Hinduism Essay Research Paper Hinduism is a

Hinduism Essay, Research Paper

Hinduism is a religion that originated in India, and is still practiced by most of its inhabitants. It is proclaimed as the oldest religion in the world, and is declared as the official religion of the country and is also practiced in other parts of the world including East and South Africa, Southeast Asia, the East Indies and England. The word “Hindu” comes from the word “Sindhu” meaning the river. To Hindus, Hinduism is not just a religion but a way of life. The religion has created a set of rules for good living on this earth. “The Hindus define their community as those who believe in the Vedas or those who follow the way of the four classes and stages of life.” (Kinsley)

“Hinduism is one of the worlds major religions, not because of its numerous followers, but because of its influence on many other religions.” (Bowen)

Fundamental Principles

Hinduism’s main rule is defined by what people do rather than how people think. Most Hindus have an admiration for cows, an abstention from beef and marriage within a wealthy class in hopes of producing male offsprings. Hinduism’s two main gods are Shiva and Vishnu. However, Hindus practice in worshiping many other minor gods.” (Fowler) The real beauty of Hinduism is that it allows real freedom of choice in worship Each individual has an arranged pattern that gives meaning to his or her own life. There is no hierarchy present in Hinduism, but the social system gives each person a sense of place within their community.

Pg# 2

Text

The ultimate authority for all Hindus is the Vedas. The oldest of the four Vedas is the Rig-Veda, which was composed in an ancient from of the Sanskrit language in northwest India

The text was most likely composed between 1300 and 1000 BC., and consists of over 1,028 chants to a temple built for their gods. It has been memorized syllable for syllable, and is still preserved orally to this day. The Rig-Veda was added by two other Vedas; the Yajur-Veda, which is the text for sacrifice followed by the Sama-Veda, which is a collection of chants. The fourth book, the Artharva-Veda is a collection of magic spells, and was added at around 900 B.C.

The Vedas is known as an intone from the gods. It is so sacred that no syllable can be changed. A summary of Hinduism can be found in the Smriti. There is no prohibition on rewording or challenging the Smriti. The Smriti includes two great Sanskrit epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. There are many other types of chants, known as puranas, also present in the Smriti. The Dharmashastras and Dharmasutras are the ones that are most often cited. The epic Mahabharata tells the story of a war between the Pandava brothers, led by their cousin Krishna and their cousins Kavravas. The other epic Ramayana tells about the journey of Rama to recover his wife Sita after she is abducted by the demon Ravana. These two epics are believed to have been composed between 300 B.C. and 300 A.D. Over the centuries these two epics were translated into the languages of India, namely Tamil and Hindi.

Philosophy of Hinduism

Deep in their literature lives a complex form of cosmology. “Hindus believe that the universe is a great, enclosed sphere within which there are numerous heavens, hells, oceans and continents, with India in the center.” (Cross). They feel that time is corrupt, going from the

Pg#3

golden age known as Krita-Yuga through two intermediate levels of diminishing goodness to the present age which is known as Kali-Yuga. At the end of each Kali-Yuga, the universe is

destroyed by fire and flood, and a new golden age begins. A cycle as you would say. Humans also endure cycles. After the soul leaves the body, it is reborn in another individuals body, as an animal, or as a vegetable or mineral. “And as a goldsmith taking a piece of gold turns it into another, newer and more beautiful shape, even so does this body and dispelled its ignorance, make unto himself another, new and more harmful shape like that of the fathers or of the Gandaharvas, or of the gods.” (Www.atributetohinduism.com) Hindus call this eternal entanglement Samsara, but is known to us as reincarnation. How you turn out is based upon the actions that your soul has committed in its past life.

The aspect of Hinduism has three Vedas, three classes of society (priests, warriors, and the populace) known as Varnas. Three stages of life are known as Ashramas, and three “goals of a man”, known as Purusharthas. The goals of a woman are barely discussed in the text. The Atharva-Veda was added to the first three Vedas. The first three classes were derived from religious and social institutions of ancient Greece and Rome.

“The three original Ashramas were the unsullied student (brahmachari), the householder (grihastha), and the Forrest dweller (vanaprastha). They were said to owe three debts; study of the Vedas (owed to the sages); a son (to the ancestors); and sacrifice (to the gods).” (Flood).The three goals were artha (material success), dharma (righteous social behavior), and karma (reincarnation).

The primary goal of a Hindu is to produce and raise a son who will make his offerings to his ancestors. The second way of Hinduism, is based on the unity of the soul. Nothing could be

Pg#4

more detrimental to salvation than the birth of a ch

Внимание, отключите Adblock

Вы посетили наш сайт со включенным блокировщиком рекламы!
Ссылка для скачивания станет доступной сразу после отключения Adblock!

Скачать