4th Quarter: Lesson 1
Hinduism
Objectives
At the end of the session, you will be able to:
Examine the brief history, core
teachings, fundamental beliefs,
practices, and related issues of
Hinduism.
HINDUISM
Hinduism
Hinduism is the world’s
third-largest religion with
around 15% of the entire
population practicing the
Hindu faith.
Hindu followers in India
comprise the major bulk
with almost 80% of the
country’s population
adhering to the religion.
Historical Background
The term Hindu originated from
the Persian word Hindu (in
Sanskrit sindhu) which means
“river.” It also refers to the
people of the Indus Valley— the
Indians (Bowker 1997). The
name Hinduism was given in the
nineteenth century to describe
the wide array of belief systems
in India. Hinduism was
originally known as “Arya
Dharma” or the “Aryan Way.”
In the 1920s, archaeological
excavations in the two pre-Aryan
cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro
revealed that the natives already had
a flourishing civilization with their
agricultural cities characterized by
well-planned streets with drainage
systems
Our knowledge of pre-Aryan belief can be seen from
the numerous statues and amulets recovered by
archaeologists. Images of fertility gods and
goddesses are noticeable from these artefacts while
some figures appear in the lotus position which was
later absorbed by yoga Hinduism and other sects.
Later elements of Hinduism may have taken shape
from the practices of pre-Aryan people who were
already civilized city dwellers (Hopfe 1983).
Aryan conquerors moved to the Indus
Valley and brought with them their own
set of beliefs that eventually mingled with
the religion of the natives
Classical Hinduism resulted in
the amalgamation of their
faiths.
Aryans brought with them their set of beliefs based
on oral texts known as Vedas. This Vedic literature,
however, was chiefly composed at the time the
Aryans had already settled in India and blended
with the natives.
However, certain fundamental assumptions
about the Aryan religion can be stated here.
Firstly, the Aryans brought with them a
polytheistic religion similar to that of other
Indo-European peoples. The sun, the moon, and
storms are personified in reference to the
pantheon of gods and goddesses worshipped by
the Aryans. Secondly, sacrifice was the principal
form of worship to the Aryan gods. Offerings to
gods include animals and dairy products
performed on altars in open spaces. Since
Aryans were nomadic, they had no temples
(Hopfe 1983)
SACRED SCRIPTURE
The sacred texts of Hinduism have been
principally passed down throughout
generations by way of music, recitation,
dance, and drama. Sanskrit has been the
language of the earliest writings (Coogan
2005). The sacred writings of the Hindus
are categorized into two classes, the
shruti and smriti.
SHRUTI
Shruti literally means “that
which is heard.” They are
regarded as eternal truths that
were passed orally until the
beginning of the present age
wherein there came the need to
write them down
VEDAS
The Vedas are the earliest
known Sanskrit literature
from the Brahmanic period
and oldest scriptures of
Hinduism. Scholars disagree
as to when the Vedas were
first written.
VEDAS
The four basic Vedic books, which
are sacrificial hymns compiled from
an earlier oral tradition, are
composed of Rig-veda, Sama-veda,
Yajur-veda, and Atharva-veda. The
word Veda means “knowledge” or
“sacred lore.”
Rig Veda
•- is the most important and oldest book that
dates back to around 1500 B.C.E. to 1200
B.C.E. Apart from being the oldest work of
literature in an Indo-European language, it
is also the oldest living religious literature
of the world (Parrinder 1971). The book is a
collection of over a thousand hymns and
more than a thousand verses dedicated to
the Aryan pantheon of gods.
Indra
leader of the devas or gods; the lord of Agni
heaven in Hinduism; god of rain and -god of fire; messenger of the gods
thunderstorms
Adityas Mitra
sun-gods deity for honesty, friendship, contracts, and
meetings
Varuna
god of the water; god of law of the
Ushas -deity of dawns underwater world
Rudra Savitr
deity of wind or storm solar deity
Yajur Veda
Yajur-Veda or the “knowledge of
rites” is the second book. Composed
between 1200 B.C.E. to 1000
B.C.E., this book is a compilation of
materials recited during rituals and
sacrifices to deities.
Sama- Veda
Sama-Veda or the “knowledge of
chants.” Dating back almost the
same time as the Yajur-Veda, this
book is a collection of verses
from the basic hymns recited by
priests during sacrifices.
Atharva- Veda
•Atharva-Veda or “knowledge given by
the sage Atharva” that date back around
1500 B.C.E. to 1000 B.C.E. This book
contains rituals used in homes and popular
prayers to gods. Seldom used in solemn
ceremonies unlike the other three Vedas,
the Atharva-Veda contains numerous spells
and incantations for medicinal purposes and
magical aids to victory in battle among
others (Parrinder 1971).
UPANISHADS
Upanishad literally translates as “sitting
down near” or “sitting close to” as it
implies listening intently to the mystic
teachings of a spiritual teacher who has
fully understood the universal truths. It
could also mean “brahma-knowledge”
whereby ignorance is totally eliminated.
•The great Indian nationalist and philosopher Sri Aurobindo
described the Upanishads as the “supreme work of the
Indian mind.” Varying in length from one page to over fifty
pages, all fundamental teachings and concepts about
Hinduism are found in these profound treatises—such as
karma (action), samsara (reincarnation), moksha (nirvana),
atman (soul), and Brahman (Absolute Almighty).
Right Exit
Right conduct
Right desire
Right wealth
Smriti literally means “that
which has been remembered.”
These writings serve to reinforce
shruti and are interpreted by sages
and scholars alike. Most of these
SHMRITI texts are sectarian in nature and
considered of lesser importance
compared to shruti, such as stories
and legends, codes of conduct for
the society, and guidebooks for
worship
Rama and Sita are the
epitome of perfect man and
woman. Meanwhile,
Ravana symbolizes
ambition and greed
resulting in cosmic
disorder and degradation
of women and family
(Bowker 1997).
Mahabharata
•The Mahabharata tells of a great struggle
among the descendants of a king called Bharata,
a name used by many Indians to mean “India”
With about 100,000 couplets and 1.8 million words
in total, this poem is about four times longer than
the Ramayana, eight times longer than the Iliad and
the Odyssey put together, and fifteen times longer
than the Bible. Along with the Bible and the Quran,
the Mahabharata ranks in importance among the
sacred writings of various world religions. It is an
epic vision of the human condition, such as
intrigue, romance, duplicity, moral collapse,
dishonour, and lamentations (Kolanad 1994).
Belief and
Doctrines
•Central to Hinduism is the
Brahman who is the ultimate
reality, one and undivided
(Hopfe 1983). The Brahman
is often seen in three forms or
functions. Called the
Trimurti, these are creation,
preservation, and
destruction. These functions
are expressed in god forms,
namely, Brahma, the creator;
Vishnu, the preserver; and
Shiva, the destroyer
Routes to Moksha
A celebrated episode within the Mahabharata is
the Bhagavad Gita (or simply Gita) which is
translated as “the Lord’s Song.”
The Gita instructs any person that one may reach god
through devotion, knowledge, or selfless action
(Coogan 2005). Humans must do their duty or dharma
whatever it may be and whatever results it could
produce. The Gitais considered the layman’s
Upanishads because the difficult teachings of the
Upanishads are presented here in a manner that
commoners can understand (Brown 1975).
Routes to Moksha
Within every human is an eternal soul
or atman that is being reborn many
times and in various forms in
accordance with the moral law or
karma (Bowker 1997). A soul may
escape the cycle of rebirth and attain
moksha. This particular liberation can
be achieved through the four yogas
that involve a system of practices
aimed at producing spiritual
enlightenment.
The word yoga is derived from the root word yuj which
translates as “to yoke” or “to join.” The philosophy of
yoga was developed by the sage Patanjali who lived in
the second century B.C.E. He is considered as the
“father of modern yoga” as he codified the teachings of
yoga in his Yoga Sutra (
Selected
Issues
Hinduism and Women
•The issue on women of which
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. A woman's life revolves
around the men in her life, to be taken
care of by her father in childhood, by her
husband in married life, and by her sons
upon old age. Thus, women are relegated
to performing household chores and are
expected to become loyal to their
husbands, even after their husbands die.
Hinduism and Women
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
Caste System
Another is the Caste System. It is one
major distinguishing feature of Indian
culture that still affects modern-day
society. A system of social class
opportunities that are based upon family
origin. One person belongs to a caste by
being born to parents of that particular
caste. This has been an issue of
distinctive concern for the reformers of
the caste system. While full-blown
divisions are relatively a modern
development, the caste system began to
divide into thousands
In summary…
Hinduism is oftentimes considered as the
oldest and most complex of all world
religions. Hinduism has no single founder,
no specific theological system, and no
single sacred text
In summary…
Hinduism is oftentimes considered as the
oldest and most complex of all world
religions. Hinduism has no single founder,
no specificThe
theological
concept system,
of and
dharma no is closely
single sacred text
linked to the Hindu religion. It is
the power that preserves the
society.
The sacred writings of the
Hindus are categorized into
shruti and smriti. Shruti literally
means “that which is heard”
and are regarded as eternal
truths that were passed orally.
The four books of Vedas are
part of the shruti. Meanwhile,
smriti literally means “that
which has been remembered”
and these are writings that serve
to reinforce shruti
Fundamental to Hindu
teachings are the doctrines
of samsara (the cycle of
rebirth) and karma (the
universal law of causality).
Apart from recognizing a vast assortment of Indian deities, the Hindus believe
in the Trimurti (trinity) composed of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Integral to
Hindu worship are the sacred images and temples believed to house and
represent the deities
