Hinduism

Hinduism “Hinduism” is a 19th-century word

Persian: hindu Sanskrit sindhu (“river”) Religions from the Indus Valley “Indian Religion(s)”

Third largest religion in the world

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism_in_India/

Hinduism Hinduism is a religion that began in

India. The religion dates back to 1500

B.C., making it the worlds oldest religion.

There are 750 million Hindus in the world today.

Most Hindus still live in India.


Definition of HinduismIndian Supreme Court 1966 (reaffirmed 1995)

Acceptance and reverence for the Vedas A spirit of tolerance Belief in vast cosmic periods of creation and

destruction Belief in reincarnation Recognition of multiple paths to salvation

and truth, Polytheism Philosophical flexibility (no single dogma)


Partition of India 1947 Though relatively stable, there is still

some conflict, such at the Ayodhya Temple.


Hinduism

Hinduism is one of the oldest extant religious traditions in the world. From at least 2500 BCE there were

people living in the Indus Valley. Several cities with advanced

plumbing, architecture, and populations of 40,000.


Hindu Pantheon

Many deities are depicted with a “vehicle”—an animal with whom they are often portrayed.

The “Trimurti” is organized around Brahma (creation), Vishnu (maintenance), and Shiva (destruction).



Brahma (creation)Consort/wife: Saraswati, goddess of knowledge and speech.

Vehicle: hamsa or swan (seven swans).

Vishnu (maintainer of the universe)Consort: Lakshmi (good fortune and prosperity)Vehicle: “Garuda”—eagle/human hybrid


Vishnu appears in many avatars (traditionally ten, the last, who has not yet appeared, is Kalki, who will come when he is most needed).

The two most important avatars of Vishnu are Rama and Krishna.


Shiva (the destroyer)• Consort(s): Kali ( Sati, Parvati, Lalita, Durga …)• He is "the Destroyer" or "the Transformer“

among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine.

• Vehicle: Nandi, the Bull


Hindu Beliefs

Hindus believe in a single Divinity or supreme God that is present in everything called Brahman.

Hindus also believe in other gods who are aspects of that supreme God such as Shiva, Shakti, and Ganesh.


Shiva Shakti Ganesh

Brahman


Sacred Writings

The Vedas collections of Sanskrit hymns (written down 1200-900 BC, but based on older oral versions).

The Upanishads which means the inner or mystic teaching that were passed down from guru (teacher) to disciple (student).


Mahabharata Mahabharata, Sanskrit for Great Story,

is one of the great epic poems of ancient India.

It was written between 300 BC and AD. 300.

The story is about the battle of one family over a kingdom in northern India.

The Bhagavad Gita (Song of God) is contained in the Mahabharata. It is dialogue between Krishna and the hero Arjuna on the meaning of life.


Krishna and Arjuna


Ramayana Ramayana was written in 3rd century

BC, and tells story of Rama, and his wife, Sita.

Rama and Sita are generally seen as ideal examples of great manly heroism and wifely devotion.

Reciting the Ramayana is considered a religious act, and scenes from the epic are portrayed throughout India and Southeast Asia.


Rama and Sita


The Principles Of Hinduism Hindu culture is scriptures under its

strict principles call the Vedic Dharma. This strictly guided principles help structure the Hindu society and acts as its backbone.

It is every Hindus’ role to attain the four main aims of life which includes; dharama (virtue), artha (wealth), kama (pleasure) and moksha (liberation)

Source: http://rimzie.wordpress.com/

Hindu Life Goals

The four goals in life are: Dharma: conducting one's duties with

compassion towards all beings; absence of jealousy, greed and cruelty; purity; goodness; and tranquility.

Artha: earning money honestly to provide for the family; aquiring wealth and power

Kama: pursuing love and pleasure only in marriage

Moksha: leading the soul towards salvation

Source: http://wiki.answers.com

The Principles Of Hinduism It is a strong belief that these aims of

life can only be obtained through education since vidya (knowledge) is the only means by which an individual is able to control his/her samajh (understanding) and make decisions that help the society run smoothly

Moreover, the Hindu culture believes that human life runs in four stages called “ashrams”.


The 4 Stages of Life in Hinduism The first ashram is the Brahmacharya

(student stage). This starts from womb till the age of 25 years.

The second stage which is called the Grihastha (household age) is when an individuals settles in life and has a family of their own.

While the third stage is the Vanaprastha (hermit stage) where by an individual duty as a household comes to an end

And the final stage is the Sannyasa (wandering ascetics) where the individual devotes himself to god.


Hindu’s Education In the formal education system, teaching

and learning takes place under a set curriculum and the educators are qualified specialists of their fields.

In comparison, the traditional teaching methods involved teaching and learning in an informal context.

Here, the need for being a shikshak was only emphasised for the males of the community and females rights to education was out of the question.


Hindus focus on shiksha (education) as value based worthwhile learning.

They believe that through education, one can attain the skills essential for living/survival but vidya is attained for life.

Through shiksha, one can become successful but having vidya, is having the ability to attain wisdom.

Thus not all educated individuals are necessarily budhiman (wise).

Shiksha (Education) & Vidya (Knowledge)


Shiksha (Education) & Vidya (Knowledge) The person who provides vidya or gyaan to

the novices or buddhihin is normally referred to as “acharye” which means a knowledgeable person.

An archarye is a person who can be a teacher, a village elder, a guide or an instructor. This term is normally referred to people who are gyaani in a particular field.

For Example, a person specialised in mathematics will be called “Bhaskaracharya” meaning mathematician. Derived from the term acharye which means guru (teacher/educator).


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhaskaracharya

Prashiksh (Training) The ability to master skills and carry them

out practically is referred to as prashiksha.

Hinduism depends on the informal ways of teaching to pass on skills and knowledge from generations to generations.

Here the gurus or elders of the community train the youth in skills such as crafting, farming, cooking etc.

The shikshaks (students) learn through dekhana aur jananna (watch and learn).


Prashiksh (Training) Some common usage of the term prashiksha

is as follows; To be a trainee, as in chiskta mai prashiksu (a

trainee in medicine). To learn through copying, as in nakal ke

madhyam se prashiksha karna. To need for training, as in adesa mem nipuna

banne ke lie prasikshana avasyaka hai (training is important in order to become skilful).

Prashikshak are parichayed (exposed/ introduced) to the skills which the community feels is essential for their everyday living.


Pariksha (Assessment) In the traditional context the form of

assessment was not through examination but more practical based.

Pariksha was carried out by enabling the shikshaks to perform the tasks themselves while the guru would monitor them.

If an individual fails to perform the task taught to them, he would be grouped with the women, children and aged members of the community.

Thus, pariksha was the not only used in evaluating but also in ranking shikshaks’ performance.


Pariksha (Assessment) Some common forms of pariksha are

as follows; To assess skills, as in kaushal ki pariksha. To rank shikshaks performance, as

in Nirdharita pariksha (test for braveness). Preparation for pariksha, as in muliyakan

ke liye achi tharah se tyari karna bahoot zarurri hai (it is essential to be well prepared for assessment)


Bhudhimanta (Wisdom)Some qualities of a bhudhiman person

are as such; Has understanding and knowledge and uses them

to analyse situations Good listener and observant Hardworking, Obedient, Humble, Controls lips Has religious views and understanding Guided by the Vedic principles especially karma

A common belief of Hinduism is that “every action has an equal and opposite reaction”, i.e. one has to pay according to his/her deeds (karma). Source: http://rimzie.wordpress.com/

Hinduism

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