INTRODUCTION TO World Religions Sacrifice was the principal form of worship to
& Belief Systems the Aryan gods.
Between 1750 B.C.E. and 1200 B.C.E., Aryan
Fourth Quarter conquerors moved to the Indus Valley and
brought with them their own set of beliefs that
LESSOn 1: Hinduism eventually mingled with the religion of the
natives.
Hinduism – world’s third largest religion with Aryans brought with them a polytheistic
around 15% of the entire population practicing religion like that of other Indo-European
the Hindu faith. peoples.
Hindu followers in India – almost 80% of the
country’s population adhering to the religion. SACRED SCRIPTURES
Hinduism was never a missionary religion. The sacred texts of Hinduism have been
1. Hinduism – the world’s oldest organized principally passed down throughout
religion that began on the Indian subcontinent generations by way of music, recitation, dance,
with no specific moment of origin and no and drama.
specific founder. Sanskrit has been the language of the earliest
2. Hindu followers vary in their set of beliefs writings.
and practices as they accept the pluralistic The sacred writings of the Hindus are
nature of their traditions. categorized into two classes, the shruti and
smriti.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
It is oftentimes considered as the oldest and SHRUTI
most complex of all world religions. It literally means “that which is heard.” They
Elements and themes of Hindu belief may are regarded as eternal truths that were passed
have begun around the third millennium orally until the beginning of the present age
B.C.E. wherein there came the need to write them
The term Hindu is originated from the Persian down.
word hindu (in Sanskrit sindhu) which The four collections of texts of the Vedas form
means “river.” the shruti and are considered primary sources
It also refers to the people of the Indus and the most authoritative texts of the Hindu
Valley – The Indians. faith.
The name Hinduism was given in the Other writings that form part of shruti include
nineteenth century to describe the wide array the Samhitas, Brahmanas, Upanishads, and a
of belief few Sutras.
systems in India.
Hinduism was originally known as “Arya VEDAS – SHRUTI
Dharma” The four basic Vedic books, which are
or the “Aryan Way.” sacrificial hymns compiled from an earlier
Pre-Aryan belief can be seen from the oral tradition, are composed of Rig-veda,
numerous Sama-veda, Yajur-veda, and Atharva-veda.
statues and amulets recovered by The word veda means “knowledge” or
archaeologists. “sacred lore.”
Images of fertility gods and goddesses are The Vedas are the earliest known Sanskrit
noticeable from these artifacts while some literature from the Brahmanic period and
figures appear in the lotus position that was oldest scriptures of Hinduism.
later absorbed by yoga Hinduism and other VEDAS – SHRUTI
sects. Among the four Vedas, the Rig-Veda is the
Between 1750 B.C.E. and 1200 B.C.E., Aryan most important and oldest book; it is also
conquerors moved to the Indus Valley and the oldest living literature of the world.
brought with them their own set of beliefs that The book is a collection of over a
eventually mingled with the religion of the thousand hymns and more than thousand
natives. verses dedicated to the Aryan pantheon of
Aryans brought with them a polytheistic Gods.
religion similar to that of other Indo-European
peoples. Gods and Goddesses
Natural forces, such as sun, moon and storm, Indra
are personified in reference to the pantheon of - leader of the devas or gods; the lord of
gods and goddesses worshipped by the Aryans. heaven in Hinduism; god of rain and
thunderstorms.
Agni WORSHIP AND OBSERVANCES
- god of fire; messenger of the gods Hindu scriptures state that there are 330
Adityas - sun-gods million gods or devas. These include
Mitra - deity for honesty, friendship, manifestations of natural phenomena, evil
contracts, and meetings forces, and even illnesses. Others are
Varuna - God of the water; god of law of the venerated humans or town deities.
underwater world Hindu worship or puja involves images
Ushas - deity of dawns The Vedas holds her (murtis), prayers (mantras), and diagrams of
as the personification of the light and the universe (yantras).
charm of sunrise. Most Hindus worship individually that
Savitr - solar deity includes mantras or vibrating sounds that
Rudra - deity of wind or storm summon the deity and the prasad or gift
Pushan - solar deity, God of meeting offerings.
Brihaspati - deity and religion Vital to Hindu worship is darshan that pertains
Dyaus Pita - sky god; father sky to seeing and being in the presence with the
Prithvi - mother earth deity.
Surya - chief solar deity; the sun While worship may be undertaken any day of
Vayu - lord of the winds the week, Thursday is considered to be the
Apas - water most opportune day.
Parjanya - thunder and rain Main festivals include Holi, Diwali, and
Dusserah.
SMRITI The Diwali or “Festival of Lights” is India’s
It literally means “that which has been biggest and most important holiday of the year
remembered.” These writings serve to held in October or November that is similar to
reinforce shruti and are interpreted by sages the Christmas holiday of the Christians.
and scholars alike.
Most of these texts are sectarian in nature and SUBDIVISIONS
considered of lesser importance compared to Followers of Hinduism vary in their set of
shruti, such as stories and legends, codes of beliefs and practices, including reverence to a
conduct for the society and guidebooks for particular god. Presently, there are four
worship. principal denominations within the Hindu
It literally means “that which has been faith.
remembered.” These writings serve to These are Shaivism, Shaktism, Vaishnavism,
reinforce shruti and are interpreted by sages and Smartism.
and scholars alike. Each sect has its own religious leaders, sacred
Most of these texts are sectarian in nature and texts, schools, and temples.
considered of lesser importance compared to While there is indeed variety and key
shruti, such as stories and legends, codes of differences among sects, adherents of these
conduct for the society and guidebooks for denominations share the pervading beliefs
worship. concerning karma, dharma, reincarnation, and
other key Hindu concepts
BELIEFS AND DOCTRINES and philosophy.
The Hindu faith offers its followers many paths to
salvation or Bhakti yoga (or “the way of devotion”). Shaivism
In temples, devotees can pray and offer sacrifices so Lord Shiva, the Compassionate One, is God
that they can gain favor from deities and assist them in for the Saivites.
their struggle for salvation. Followers of Shaivism value self-discipline
Bhakti stands for soul’s longing for and clinging to and philosophy.
God. They worship in temples and practice yoga.
Devotion to the Trimurti Shaktism
Brahman – the ultimate reality, one and The Goddess Shakti is supreme for Shaktas.
undivided. Brahman is often seen in three She is the divine mother and assumes many
forms called the Trimurti (creation, forms, be it a gentle one or a fierce deity.
preservation, and destruction). These functions Believers use chants, magic, and yoga to
are expressed in God forms: summon cosmic forces.
Vaishvanism
Lord Vishnu is God for the Vaishvanites,
especially in his incarnations Krishna and
Rama.
Adherents have multitudes of saints, temples, Lower caste members are now being elected to
and sacred texts. key government positions, including K. R.
Smartism Narayanan, a dalit who became the tenth
For the Smartas, devotees are left to choose president of India from 1997 to 2002.
their own deity in one of six manifestations,
namely, Ganesha, Siva, Shakti, Vishnu, Surya,
and Skanda.
Smartas are known as liberals as they embrace
all major Hindu Gods.
SELECTED ISSUES
Hinduism continues to be the religion of
almost 80% of the Indian people.
While mostly comprised of Hindu followers,
India is a secular state that remains neutral in
issues involving religious convictions and
practices of its citizenry.
All Indians are allowed to follow and
propagate their own set of beliefs.
Hinduism and Women
Even though the Manusmriti or the “Laws of
Manu” states that women should be honored in
Hindu society, women have always been
considered inferior to men in almost all
aspects of life.
In traditional society, women are expected to
perform sati or suttee wherein widowed
women are expected to jump on the funeral
pyre of their husbands to prove their loyalty
and help save the soul of their husbands in the
afterlife.
In spite of the fact that sati was already
demolished by the British in India, there are
still cases of sati being reported in modern
times.
Caste System
The caste system is one major distinguishing
feature of Indian culture that still affects
modern-day society.
The caste system is one major distinguishing
feature of Indian culture that still affects
modern-day society.
A system of social class composed of the
Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras,
opportunities are based upon family origin.
The most deplorable groups are those that are
disparagingly called as “outcastes” or
“untouchables.” Also known as dalits, they are
highly ostracized in society.
They perform the most menial of jobs, such as
street sweepers, latrine cleaners, and handlers
of the dead. These jobs receive the lowest
wages and have the most appalling living
conditions.
Despite the negative backlash on the caste
system, India has been receptive in enacting
legislation aimed at eradicating inherent social
evils.
