HIN DU IS M

PREPARED BY:
MS. JUDITH N. MOINA
SHS T-II
AT THE END OF THIS LESSON, STUDENTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO:
• IDENTIFY BASIC BELIEFS CONTAINED IN THE VEDAS
• IDENTIFY MAYOR GODS AND GODDESSES IN HINDUSIM
HINDUISM
• HINDUISM IS ONE OF THE OLDEST RELIGION IN THE WORLD TODAY, BUT IT IS RELATIVELY UNKNOWN IN THE
PHILIPPINES.

• IT HAS A RICH HISTORY AND A WIDE VARIETY OF PRACTICES, SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT, AND STYLES OF
WORSHIP.

• IT HAS ALSO DIRECTLY INFLUENCED OTHER RELIGIONS SUCH AS BUDDHISM AND JAINISM, WICH ALSO
ORIGINATED IN INDIA.
HINDUISM EXPLAINED
THE “SANATANA DHARMA’’

• BELIEVERS USUALLY REFER TO THE SANATANA DHARMA OR THE “ ETERNAL RELIGION ”

WHEN THEY REFER TO HINDUISM, WHICH IS BELIEVED TO BE ONE OF THE OLDEST RELIGION IN THE
WORLD. (FORMAL NAME OF HINDUISM).

• THE BEGINNINGS OF HINDUISM DATE AS FAR BACK AS 1500 B.C.E. AMONG THE INDO-EUROPEAN
SPEAKING PEOPLE OF SOUTH ASIA ( PRESENT-DAY INDIA ).

• THE NAME “HINDUISM” IS ITSELF RELATIVELY RECENT: THE TERM WAS INTRODUCED BY PERSIANS IN
9TH CENTURY B.C.E. TO REFER TO PEOPLE RESIDING NEAR AND BEYOND THE EASTERN SIDE OF THE
SINDHU (OR INDUS) RIVER.
• BRITISH COLONIAL RULERS CONTAINUED USING THE TERM” HINDU” TO REFER THE POPULATION IN INDIA.
• HINDUISM IS A RELIGION OF DHARMA, WHICH IS TIMELESS ORDER OF ALL LIFE.
• DHARMA, ACCORDING TO HINDU BELIEFS AND PRACTICE, IS WHAT HOLDS THE UNIVERSE TOGETHER,
AND MEANS “DUTY,” “CORRECT PRACTICE,” AND “ TRUTH.”

• DHARMA MEANS THAT ONE RECOGNIZES DIFFERENT APTITUDES,CAPABILITIES, AND ROLES THAT
PEOPLE PLAY IN MAINTAINING THE SOCIAL AND COSMIC BALANCE OF THE UNIVERSE.

• EMPHASIS ON THE DHARMA MAKES HINDUISM MORE A RELIGION OF ACTION RATHER THAN A
RELIGION OF BELIEF.

• A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE HINDU SCRIPTURES CALLED THE VEDAS.

 HINDUISM AS “ VEDIC RELIGION”
• LIKE ANY RELIGIOUS SYSTEM, HINDUISM WAS ABLE TO PRESERVE IMPORTANT TEACHING IN SACRED
WRITINGS THAT CONTAIN FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS OF DOCTRINE, MORALITY, AND WORSHIP.

• THIS SACRED WRITINGS ARE CALLED THE VEDAS,

• FOR WHICH REASON HINDUISM IS ALSO REFERRED TO AS VAIDIKA DHARMA OR “RELIGION OF
THE VEDAS”.

• THE TERMS “VEDA” IN SANSKRIT MEANS “ KNOWLEDGE,”.

• VEDAS CONTAINED IN A SINGLE VOLUME.
• THE EARLIEST VEDIC LITERATURE IS A COLLECTION OF HYMNS TO THE GODS, WHILE THE LATER CHAPTERS
AND VOLUMES INCLUDES DIALOGUES, STORIES, AND SAGELY FROM RELIGIOUS MASTERS.
 THERE ARE 2 TYPES OF SCRIPTURES IN THE HINDU TRADITION:
1. THE STRUTI SCRIPTURE
MEANING “THAT WHICH IS HEARD”, WHICH CONTAINS FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENTS OF HINDU PHILOSOPHY AND MORALITY.
THE SHRUTI SCRIPTURES PRIMARILY THE FOUR VEDAS,
CONSIDERED TO BE DIVINE AS REVEALED TO SAGES (CALLED RISHIS) WHO RECEIVED THESE TRUTHS THROUGH DEEP
MEDITATION. EACH OF THE FOUR VEDAS ARE FURTHER SUBDIVIDED INTO :
FOUR TYPES OF RELIGIOUS LITERATURE.
1. SAMHITA'S, HYMNS DEDICATED TO GODS AND GODDESSES
2. BRAHMANA'S, EXPLICATIONS OF THE SAMHITA'S AND OTHER RITUAL ACTS PERFORMED BY PRIESTS
3. ARANYAKAS, PHILOSOPHICAL INTERPRETATION OF RITUAL ACTS AND
4. UPANISHADS, EXPLANATIONS OF GENERAL PHILOSOPHICAL KNOWLEDGE.
2. THE SMRITI
MEANING “THAT WHICH IS REMEMBERED”, CONSIDERED “SECONDARY SCRIPTURES”
MOSTLY CONTAIN STORIES AND ADVICE FROM SAGES.
UNLIKE SRUTI, THE SMRITI ARE CONSIDERED TO BE HUMAN ORIGIN, ALTHOUGH THEY ARE IMPORTANT
BECAUSE THEY EXPOUND ON THE VEDAS.

IT ALSO GIVES ORDINARY PEOPLE ACCESS TO THE TEACHINGS OF THE VEDAS, AS LATTER ARE ONLY
ACCESSIBLE TO MALES PF HIGHER CASTES AND THE BRAHMINS.
THE SMRITI SCRIPTURES INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:
1. MAHABHARATA, AN EPIC POEM THAT IS 15 TIMES LONGER THAN THE BIBLE, NARRATES THE STORY OF
AN ONGOING WAR AMONG FAMILY MEMBERS. IT HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF
VIRTUES AND DEVOTION TO GODS, PARTICULARLY TO KRISHNA.
2. RAMAYANA, A SHORTER EPIC POEM ABOUT KINGSHIP AND ROYAL VIRTUES, TELLS THE STORY OF
THE BATTLES THAT RAMA HAD TO FIGHT IN ORDER TO SAVE HIS WIFE SITA FROM THE DEMON
RAVANA. IT IS ONE OF THE EPICS THAT DEPICTS THE BATTLE BETWEEN GOOD
AND EVIL.
3. DHARMA SHASTRAS, LEGAL TREATISES THAT EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF PRACTICING VIRTUE.
4. BHAGAVAD GITA, MEANING “SONG OF THE LORD” IS ACTUALLY ONE OF THE BOOKS IN MAHABHARATA.
IT IS CONSIDERED BY MARY HINDUS AS AN IMPORTANT RELIGIOUS TEXT THAT EXTOLS
THE POWER AND BENEVOLENCE OF KRISHNA AND HIS INSTRUCTIONS TO ARJUNA.
5. PURANAS, THESE ARE STORIES THAT DEPICT THE SECTARIAN DIVISIONS WITHIN HINDUISM.
THERE ARE MULTIPLE CREATION STORIES, LEGENDS, AND WAR STORIES BY THE DIFFERENT
HINDU SECTS.
• OM ( OR AUM ) , HINDU SACRED SYMBOLS
 THE CASTE SYSTEM
• THE TRADITIONAL SOCIAL STRUCTURE THAT CLOSELY FOLLOWS HINDU PRINCIPLES OF KARMA AND
SAMSARA IS CALLED THE CASTE SYSTEM.

• THE WORD “CASTE” IS NOT AN INDIAN WORD IN ORIGIN: IT IS ACTUALLY PORTUGUESE, WHICH MEANS
“CHASTE” OR PURE”.

• THE PORTUGUESE WHO COLONIZED CERTAIN PARTS OF INDIA OBSERVED THAT INDIANS HAD A SYSTEM
OF SEGREGATING THEMSELVES FROM OTHERS WHO COME FROM DIFFERENT FAMILIES OR OCCUPATIONS.

• AMONG THE INDIANS, THE TERM THEY USE IS JATI , A SOCIAL RANK ONE RECEIVES UPON BIRTH.
• JATI IS A SOCIAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM THAT DETERMINES ONES RANK ON THE BASIS OF THE
FAMILYS OCCUPATION.
FOUR MAIN JATIS IN DIFFERENT VARNAS (SOCIAL GROUP)
ARRANGE FROM HIGHEST TO LOWEST
PUJA - IS AN OFFERING BY DEVOTEE TO A GOD/ GODDESS.
THE MOST COMMON WAY TO EXPRESS WORSHIP FOR DEITIES.
PUJAS MAY BE MADE IN HOME ALTARS OR IN TEMPLES.
IS AN IMPORTANT DIMENSION OF THE RELIGIOUS LIFE OF MOST
HINDUS, IT IS THE WAY OF COMMUNICATING WITH THE DEVINE.

HINDUISM BELIEVES IN THE DOCTRINE OF THE ATMAN, WHICH CLAIMS THAT

THERE IS A “SOUL”(CALLED ATMAN)”
 FESTIVALS
• CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH PUJAS ARE FESTIVALS THAT HINDUS CELEBRATE DURING CERTAIN TIMES OF
THE YEAR. THESE CELEBRATION ARE USUALLY HELD IN HONOR OF MAJOR DEITIES, AND GIVEN MUCH
PREPARATION AND CARE BY HINDU WORSHIPERS.

• THE HINDU CALENDAR IS BASED ON THE LUNAR CYCLE, AND MOST OF THE DATES OF THE FESTIVALS ARE
NOT FIXED. THERE ARE COUNTLESS FESTIVALS DEVOTED TO THE DEITIES IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF INDIA
EVERY YEAR.

• FEW FESTIVALS STAND OUT AS THE MOST POPULAR BECAUSE OF THEIR CONNECTION WITH IMPORTANT
GODS AND GODDESSES.
1. DIWALI ( DEEPAVALI OR DIWALI )
• THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS.
• SOME REGIONS CONSIDER THE DIWALI AS THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.
• THE WHOLE FESTIVALS LASTS FIVE DAYS , AND IN PREPARATION, HINDUS CLEAN THEIR HOUSE AND
PREPARE NEW CLOTHES.

• THE FESTIVAL HONORS THE RETURN OF RAMA AND SITA TO THEIR HOME KINGDOM AYODHYA AFTER THE
EPIC BATTLE WITH THE DEMON RAVANA.

• THE FESTIVAL ALSO HONORS THE GODDESS LAKSHMI, THE CONSORT OF THE GOD VISHNU.
• THE HOUSES ARE USUALLY LIT HIM LAMPS TO HONOR THE VICTORY OF LIGHT OVER DARKNESS.
2. HOLI

• THE FESTIVAL OF SPRING AND COLORS

• IN MYTHOLOGY, THIS FESTIVAL CELEBRATES THE SLAYING OF THE DEMONESS HOLIKA BY PRAHLAD,
VISHNU’S DEVOTEE. DURING THIS FESTIVAL, DEVOTEES WOULD DRENCH THEMSELVES AND OTHERS WITH
WATER AND WOULD SPRAY COLORFUL POWDER TO CELEBRATE THE