Hinduismby

Satviki Madaan, Diya Deb, Madisyn

Shick, Camryn Vanderhoek, Lucas Milo

Origin of HinduismHow Was Hinduism Originally

Practiced?

What Are The Key Beliefs That

Can Be Traced Back To Original

Scriptures And Texts?

Origin of Hinduism

▪ Hinduism is the oldest surviving religion

of the world

▪ Hinduism's

original name is Sanatana Dharma which

means the eternal religion

▪ Hinduism does not have a single founder, or

a single book and it was also not founded at

any single point in time

▪ Many Rishis (sages) composed various

hymns of various Hindu scriptures over

many centuries

Scriptures of Hinduism

• Rig Veda

• YajurVeda

• Sam Veda

• Atharva Veda

Vedas

• Ramayana

• Mahabharat

• Bhagavad Gita

• Upanishads

• Puranas

Other Scriptures

Vedas(Shrutis)

Poetry

Rituals

Philosophy

Rig Veda

▪ The Rig Veda is the oldest book in the world

▪ It has 1028 hymns which are composed in

various musical meters

▪ It is in the Sanskrit language

▪ It is very old, and it was memorized and

passed on from generation to generation for

thousands of years. Around 1500-1200 B.C.E.

it was written down in classic Sanskrit, but

the memorizing tradition continues to the

present day

Key Original Beliefs & Practices

▪ Om is a sacred syllable that is considered to be the greatest

of all the mantras in Hindu religion

▪ Hinduism believes in One God, but many names have been

given by various sages to various powers of God

▪ In the Rig Veda it is said, "To what is One, sages give many a

title they call it Agni, Yama, Matarisvan." (Rig Veda 1.164.46)

▪ In Vedic Period there was no Idol worship as none of the four

Vedas mention Idol worship.

Om in Various Scripts

Four Goals of Human Life(Basic Hindu Philosophy)

• includes duties, rights, laws, conduct, virtues and right way of living

Dharma

• Includes activity to make a living, material and economic prosperity

Artha

• Happiness and enjoyment of life

Kama

• Nirvana, Self-Realization and Liberation from the cycle of reincarnation

Moksha

Four Stages of Life - Ashramas

(Basic Hindu Philosophy)

• Up to 25 years

Brahmacharya (student)

• 25 to 50 years

Grihastha (householder)

• 50 to 75 years

Vanaprastha(retired)

• 75 to 100 years

Sannyasa (renunciate)

Spread of Hinduism I

This map shows the spread of Hinduism in India, Afghanistan to South-East Asia.

Spread of Hinduism II

▪ The Silk Road & Sea lanes helped in spreading of

Hinduism from India to Malaysia, Indonesia and

other parts of Asia

What is the Bhagavad Gita?

▪ It was originally written somewhere between 400 B.C.E.

- 200 C.E.

▪ The Bhagavad Gita was an Indian text that was

translated around 1795 into English; originally written

in Sanskrit

▪ A text of Hindu tradition

▪ It has 700 verses

▪ Apart of the Hindu epic called, "Mahabharata"

Bhagavad Gita

▪ "Those who, renouncing all actions in Me, and regarding

Me as the supreme, worship Me, meditating on me with

undistracted yoga, of those whose consciousness have

entered into Me, I am soon the deliverer from the ocean

of death and rebirth." -Krishna

Turning Points in Hinduism

▪ The Rigveda being written:

The Rigveda is ancient texts, collectively called

Vedas. They're a collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns

and other ancient religious Hindu texts written

down between 1500 – 1200 B.C.E. They're

considered by many to be the most authoritative of

all ancient texts. It also brought along the Caste

System which is how their social classes are set up.

Turning Points in Hinduism

▪ Muslims arrive in India:

When they came, the missionary zeal of Islam, which

aimed at religious conversion and the Hindu

leaders they could save their religion and culture

was by having a more orthodox outlook on

everything which in turn led to more strict rules

being placed concerning diet, marriage, and

general conduct.

Turning Pointsin Hinduism

▪ Mahatma Gandhi:

Using nonviolent acts of resistance, he led the

campaign for India's independence which were

successful and in turn made Hinduism a recognized

religion across the world causing it to spread.

Wider Consequences

Idol Worship:

Before:

▪ Hindus had to make decisions that would please

themselves only

▪ Didn’t need to try and please an idol; an idol didn't

dictate their decisions

▪ Hindus believed guilt was more severe than sin

After:

▪ Salvation was put into man's hands

▪ Hindus had to please idol and themselves; This

changed the way they viewed decisions and life

▪ Hindus believed sin was more severe than guilt

Wider Consequences

Simplify Daily Rituals:

(Adi Shankara)

Before:

▪ Hindus had rituals in purity and pollution

▪ They also participated in domestic worship

After:

▪ Hindus had to re-establish aspects of Hinduism

Spreading Hinduism

▪ Hinduism did not spread much

▪ People believed you had to be born into Hinduism to

practice it

▪ Mainly stayed in Asia and India

▪ If it was spreading, it was because of trade

▪ India was a major trading center, and beliefs would be

shared while trading

Changes as Hinduism Spread▪ Hindus have learned to accept people into their culture that

were not born into Hinduism.

▪ After the collapse of the British Empire, Hindus could travel outside of India to visit others practicing Hinduism.

▪ Hinduism has become more known, and more important to many people.

▪ Hinduism Temples have been created throughout Canada and other parts of the World.

▪ Image: World's Largest Hindu temple, Swaminarayan Akshardham, and is located in New Delhi, India.

Major devotional sects

▪ Some major devotional sects in Hinduism are Shaivism,

Vaishnavism, Shaktism, and Smartism. Each sect

worships something different. In Shaivism, Lord Shiva is

the main deity, and is considered the main form of the

supreme being. In Vaishnavism, the supreme being is

Lord Vishnu, and he is the cause, sustainer, and

destroyer.

Major Devotional

Sects (Cont.)

▪ The other major devotional sects are Shaktism and

Smartism. In Shaktism, Shakti (Mother Divine), is the

supreme being and all other forms are considered

manifestations of the supreme being. Shaktism is the

dominant sect in the Bengal, Assam region of India.

Smarta tradition believes in and worships absolute god

in the forms of Shakti, Vishnu, Shiva, and other forms as

well. Smarta has a higher reverence for Vedas and

Upanishads.

Major philosophical

sects

▪ Major philosophical sects in Hinduism include

Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimansa, and

Vedanta. Samkhya is a logic-oriented tradition where

enquiry into consciousness and mind are of importance.

Yoga is about unification of the consciousness is

achieved through meditation, contemplation, and other

body-mind controlling practices. Nyaya tradition is

primarily about logical thinking.

Major philosophical sects (cont.)

▪ The other philosophical sects are Vaisheshika, Mimansa,

and Vedanta. Vaisheshika is based upon understanding

the nature of objects, I. e. that objects can be broken

down into atoms. Mimansa is based on enquiry into the

nature of Dharma. Lastly, Vedanta tradition gives

knowledge the most importance.

Why the religion divided

into sects

Each sect is a branch of Hinduism. The oldest sect is

Shaivism, which started in prehistoric traditions of India.

Vaishnavism is the most popular sect currently and

started in the latest centuries BCE years and the early CE

years. Shaktism as it exists today began in the Vedic Age,

and reached its full flower in the Gupta Age (300-700 CE).

The reason the sects were made was to worship certain

gods above other gods.

Current Standing

▪ Approximately 15% of the world's population

follows Hinduism.

▪ Altogether, 1.08 billion people around the world

worship Hindu gods.

▪ Most Hindus are found in Asian countries.

▪ Around 2.4 million Hindus have made America

their home.

Current Standing(cont.)

▪ There is no historical founder of Hinduism.

▪ It is believed that the beliefs were always there but

weren't formed into a religion yet.

▪ Hinduism also goes by "Sanatana Dharma" meaning

eternal faith, or the eternal way things are.

▪ Hinduism is seen more as a way of life, culture, and a

code of behavior than a religion.

Current Standing(cont.)▪ -Hinduism is still developing over many

centuries and is constantly evolving.

▪ -It was shaped by cultural activities, holy

texts, local beliefs, and philosophical

movements, such as pilgrimage.

Current Standing(cont.)

▪ In present day, annual festivities such as Diwali,

Holi, and Dussehra still occur.

▪ Every twelve years in January or February,

Kumbha Mela is celebrated as well.

▪ Considering how many traditions have fizzled out,

if the current state of Hinduism was evaluated by

past worshippers, it would not be entirely the

same and they may wonder what happened to the

past festivities/activities.

Bibliography

▪ Jayaram V, Why is Hinduism is

Called Sanatan Dharma? Retrieved from https://www.hinduwebsite

.com/hinduism/essays/dharma.asp

▪ Griffith, Ralph T.H., (1889 , Revised edition 1999) The Hymns of the

Rgveda, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.

▪ Violatti, C. (2019, August 24). Hinduism. Retrieved from

https://www.ancient.eu/hinduism/

▪ Hare, John Bruno, (2010) Hinduism. Retrieved from

https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/

▪ (n.d.). The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, Retrieved

from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Om-Indian-religion

▪ (n.d.) Whittemore, J., The Four Goals of Hindu Life: Kama, Artha,

Dharma & Moksha. Retrieved from

https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-four-goals-of-hindu-life-

kama-artha-dharma-moksha.html

▪ (n.d.). Spread of Hinduism. Retrieved from

https://spreadofreligions.weebly.com/spread-of-hinduism.html

Bibliography (cont.)

▪ Sadasivan, M. (2019, March 1). Facts About Shri Adi Shankaracharya.

Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/shri-adi-

shankaracharya-bio-1770331

▪ Haack, B. (2015, May 11). 2 Effects of Idolatry You May Not Have

Considered: by Brian Haack.Retrieved

from http://www.glorybooks.org/affects-idolatry-you-may-not-have-

considered/

▪ (n.d.). Missions and Expansion. Retrieved

from https://www.patheos.com/library/hinduism/historical-

development/missions-spread-changes-regional-

adaptations.aspx?p=2

▪ (n.d.). Religions - Hinduism: History of Hinduism. Retrieved

from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/history/history

_1.shtml(n.d.). Roots of Hinduism. Retrieved

from https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-asia/beginners-

guide-asian-culture/hindu-art-culture/a/roots-of-hinduism

▪ Basu, Anindita. “Mahabharata.”Ancient History Encyclopedia, Ancient

History Encyclopedia, 25 Aug. 2019, www.ancient.eu/Mahabharata/.