An Overview of Hinduism

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Hinduism could be considered to be an umbrella term for the many differing yet syncretic and localized practices that make up the predominant belief system currently found on the Indian Subcontinent. Originally known in Sanskrit as Sanatana Dharma, or ‘The eternal way’, Hinduism is often known as the oldest and still practiced religion in the world. As a living and ever evolving tradition, Hinduism does not have a core text or ‘Bible’, but many philosophical, and often poetic pieces of literature. While there are many varying belief systems within Hindu culture, there are certain core beliefs that for the most part, can be agreed upon by a majority of Hindus, which will be discussed within this article.

While traditions differ from village to village in India, most Hindus find much in common with one another. In a heavily generalized sense, Hinduism could be considered a blend of Pantheism with Anism, since to the outsider, it may seem that there are thousands of deities, while they are all different aspects of the one ‘True Deity’, and that normally “Inanimate Objects” sometimes are respected as having the spirit of a deity or elemental within it, known as a Deva, or Devi if feminine. Another commonly agreed upon belief (although it came later in the historical timeline), is the cycle of Samsara, or reincarnation, where we seek a permanent liberation from continuous lifes, deaths, and rebirths, known as Moksha. What happens after Moksha changes between different schools of Hindu thought. Another noteworthy commonality is the act of worship known as Puja. A puja can consist of a multi day elaborate ritual involving the construction of a house, or it could be as simple as offering a leaf or water to the deity of choice. The word Puja comes from the Sanskrit word “Pushpa”, which is the most common offering.

These are only a few of the many core and common beliefs of Hinduism, as there is a rich variety to choose from.

One of the core beliefs in Hinduism is that of Ishwara (Supreme Deity). The main three sects of Hinduism are Shaivism (Shiva as Supreme), Shaktism (Shakti as Supreme), Vaishnavism (Vishnu as Supreme). Shaivites worship Shiva, the god of dance, destruction, yoga, medicine, and wild animals. Shaktas worship Shakti, the divine feminine, and the energy of creation and animation, often seen as the consort to Shiva in the form of Sita, Parvati (mother of Ganesha), Durga (Supreme mother), or Kali (The destroyer). Finally, Vaishnavas worship Vishnu, who comes to earth every cycle to teach and save the world from wickedness in the form of his ten avatars, the most popular two being Rama (Prince of Ayodhya), and Krishna (The charioteer and speaker of the Bhagavad Gita sacred text), with his final Avatar on the way known as Kalki. While there are more sects, with more ideas of who the supreme godhead is, these three will cover most of your bases in researching this vast system of beliefs.

Through the evolution of the religion as discussed before, ideas such as reincarnation were introduced, but also the concepts of Karma and Dharma came about in literature and philosophy. Karma is a sort of spiritual accumulation of energy gained through your adherence to, or away from your Dharma. Dharma is like a mixture between a code of ethical living, and following your true path. This accumulation of energy determines what lessons or experiences we manifest for ourselves in our future, and can be the source of our Moksha or Samsara. One of the oldest major texts in Hinduism is the Rig Veda, which describes the creation of the universe, and refers to gods that later become less important in favor of the three main deities we see today. Later philosophers introduced the ideas of reincarnation, Karma and Dharma, in the poetic texts known as the Upanishads, which is where we get much of what we would now recognize Hinduism from. Arguably the most major text in Hinduism is one of its youngest, known as the Bhagavad Gita (The song celestial), in it we encounter Krishna (Avatar of Vishnu), speaking with a warrior, telling him that in times of hardship, that he must act according to his dharma. In this book we see a clear code of ethics being laid out, which has been interpreted by scholars of morality ever since. From the old Hymns of the Rig Veda, the lofty philosophy and speculation of the Upanishads, to the ethics of the Bhagavad Gita, the sacred texts of Hinduism show the ever living and changing evolution that has created what we know as Hinduism to this day.

Sanatana Dharma, the eternal way, Hinduism, is a rich and vast collection of beautiful traditions, and its beauty comes from the uniqueness of localized rituals and customs. Like cogs within a clock, these distinct practices come together to create the world's oldest and still practiced religion. The evolution of these beliefs, practices, philosophies and literature through time, is a testament to Hinduism’s adaptability within an ever changing world.

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