Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent and is often referred
to as Sanātana Dharma (सनातन धर्म) by its followers, a phrase from Sanskrit meaning ‘eternal law’. Having no single founder, “Hinduism is the world’s third largest religion after Christianity and Islam, with approximately a billion adherents, of whom 905,000 live in
Hindu reform movements and revivalists started using the term Hinduism in the 19th century. Its widespread forbearance to differences and inflexible ingenuousness make it complicated to be classified as a religion according to conventional Western ideas. Hinduism is an Eastern religion, is non-missionary, belief in life is cyclical, and that god is ultimate reality and “immanent.” iii
In Hinduism, “God so conceived is called Saguna Brahman, or God-with-attributes as distinct from the philosophers’ more abstract Nirguna Brahman, or God-without-attributes. Nirguna Brahman is the ocean without a ripple; Saguna Brahman the same ocean alive with swells and waves.” iv
With Brahman being the absolute, this
religion of 33 million gods, has its scriptural knowledge preserved in the
Vedas written in Sanskrit-the language of the Hindu scriptures. The gods of
Hinduism include Brahman who is the creator god, Vishnu the preserver god with
10 avatars, and Siva or Shiva who is the god of destruction. The Hindu path of
knowledge is identified as Jnana Yoga with
yoga being discipline or yoke. Hindus believe in Karma which entails cause/effect actions while Dharma implies law, duty, or correct behavior.
Denominations
of Hinduism
Hinduism may be categorized into four
denominations: Saivism, Shaktism, Smartism, and Vaishnavism.
- Saivism. The followers of this
denomination who believe in Shiva as ‘All and in all’ is the oldest of all
the sects of Hinduism. They believe that Shiva is the creator, preserver,
destroyer, revealer, and concealer of all that is. Adherents can be found throughout
- Shaktism. This sect focuses on the
worship of the Hindu divine mother Shakti or Devi as the absolute,
ultimate godhead. They regard Shakti as the supreme Brahman and the “one
without a second”, having all forms of divinity, female or male, as divine
expression. The most fundamental and crucial text of Shaktism is the Devi Mahatmya, compiled almost
1,600 years ago. Other important canonical texts include the Puranic
literature and Devi Gita.
Shaktism has transcended borders and is no longer restricted to
- Smartism. Worshippers of the six
signs (Ganesha, Shiva, Shakti, Vishnu, Surya, and Skanda) or the
resemblance of all the deities as the unanimity of godhead and the
conceptualization of the myriad deities of
- Vaishnavism. This is the fourth
branch of Hinduism. Adherents believe in reincarnation, samsara, karma, and various yoga practices with emphasis on bkati yoga (devotion) to Vishnu.
The
Hindu Caste System
“The Hindu caste system is unique in the world, but resembles in some ways Plato’s ideal society of philosophers, warriors and commoners. A caste is a division of society based on occupation and family lineage. Hindu caste system recognized four distinct classes or divisions among people based on these criteria and enforced it through a rigid code of conduct that was specific to each class and rooted in the dharmashastras (law books) of the later Vedic period.” vi
From the cry of the author of above article,
we learn that in Hinduism, caste is an important factor in determining where
one belongs as categorized below:
- Brahmins. These are the priestly
class or caste that enjoys the highest degree of honor. They dedicate
their entire lives to learning and preserving the Vedas, perform rituals
and procedures, and observe self-punishment. They show exemplary behavior
and are the caretakers of knowledge and traditions. As recorded in the
Dharma (sacred tradition), a Brahmin is raised to look after and serve the
Dharma. The Brahmins are regarded as a noble class endowed with knowledge
and intellect.
- Kshatriyas. They belonged to the
warrior and landowner caste and were empowered to protect the people,
shower the Brahmins with gifts, abstain from sensual cravings, present
sacrifices to the gods and the ancestors, learn the holy texts, and bestow
righteousness.
- Vaishyas. Though not allowed to
marry women of higher castes, they enjoyed the advantage of merchants and
peasants, they studied the Vedas, they were traders and money lenders, and
were allowed to participate in certain rituals.
- Shudras. Their main duty was to
serve the three higher castes. Traditionally, they were looked upon as
laborers and were not duty bound to read or study the Vedas.
- Chandalas. The lowest of all
castes, they were considered impure and unholy. Living on the fringes of
society, they were regarded as untouchables because they practiced magic
and had unclean habits, were considered loathsome and despicable by the
upper castes. Perhaps, seeing the living disparities of the Indian people
and the abject poverty this group lived in is what drove Mahatma Gandhi to
classify them as “Harijans” or “god’s people.”
Regardless of the existence of Bhakti
(love/devotion) in the Vedas, and the prevalent categorization of society as a
result of Karma, the visual focus known as Tantra, the daily reverent gesture
of Namaste and the all-encompassing overall responsibility of Ahimsa
(non-injury), if we are go by the admonitions of the Vedas, exclusively for the
unconditional observance of the Mantra which is the sacred word or formula, we
are led to the conclusion that Hinduism will undergo revivalism if equality and
justice is to be attained before the revered Brahma regardless of equanimity of
Samsara (cycle of birth). Many in
Hinduism
Goddesses
- Ganesha. “All Tantric and
spiritual worship in the Hindu tradition begins with the invocation of
Ganesha (Ganesh), the elephant-headed god.” vii There
are many historical versions regarding how Ganesha got her elephant head. One
version relates how Parvati (Shiva’s wife) created Ganesha in the absence
of Siva (Shiva) to watch over her quarters. When Shiva wanted to see
Parvati, Ganesha objected to which Shiva cut off her head. Later on, Shiva
gave Ganesha the head of an elephant because there was no replacement.
- Saraswati. She is described as the
Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, and the creative arts. Also called the
goddess of speech, Saraswati is often seen dressed in white, riding on a
swan and sometimes on a peacock, and is depicted holding a palm leaf-an
indication of knowledge.
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