The aryans gave hinduism its priestly language, sanskrit. The muslims worship one and the only almighty god, having no son, no wife, no, parents, no partner. The canon of books and poems that define hinduism were written in sanskrit and are of ancient origin. A comparative study, however, says that the cow used to be slaughtered by the ancient hindus for beef as well as sacrifice. Hinduism was one of the first religions that had the idea of reincarnation that people can be born again after death, karma one event invents another, or that every action has its consequences, and other ideas. It is a polytheist anthropomorphic religion with a highly ritualized form of worship. Hinduism, major world religion originating on the indian subcontinent and. Hindus value many sacred writings as opposed to one holy book. Toward the end of the 5th century, the cult of the mother goddess assumed a significant place in indian religious life. Hinduism allows absolute freedom to the rational mind of man. The nature of hinduism, hindu metaphysics, how hindus worship, spiritual practices, family life and culture, and hindu ethics. Some people call this book the most important in hinduism. It was the religion of an ancient people known as the aryans noble people whose philosophy, religion. The broad term hinduism encompasses a wide variety of traditions, which are closely related and share common themes but do not constitute a unified set of beliefs or practices.
Hinduism was one of the first religions that had the idea of reincarnation that people can be born again after death, karma one event invents another, or that. The laws of manu smriti, sort of like a code of conduct the upanishads shruti, deal with ultimate questions the ramyana smriti. Hinduism never demands any undue restraint upon the freedom of human reason, the freedom of thought, feeling and will of man. Honestly, what caught my eyes is the name of the book. There are several, split into two categories shruti reavealed by brahma to wise men, who heard them and smriti made up by humans to explain complex nature of shruti texts, these also detail the stories of the numerous gods. Aarti is generally performed one to five times daily, and usually at the end of a puja in south india or bhajan session in north india.
Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. May 11, 20 a rich geography, many languages and dialects, lots of different creeds, racial diversity, all these elements have shaped hinduism and made it so heterogenic. Worship in hinduism is an act of religious devotion usually directed to one or more hindu. Hinduism, major world religion originating on the indian subcontinent and comprising several and varied systems of philosophy, belief, and ritual. A ahswhrat, minor god of trickery and mischief aakash acyutah, another name of vishnu.
Compared to other festivals it is a solemn occasion marked by fasting. The name hinduism is coined by sir william jones the judge of the supreme court of bengal. In this deeper approach, the distinction is not between a true one god and the false many gods. Worshippers repeat the names of their favourite gods and goddesses.
The religion of hinduism originated in northern india, near the river indus, about 4000 years ago and is the worlds oldest existing religion. However, i think the vedas of arguably the most important hindu holy scriptures. Hinduism allows absolute freedom in the faith and mode of worship, not insisting that god could be reached through only a particular name, place or path. However, the puranas are supposed to be complied by muni vyasa. Worship in hinduism is an act of religious devotion usually directed to one or more hindu deities.
I recommend this book for those who, like me before i read this book, know very little about hinduism. Sep 27, 2005 hindu worship is primarily an individual act rather than a communal one, as it involves making personal offerings to the deity. Puja is seen as a way of relating humans to the domain and actions of the divine, and can be performed for anything considered divine. Unlike western philosophies, the concept of evil is not found here. Although the name hinduism is relatively new, having been coined by british writers in the first decades of the 19th century, it refers to a rich cumulative tradition of texts and practices, some of which date to the 2nd millennium bce or possibly.
I also learned so aspects of christianity also from this book. A hindu temple has different sections, such as the inner shrine that contains the image or statue of. For children, hinduism from a to z, is an illustrated alphabet designed as twentysix minilessons on hindu thought and culture. There are clear evidences in the rig veda, the most sacred hindu scripture, that the cow used to be sacrificed by hindus for religious purposes. Apr 03, 20 hinduism is considered a pagan religion because it worships god in the female form. Mar 17, 2015 in hinduism, puja alternative spelling pooja. Hindus believe in the doctrines of samsara the continuous cycle of life, death, and reincarnation. I read the whole book during my flight from london to new york.
Unlike all other books i read about hinduism, this book is very simple. This term is probably a central one in hinduism, but a direct translation from the sanskrit to english is difficult. Worshippers repeat the names of their favourite gods and goddesses, and repeat mantras. Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, and some practitioners and scholars refer to it as sanatana dharma, the eternal tradition, or the eternal way, beyond human history. The last prophet of islam hazrat muhammad may peace be upon him. What is hinduisms holy book and place of worship answers. They are half brothers of devas, having taken birth from same father, kashyap. With over one billion followers, it is the world s third largest religion, after christianity and islam. Hinduism has sacred scriptures written by women saints, no other religion matching this feature. Despite indias enormous diversity, a common grammar of ritual behaviour connects various places, strata, and periods of hindu life.
Why hindus worship so many gods and goddesses is a real mystery for most people. There is a good overview of the history behind hinduism, the main tenets and the various schools of hinduism. I was wondering if in the religion of buddhism do they have a sacred text or a book. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. Hindus believe their religion has no identifiable beginning or end and. The principles of the book of manu which was used for drafting the hindu law were called as hinduism. The puranas are holy books of hinduism that date back to gupta empire in ancient india. While it is true that various elements of vedic ritual survive in modern practice and thereby serve a unifying function, much. In the hindu religion, a temple is the home on earth of a god or goddess. Hinduism does not have a single holy book that guides religious practice. That is why devi who is known by different names like durga, lakshmi, saraswati and so on is the most powerful divine being. The lack of unifying overall religious authority and the total absence of a book claiming supreme truth and dogmas have contributed to the diversity of hinduism as well. With over one billion followers, it is the worlds third largest religion, after christianity and islam.
The reader needs to pardon the occasional mistakes in english grammar or word choice. Water, fruit, flowers and incense are offered to god. Aarti is a hindu religious ritual of worship, a part of puja, in which light from wicks soaked in ghee purified butter or camphor is offered to one or more deities. Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world, and hindus refer to it as sanatana dharma, the eternal tradition, or the eternal way, beyond human history. A pilgrimage is a journey made by a follower to a holy city, shrine or. About hinduism hindu prayer and worship worship in the mandir sacred deities the arti ceremony mantras and meditation festival prayers prayers for liberation prayers of devotion childhood prayers getting married in daily l. Hinduism does not have a single holy book, but many ancient texts and scriptures.
The name of this festival means night sacred to shiva, because worship goes on throughout the night. The heart of hinduism, in the spirit of the tradition, aims to be nonsectarian, evenhanded, and respectful in its description of all the hindu traditions. The very name, hinduism, was given to the religion of the people of hindustan by foreigners. The holy book in the hindu religion is known as the vedas. It allows the widest freedom in matters of faith and worship. Devas and asuras are the force and counter force we re. Worship takes a multitude of forms depending on geography and language. The basic principle of the book of manu is caste discrimination. As for the name itself, hindu is a word first used by persians, dating back. The primary sacred texts, known as the vedas, were composed around 1500 b. Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, and some. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus.
The holy book of the muslims is the quran the most holy place and city is. The distinction in hinduism is between a true way of worship and false way of worship. Hinduism tells everyone to worship god according to his own faith or. The heart of hinduism text book is produced by iskcon educational services, uk. The upanishads are also called as vedantas or the end of the vedas. Brahman is the eternal origin, who is responsible for the creation of the universe. Information on hinduism for kids primary homework help. The belief system in the hindi religion is outlined from these scriptures.
Oct 25, 2011 what is the buddhism sacred text or book of worship. Hindus also worship different gods which individually represent one particular aspect of brahman. This book answered all my questions i had about my culture my culture as well as my religion. These people are responsible for bringing vedic religion and ultimately hinduism to india. The name hinduism, he argues was wrongly given to the varied series of indian religious facts as if these formed one system of doctrines. These texts are glorious tales of the hindu trinity brahma, vishnu and maheshwar shiva.
Krishna says that this is the best way to worship him, the word means join or connect to. That is why devi who is known by different names like durga, lakshmi, saraswati and. Nov 04, 2008 the aryans gave hinduism its priestly language, sanskrit. A sense of bhakti or devotional love is generally invoked. Hinduism is practised by more than 80% of indias population. Hinduism states that god is everything and everywhere. Some devotees of shiva do not sleep, eat or drink for the thirtysix hours. Also if you know any sites that i can get some good information that would help greatly. The second strand in the fabric of hinduism is practice. The following are some of the basic concepts of prayers and their ritual and spiritual importance in hinduism. It is the good fortune or the misfortune of hinduism that it has no official creed. Most forms of hinduism are henotheistic, which means they worship a single deity, known as brahman, but still recognize other gods and goddesses. Hinduism is the worlds oldest religion, according to many scholars, with. The name, a cognate of bhakti, meaning religious devotion, suggests its importance to the bhakti movement that spread.
Although the name hinduism is relatively new, having been coined by british writers. The hindu approach to worship goes to the very essence of the human spirit. According to smith, this misconception was the result of the use of a christian, and more specifically, a protestant conception of religion as systems of doctrines. There was no doubtat one time sacrifice of animals offered in the. In devotional worship hindus use prayers to express their love and devotion. Shaktism, the worship of shakti, the active power of the godhead conceived in feminine terms, should be distinguished from tantrism, the search for spiritual power and ultimate release by means of the repetition of sacred syllables and phrases. The four books of the vedasrig, yajur, sama and atharvainclude over 100,000 verses. Followers believe there are multiple paths to reaching their god. Prayers are used in ritual worship yajnas as well as in domestic worship puja.
In the west, where the mass majority of people are part of the abrahamic faith tradition with one god, the concept of polytheism is nothing more than fantasy or mythology worthy of comic book material. Hinduism is a very old religion from india that is still practiced today. Some rituals require that hindus worship god in nature, for example farmers worship the land, trees and the crops on certain occasions. Hindus believe in reincarnation, which means that the soul is eternal and is constantly reborn in one form or another. Mandirs vary in size from small village shrines to large buildings, surrounded by walls. The epics were written after the veda around 500 bc. Samaveda, arthavaveda, rigveda most important of four and yajurveda. This holy book is written in the sanskrit language. Hinduism is the worlds third most popular religion, with around 750 million followers. Hinduism is considered a pagan religion because it worships god in the female form. Scholars describe hinduism as the product of religious development in india that spans nearly 4,000 years, making it perhaps the oldest surviving world religion.
The vedas are scriptures that the hindu people use as a guide to daily and religious life. Iskcon, the international society for krishna consciousness, belongs to the vaisnava tradition of hinduism. The tradition approves both silent and loud recitation of prayers. In the morning and evening when sun is in the horizon some people do rituals usually standing in water as a part of worship of god spiritual advancement. The most ancient sacred texts of the hindu religion are written in sanskrit and called the vedas. Mar 11, 2019 it is said mahatma gandhi became a vegetarian because he felt cows were illtreated. Hinduism is a religion from the indian subcontinent. In order therefore to protect myself against any misunderstanding i have said truth and nonviolence is my creed. Like the taoist tao te ching, the buddhist dhammapada, the sikh adi granth, the jewish torah, the christian bible and the muslim koranthe veda is the hindu holy book. The devi in hinduism is single entity who was created with cumulative power of the gods. If i were asked to define the hindu creed i should simply say. Lord brahma, lord vishnu, and lord shiva are the main deities in hinduism. Such is the respect for the cow, notes scholar jeaneane fowler in her book on hinduism, that indians had offered to take in millions of cows waiting for slaughter in britain as a result of the crisis in beef production in 1996.
Hinduism simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Hinduism is an indian religion and dharma, or way of life, widely practiced in the indian subcontinent and parts of southeast asia. Hinduism is widely practiced in south asia mainly in india and nepal. The last teaching of god collected in the form of book and its name is quran. Scholars regard hinduism as a combination of different indian cultures and traditions, with diverse roots. The vedas a collection of hymns praising the vedic gods. Gandhi in his hindu dharma writes about a sentence in our sanskrit textbook to the effect. A hindu temple has different sections, such as the inner shrine that contains the image or statue of the particular god associated with the temple. In the west, where the mass majority of people are part of the abrahamic faith tradition with one god, the concept of polytheism is nothing more than fantasy or.
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