside a special hut in front of a fire.
New Year
Unlike most other cultures, New Year is celebrated as a festival in India. Many regions have different calendars and some starting in March while others at the time of Diwali, the festival of lights in autumn. New Year is celebrated at different times of the year by people of different states. That is people from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra states celebrate New Year on the same day, but people from Tamil Nadu celebrate the New Year at different time (April 14). The names of the new year vary too. For example Kannada & Telugu people call new year Ugadi while Tamil people call their new year as Varusha Pirappu. People from other northern states celebrate Holi as their New Year day which is first day of first month Chaitra according to Hindu calendar. The role of prayer is very crucial in the hindu religion as it becomes part of there everyday life. A hindu may pray up to many times a day. A typical hindu would know about 15-20 different prayers, this is because of the different ceremonies celebrated eg, when someone is born they will say a life giving prayer. The life giving prayer is also said if someone is dying.
Fast
Fasting is very common among most Hindus. They Fast on certain days of the week based on their belief and to appease certain deities. Some fast on Mondays to appease Siva, where as some fast on Saturdays to appease Shani similarly some fast on Fridays to penance in the name of goddess Laxmi or Santoshi. Most fasting Hindus abstain from eating meat and only live on fruits and milk. Some people refrain from using edible salts in the preparation of the meal and have it only one time on the day. There is a month called Shravan or Savan when Hindus fast for the whole month and abstain from eating any form of meat. Also they fast during the holy days like Ganesh Chaturthi (Chauth), Shivratri, Ram Navami and Navaratri. Fasting is seen as a form of penance (tapasya) or alternatively as a mean to develop a close bond with the Supreme Being.
Marriage
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Wedding ceremonies and rituals vary in Hinduism. Most Hindu parents look for a prospective match for their children from their own community or caste. The ritual of matching the prospective's jathakam or janampatri with the help of a holy priest is also widely practised by many Hindus. Modern day couples usually approve each other before getting the elders of the family approve their 'arranged' marriage. The important difference between a Hindu marriage and other types of marriage is that, Hindu marriage is a 3-party contract, as much as it is a 2-party contract in the western civilization. The third party that needs to approve the marriage is essentially the elders of the family representing the interest of the clan. In todays India, with the social evolution, the approvals of elders and family are slowly becoming a formality, Also, the marriages between different community and casts are getting quite common and frequent.
Hindu marriage ceremonies are very colorful and elaborate. Families of the bride and the groom hold numerous festitivities to celebrate the wedding. Saptapadi is an important ritual performed during the wedding in which the bride and the groom circumambulate a sacred fire, known as agni, seven times. As the inheritance of the family wealth was by the males only, girls who would move out to live with another family after marriage, were given a fair share of the family wealth as dowry. But with the modernization of Hindu society, some eligible bachelors started to see this as a demandable contribution from the bride's father. The practice of demanding a dowry is still common and predominant in some parts of India and often bride's family or the bride gets harassed by the groom's family for this. Dowry formed an integral part of Hindu marriage until it was made illegal by the Indian government in 1961. Dowry is legal if it represents "stri-dhana" i.e. a girl's share of the parents' wealth, given voluntarily by the parents. In some parts of the Indian society, this dowry system is getting abolished and considered as a shameful act.
Pilgrimage
Many Hindus make pilgrimages to the holy shrines (known as Tirthas). Hindu holy shrines include the abode of Shiva, Mount Kailash in Tibet, Shiva's lingam in Amarnath, Anantnag, Rameshwaram, and Kedarnath; the holy cities of Haridwar, Dwarka, Puri,Prayaga, Mathura, Tirumala, Tirupati, Kashi, and Ayodhya. Goddess Durga's holy shrine in Vaishno Devi attracts thousands of devotees every year. Hundreds of millions of Hindus annually visit holy rivers such as the Ganges ("Ganga" in Sanskrit) and temples near them, wash and bathe themselves to purify their sins, make sacrifices and win pivous credits.
The Kumbha Mela (the Great Fair) is a gathering of between 10 to 20 million Hindus upon the banks of the holy rivers, as periodically ordained in different parts of India by Hinduism's priestly leadership. The most famous is at the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna in Uttar Pradesh which is known as "Sangam". It is regarded as the largest gathering of humanity on Earth.
Death
Upon the death of a Hindu person, his or her body is ceremonially bathed and wrapped in clean, mostly white khadi cloth. The families often dress their departed relative in their best clothes, but maintain an emphasis on less color.
At the ceremony of cremation all mourners must wear only white clothes. In India, especially northern India, white is the color of mourning. In modern times, dull colored clothes, shirts and pants are deemed acceptable.
An attending priest conducts the ceremony, purifying the body and pyre by sprinkling holy water and continuously singing or chanting religious hymns or songs. The body is to be set alight only by the eldest male child of the deceased, or the closest male relative. However, in modern society women are asserting their right as children and/or closest relative of the deceased to cremate their loved ones. In many cases, this is increasingly being accepted.
Hindus in India are cremated upon open grounds upon wooden pyres, though the use of cremation chambers is increasing in popularity owing to the scarcity of wood and lack of exposure. The ashes of the person's remains are gathered and placed in a pot, which may be ritually immersed in any of Hinduism's holy rivers by the family with an attending priest. However, if one is unable to reach a Hindu holy river, it is best to find a river or body of water that flows into the ocean. If Ganga water (or water from any holy river) is available in sealed copper pots, water is either poured into the mouth of the deceased, or mixed with the ashes following cremation, if it is not available, holy water prepared by priests is poured into the mouths of the deceased. It is accepted that the ashes of the deceased will be immersed within 3 days. If it is not done within this time frame, additional rituals must be carried out. However these procedures are not concrete, and may vary from region to region.
The practice of cremation is not universal among Hindus. Hindus of various regions and castes may bury their dead as well, as per their families tradition. However, many prefer cremation in comparison to burial, even if burial is the common practice of the family.
Religion for the common Hindu
Icons, also known as murtis, play a crucial role in Hinduism. Shown here is a 10th-century temple in Khajuraho depicting Hindu icons
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To many Hindus, the Vedas, large corpus of texts originated in Ancient India, are the main source of religious social and religious practices in Hindu society.
The Puranas are a wide collection of religious treatises, biographies and stories on the historical, mythological and religious characters in Hindu folklore, classic literature and sacred scriptures. There are often the source of popular Hindu folk tales and religious lessons.
Yoga is an important connection to a Hindu to his religious and historical heritage. The art of spiritual and physical exercises are a distinguished native tradition pursued by millions of Hindus worldwide.
Indian Vedic astrology is important to the conduct of any of life's important events such as marriage, applying for a post or admission, buying a house or starting a new business. To millions of Hindus, the kundali is an invaluable possession that charts the course of life for a man or a woman from the time of his birth, all ascertained by Vedic mathematics and astrology.
Perhaps the most popular Hindu scripture is the Mahabharata, the holy war between good and evil. Krishna's discourse to the warrior prince Arjuna, known as the Bhagavad Gita and contained in the Mahabharata is the guide book on life for the common Hindu. It is the source of divine guidance and inspiration, where the reader learns to interpret Krishna's teachings in the personal and worldly contexts of life. Most Hindus consider this book as the main source of religious teaching. To hundreds of millions of Hindus, Rama is more than just an incarnation of the Supreme, or simply a just king of Ayodhya. He is the still living, thriving soul and identity of real Hinduism. Rama is the image of Hinduism, the Perfect Man, its conscience and undying hope of deliverance.
The doctrines of moksha by the diligent discharge of personal, social and religious duty is the corner stone of the hindu society. By following one's duty (Swa-Dharma) one gains merit and when the process is completed; a union with the Godhead and cessation of the cycle of birth and death. Dereliction of duty will result in all sorts of misfortunes, including birth in a lower level in the social hierarchy. This is a strong motivation to stick to the right path of human nature. Commonly this swa-dharma or varna is misundersstood as caste, the class identity in Hindu society. Varna is by a soul's karma while Jat or caste is simply by birth and not necessarily in a person's nature. So it is important to follow a person's nature towards and seek out their duty.
Conclusion
- Foundation: Rig Veda
- Pantheon: Brahman (in any or many form)
- Goal: Moksha
- Official Language: Sanskrit
- Canon: Shastra (Vedas + complementaries to the Vedas)
- Prayer: Gayatri Mantra/Om Jai Jagdish Hare
Dogma: In Hinduism, a person sees God in many forms and understands that any form of God can be worshipped to achieve moksha, the union with God. Karma is also practiced to achieve moksha. God is believed to have three aspects; to create (Brahmaa), to sustain (Vishnu) and to destroy (Shiva.) This triad is represented by the OM icon. This triad also is known as Sanatan. Sanatan also denoted both God and souls as eternal. This religion is hence the Sanatan Dharma and is believed to have always existed. Furthermore, God is believed to be the protector of this religion.
Hinduism is pantheistic because it sees that everything is God. It is henotheistic because it believes that there are many souls who can became deities or Devas due the blessings of God. It is monotheistic because it believes that even the Devas are parts and parcels of Paramatma.
The Sanatan Dharma is also known by many names as it expands to many peoples. A popular name, usually used by Hindu reformers is Arya Dharma. Another popular name is Vaidik Dharma because it is founded by the Vedas and focuses on the Vedic way of life. It is called Sat Dharma by a few, meaning also "eternal religion." In the Mahabharata there is a chapter called the Mokshdharma. Because Hinduism is believed by its disciples to lead to Moksha, it is called by the name. It is also known to a few as Atma Dharma meaning that it is the focuses on the salvation of the soul. It is also called Jaiva Dharma meaning the same.
See also
Hindu people
Hinduism
Other Dharmic religions
Literature
External links
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