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Hinduism| Lord ganeshji| Hindu links| FAQ on Hinduism| Image gallary| symbolism in Hinduism|
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Hinduism
is also referred as Vaidika Dharma, meaning "religion of the
Vedas," in the ancient Hindu scriptures. Hinduism is not
strictly a religion. It is based on the practice of Dharma, the code
of life. The original name of Hindu Dharma is Sanatana Dharma, or
"universal religion." The underlying tenets of Hinduism
cannot be easily defined. Unlike other religions, Hindu Dharma did
not originate from a single person, a single book, or at a single
point in time. The foundations of this oldest surviving religion
were laid by ancient rishis (sages), who taught their disciples the
eternal principles of life they had discovered through their
meditations. Hindu Dharma is essentially a religion of principles
rather than persons. Since Hinduism has no founder, anyone who
practices Dharma can call himself a Hindu. Statistically, there are
over 700 million Hindus, concentrated mainly in India
and Nepal.
Hindu
religious thought is based upon the belief in the Ultimate Reality
(Brahman of the Upanishads), faith in the reality of the spirit
(atman), and faith in the spiritual order of the world. The Rig
Veda, the oldest Hindu scripture says: "Ekam sat vipraha,
bahudha vadanti", meaning "Truth is one, the wise call it
by various names." This doctrine recognizes that the Ultimate
Reality possesses infinite potential, power and intelligence, and
therefore cannot be limited by a single name or form. Thus, Hindus
view the Ultimate Reality as having two aspects: impersonal and
personal. The impersonal aspect of the Ultimate Reality is called
Nirguna Brahman in Hindu scriptures. Nirguna Brahman has no
attributes and, as such, is not an object of prayer but of
meditation and knowledge. This aspect of the Ultimate Reality is
beyond conception, beyond reasoning and beyond thought. The personal
aspect of the Ultimate Reality is known as Saguna Brahman, that is
Brahman with attributes. Saguna Brahman is the creator, sustainer
and controller of the universe. Saguna Brahman cannot be limited by
one form and is therefore worshipped by Hindus in both male and
female forms. As the male aspect, Saguna Brahman is called by
various Sanskrit names, such as Ishvara, Parameshvara, Paramătma,
Maheshvara and Purusha. These Sanskrit names represent more or less
the same concept as the word God in other religions. As the female
aspect, Hindus refer to Saguna Brahman by various names, such as
Divine Mother, Durga and Kali. Hindus further worship the male and
female aspects of Saguna Brahman in many forms, called deities.
Hindu
scriptures teach that an individual is essentially atman clothed in
a physical body. The Sanskrit word atman, meaning "God
within," is usually translated as soul, self or spirit. In a
human body atman is the source of the mind, intellect and ego sense.
Hindu scriptures declare that atman is immortal and divine. In Hindu
view, therefore, an individual is potentially divine and eternally
perfect. There are two states of existence associated with atman,
the bound state and the liberated state. In the bound state, atman
is associated with a physical body. As a result of this association,
atman is subject to maya, which causes it to forget its true divine
nature and commit evil deeds in the world. In the liberated state,
atman is said to have attained moksha (spiritual perfection) and
consequently enjoys union with God.
Hindus
declare that there is only one Supreme Being and He is the God of
all religions. Hindus view cosmic activity of the Supreme Being as
comprised of three tasks: creation, preservation, and dissolution
and recreation. Hindus associate these three cosmic tasks with the
three deities, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Lord Brahma brings forth
the creation and represents the creative principle of the Supreme
Being. Lord Vishnu maintains the universe and represents the eternal
principle of preservation. Lord Shiva represents the principle of
dissolution and recreation. These three deities together form the
Hindu Trinity. One must clearly understand that Brahma, Vishnu and
Shiva are not three independent deities. They represent the same
power (the Supreme Being), but in three different aspects. "The
oneness of the three gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva is brought out by
the mystic symbol AUM (OM) where 'A' represents Vishnu, 'U' Shiva
and 'M' Brahma." The Supreme Being or God, the personal form of
the Ultimate Reality, is conceived by Hindus as having various
aspects. A Hindu deity represents a particular aspect of the Supreme
Being. The Hindu worship of deities can be described as monotheistic
polytheism and not simple polytheism.
There
are many ways of conceiving the Supreme Reality (Brahman) and
numerous ways of approaching it. God is the source of goodness and
truth. Man's goal in life is to seek union with Him. This union can
be sought in many ways, all requiring sincerity of purpose,
self-sacrifice and discipline. The highest religious experience is
the one in which an individual transcends the intellect and realizes
God immediately. There is natural order (rita) inherent in the
natural world. There must be moral order (dharma) inherent in human
life. Everyone must be responsible for one's actions and their
consequences (karma). Individual responsibility and one's ethics are
a foundation for individual happiness and social stability. The
universe is a wheel of sacrifice (yajna). At the beginning the
Supreme Lord performed self-sacrifice to create the universe and set
the wheel in motion. There is no intrinsic evil in Nature nor is
there any evil force in the world which opposes God. Man commits
evil only due to his own ignorance (maya).
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