How did Hinduism begin?
Hinduism, also known as Sanatana Dharma, ("eternal spiritual path") began about 4,000 years ago in India. It was the religion of an ancient people known as the Aryans ("noble people") whose philosophy, religion, and customs are recorded in their sacred texts known as the Vedas.
Define Brahman, Vishnu, Siva.
Brahman is a member of the highest or priestly caste in the Hindu caste. Vishnu is the Supreme God of Vaishnavism, one of the three main sects of Hinduism. Shiva is one of the principal Hindu deities, worshiped as the destroyer and restorer of worlds and in numerous other forms.
What are the concepts of Brahman and Atman?
Atman means "soul" or "individual soul." Atman refers to the essence of each individual living thing (its soul or primary living energy. Each living thing - people, animals, plants - have an atman that forms each thing's eternal essence. The atman is not the body; the body is not eternal. The body houses the atman until the body dies. Atman is immortal and eternal.
Brahman is "world soul" or "cosmic soul." It is the eternal essence of the universe and the ultimate divine reality. It is the life source of all that has been, is and will be throughout the entire cosmos. It is not an individual being - it is more like the primal ground or reality of all being and existence.
So, the phrase "atman is Brahman" is saying, quite simply, that the individual soul is the world soul.
Brahman is "world soul" or "cosmic soul." It is the eternal essence of the universe and the ultimate divine reality. It is the life source of all that has been, is and will be throughout the entire cosmos. It is not an individual being - it is more like the primal ground or reality of all being and existence.
So, the phrase "atman is Brahman" is saying, quite simply, that the individual soul is the world soul.
How is the concept of Brahman similar to the God envisioned by Jews, Christians, and Muslims?
Some people characterize God as supernatural. Religious people talk about God in several ways. Jews, Christians, and Muslims share stories about how God created the world, almost destroyed it with a universal flood, and redeemed the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt. Many people envision God as well as talk about God. For example, Hindus have many elaborate images through which they approach God. In the Hindus world Brahman is the supreme God force present within all things. Christians believe God to be both transcendent (wholly independent of, and removed from, the material universe) and immanent (involved in the world). Jewish tradition teaches that the true aspect of God is incomprehensible and unknowable, and that it is only God's revealed aspect that brought the universe into existence, and interacts with mankind and the world.
Why are cows sacred to Hindus?
In the Hinduism religion, even though bulls and oxen are considered as food, cows are considered sacred. Cows play an important part in the Hinduism life. They produce their milk. Today, in heavily nations like Inidia and Nepal., milk continues to hold a central place in religiouys rituals. In some places, it is good luck to give a snack to a cow like a biut of bread or fruitws. On the other hand, someone can go to jail for killing or injuring a cow.
What is karma?
Karma is a concept in Hinduism which explains causality through a system where beneficial effects are derived from past beneficial actions and harmful effects from past harmful actions, creating a system of actions and reactions throughout a soul's reincarnated lives forming a cycle of rebirth.
5-7 items related to Hinduism
This is the most universal of Hindu symbols and its sound is used in meditation. In Hinduism, the word “Om” is the first syllable in any prayer. More specifically, Om is used to symbolize the universe and the ultimate reality. Some people say that this symbol represents the three aspects of God: the Brahma (A), the Vishny (U) and the Shiva (M).
Bindi - One of the most well known items in Hinduism is the bindi, a dot (often the color red) worn on women's foreheads. It is a form of the tilak, a symbolic mark worn by many Hindu men and women, but that has less religious meaning then other tilaks. Traditionally, the bindi is worn on the forehead of married Hindu women. It symbolizes female energy and is believed to protect women and their husbands from bad things. Bindis are traditionally a simple mark made with the paste of colored sandalwood, sindoor or turmeric. The bindi is most commonly a red dot made with vermilion.
The Trishula Trishula or the Trident is a prominent Hindu symbol that is associated with Lord Shiva. Though this three-pronged symbol is usually viewed as a weapon used by the Lord for the protection and restoration of Dharma, it actually carries deeper meanings. It is representative of the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh and stands for the balance between the forces of creation, preservation and destruction. It is also considered symbolic of the three Gunas – Rajas, Tamas and Sattva. Another symbolic representation of the Trishula is that of the three facets of consciousness, namely, cognition, affection and conation.
The Ardhanarishavara “The Lord who is half woman”) is a symbolic representation of the synthesis of the masculine and feminine energies of the universe. In the mystical symbolism of all religions, the masculine always represents Spirit and the feminine always represents Matter. In the Sanskrit terminology of Hinduism, Spirit and Matter are called Purusha and Prakriti.
Spirit can only manifest itself through Matter. Without Matter, Spirit remains purely subjective and entirely unconditioned, undifferentiated, and unmanifest in its no-thing-ness. Without Spirit, Matter remains entirely purposeless, senseless, void, and barren. An important principle of Hindu philosophy is the cyclic appearance and disappearance of the universe and everything in it. Each time the universe comes into being – or manifests itself, in other words – both the Universal Spiritual Principle and Universal Material Principle are needed. Purusha is positive and active whilst Prakriti is negative and passive and serves as the vehicle for the objective manifestation of the subjective spirit.
Spirit can only manifest itself through Matter. Without Matter, Spirit remains purely subjective and entirely unconditioned, undifferentiated, and unmanifest in its no-thing-ness. Without Spirit, Matter remains entirely purposeless, senseless, void, and barren. An important principle of Hindu philosophy is the cyclic appearance and disappearance of the universe and everything in it. Each time the universe comes into being – or manifests itself, in other words – both the Universal Spiritual Principle and Universal Material Principle are needed. Purusha is positive and active whilst Prakriti is negative and passive and serves as the vehicle for the objective manifestation of the subjective spirit.
The Nataraja icon shows the four-armed Shiva dancing, surrounded by a circle of blazing fire. In his upper right hand he holds a drum, called damaru in Sanskrit. In his upper left hand he holds fire. His lower right hand is in abhayamudra, the gesture of protection and his lower left hand is pointing or gesturing towards his uplifted left foot which is in the air, in the motion of dancing. His other foot, the right, is resting on the demon Apasmara.
What are 5-7 beliefs of Hinduism?
Hindus believe in a one, all-pervasive Supreme Being who is both immanent and transcendent, both Creator and Unmanifest Reality.
Hindus believe in the divinity of the four Vedas, the world's most ancient scripture, and venerate the Agamas as equally revealed. These primordial hymns are God's word and the bedrock of Sanatana Dharma, the eternal religion.
Hindus believe that the universe undergoes endless cycles of creation, preservation and dissolution.
Hindus believe in karma, the law of cause and effect by which each individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words and deeds.
Hindus believe that the soul reincarnates, evolving through many births until all karmas have been resolved, and moksha, liberation from the cycle of rebirth, is attained. Not a single soul will be deprived of this destiny.
Hindus believe that divine beings exist in unseen worlds and that temple worship, rituals, sacraments and personal devotionals create a communion with these devas and Gods.
Hindus believe that an enlightened master, or satguru, is essential to know the Transcendent Absolute, as are personal discipline, good conduct, purification, pilgrimage, self-inquiry, meditation and surrender in God.
Hindus believe that all life is sacred, to be loved and revered, and therefore practice ahimsa, noninjury, in thought, word and deed.
Hindus believe that no religion teaches the only way to salvation above all others, but that all genuine paths are facets of God's Light, deserving tolerance and understanding.
Timeline of 7-9 important events
2800-2000 BCE Indus Valley civilization.
800-300 BCE The 11 major Upanishads are written, which include the ideas of reincarnation and karma.
500 BCE-1000 CE Epics and Puranas are written, reflecting the rise of devotional movements dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Devi.
5th cent. BCE Buddhism and Jainism founded in India.
c. 500-650 CE Gupta empire divides into several kingdoms.
1857 National War of Independence against the British is sparked by the British use of cow fat in guns.
1876 Queen Victoria becomes Empress of India.
1895 Vedanta Society founded by Vivekananda. Promotes Hinduism as a world religion and India as a single nation.
1915 Gandhi joins the nationalist movement.
1947 India regains independence, but its partitioning leads to conflicts between Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs.
1950 Constitution of the Republic of India.
800-300 BCE The 11 major Upanishads are written, which include the ideas of reincarnation and karma.
500 BCE-1000 CE Epics and Puranas are written, reflecting the rise of devotional movements dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Devi.
5th cent. BCE Buddhism and Jainism founded in India.
c. 500-650 CE Gupta empire divides into several kingdoms.
1857 National War of Independence against the British is sparked by the British use of cow fat in guns.
1876 Queen Victoria becomes Empress of India.
1895 Vedanta Society founded by Vivekananda. Promotes Hinduism as a world religion and India as a single nation.
1915 Gandhi joins the nationalist movement.
1947 India regains independence, but its partitioning leads to conflicts between Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs.
1950 Constitution of the Republic of India.