HINDUISM

Group 4
Hinduism is the world’s third-largest religion with around 15% of the
entire population practicing the Hindu faith. Hindu followers in
India comprise the major bulk with almost 80% of the country's
population adhering to the religion. Other Asian countries with
considerable Hindu faithful include Nepal (23 million),
Bangladesh (15 million), and Indonesia (3.9 million in Bali). There
are also a substantial number of Hindus in Mauritius, Guyana, Fiji,
Bhutan, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, and Sri Lanka. Hinduism
was never a missionary religion unlike Christianity or Islam
(Brown 1975). With the changing times, however, there have been
proselytizing activities by Hindu missionaries in some Western
cities.

The term Hindu originated from the Persian word Hindu (in Sanskil
sindha) which means "river." It also refers to the people of the
Indus Valley-the Indians (Bowker 1997). The name Hinduism was
given in the nineteenth century to describe the wide array of belief
systems in India. Hinduism me originally known as "Arya
Dharma" or the "Aryan Way."
Hinduism is an integrated system of beliefs and
practices that pertain to the nature and essence of
life, the nature of the divine, and how to establish a
lasting connection with the divine.

The name "Hinduism" is itself relatively recent.

The term was introduced by Persians in the ninth
century BCE to refer to people residing near and
beyond the eastern side of the Sindhu (Indus) River.
British colonial rulers continued to use the term.
"Hindi’’. refers to populations in India who were
neither Christian nor Muslim.
 Asia Society’s Invitation to Holl Festival 2018 in the
Philippines

The colorful, messy, and extremely joyous Holi Festival is

increasingly popular among Filipinos. Started in 2012 by the
Asia Society and the Embassy of India in the Philippines, this
yearly event commemorates the Hindu festival of colors. During
this festival, people toss and throw the colorful powder at other
participants. They are also drenched in water. The mood is
festive to celebrate the return of the colors of spring.
 Sanatana Darna

In essence, the central dimension of Hinduism is the Dharma, which is

the timeless order of all life. Dharna, according to Hindu belief and
practice, is what holds the universe together, and it means “Duty’’
“correct practice”. “truth”.
Hindus consider the Dharna to be so central that they consider it a
privilege to be able to uphold its teachings and apply them in their
everyday life.

In Hindu meditation, the eternal principle is reinforced through the

chanting of the Om (Aum), a sacred syllable that is believed to be the
most basic sound of the universe and represents its harmony and order.
Or is also displayed prominently in temples, shrines, and homes

A significant portion of the Hindu scriptures called the Vedas emphasizes Om (Aum), Hindu Sacred Symbol
the cultivation of virtues according to the person's standing in society.
There is a lot of emphasis on compassion, nonviolence, purity, restraint;
and self-control in one's dealings with others.
 Hinduism as Vedic Religion

These sacred writings are called the Vedas, for which reason
Hinduism is also referred to as Vaidika Dharma or "Religion
of the Vedas." The term “Veda" in Sanskrit means
"knowledge," which had already been committed to memory
by sages and passed on to disciples before it was recorded in
writing. An initial look at the Vedas reveals that it is a
diverse collection of writings that spans centuries and unlike
the Torah (Judaism), the Bible (Christianity), or the Qu 'ran
(Islam), the Vedas are not contained in a single volume.
 SACRED SCRIPTURES
The sacred texts of Hinduism have been principally passed
down throughout generations by way of music, recitation,
dance, and drama. Sanskrit has been the language of the
earliest writings (Coogan 2005). The sacred writings of the
Hindus are categorized into two classes, the shruti, and the
smriti.
 SHRUTI

Shruti literally means "that which is heard." They are regarded as eternal truths
that were passed orally until the beginning of the present age wherein
there came the need to write them down (Bowker 1997). The four
collections of texts of the Vedas form the shruti and are considered
primary sources and the most authoritative texts of the Hindu faith. Other
writings that form part of shruti include the Samhitas, Brahmanas,
Upanishads, and a few Sutras.
 Vedas
The four basic Vedic books, which are sacrificial hymns compiled from
an earlier oral tradition, are composed of Rig-Veda, Sama-Veda, Yazur-
Veda, and Atharva-Veda. The word Veda means "knowledge" or "sacred
lore

The Vedas are the earliest known. Sanskrit literature from the Brahmanic,
and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism. Scholars disagree as to Milan is
period and die written. The earliest hymns may have been written in
stone as I CiD. or before the arrival of the Aryans in the Indus Valley aid
They may also have been written down between 1500 B.C.I. to 400 B.CA
They may al the exact period is difficult because these books may have
been Ascended and passed orally for so many generations before they
were fish composed ova and eventually completed. In the great epic
Mahabharata Brahma was said to have created the Vedas.
Gods and Goddesses Personifications or Attributes

Indra Leader of the devas or gods: the lord

Agri of heaven in Hinduism: god of rain
Adityas and thunderstorms
Mitra God of fire; the messenger of the
Varuna god’s
Ushas Sun-gods
Savitr The deity for honesty, friendship,
Rudra contracts, and meetings
Pushan God of the water; god of the law of
Brihaspati the underwater world
Draus Pita Deity of dawn
Pathvi Solar deity
Surya Deity of wind or storm
Vayu Solar deity god of meeting.
Apas Deity and religion
Paranya Sky god; father sky.
Mother earth
Chief solar deity, the sun
Lord of the winds
Water
thunder and rain
 Upanishads SHMRITI
Smriti literally means "that which has been
Forming the fourth part of the
remembered." These writings serve to reinforce shruti
Vedas, the term Upanishad
and are interpreted by sages and scholars alike. Most
literally translates as "sitting down
of these texts are sectarian in nature and considered of
near" or "sitting close to" as it
lesser importance compared to shruti. such as stories
implies listening intently to the
and legends, codes of conduct for society, and
mystic teachings of a spiritual
guidebooks for worship. The great epics Ramayana and
teacher who has fully understood
Mahabharata, which contain the philosophical poem
the universal truths. It could also
Bhagavad Gita, are part of shmriti. These are national
mean “Brahma-knowledge"
epics of India and are considered to be the sacred texts
whereby ignorance is totally
of the masses from where they draw their values and
eliminated
ideals (Brown 1975).
 Ramayana Mahabharata
Forming the fourth part of the
Vedas, the term Upanishad The Ramayana, translated as the "Story of Rama" or "Rama's
literally translates as "sitting down Journey," is a Sanskrit epic poem written by the poet Valmiki
near" or "sitting close to" as it consisting of 24,000 verses in seven books and 500 cantos. This
implies listening intently to the great epic was written between 200 B.C.E.
mystic teachings of a spiritual
teacher who has fully understood
the universal truths. It could also
mean "brahma-knowledge"
whereby ignorance is totally
eliminated.
 Shaivism
Lord Shiva, the Compassionate
One, is God for the Saivites.
Followers of Shaivism value self-
discipline and philosophy. They
worship in temples and practice
yoga.
Shaktism
Smriti literally means "that which has been
remembered." These writings serve to reinforce shruti
and are interpreted by sages and scholars alike. Most
of these texts are sectarian in nature and considered of
lesser importance compared to shruti. such as stories
and legends, codes of conduct for society, and
guidebooks for worship. The great epics Ramayana and
Mahabharata, which contain the philosophical poem
Bhagavad Gita, are part of shmriti. These are national
epics of India and are considered to be the sacred texts
of the masses from where they draw their values and
ideals (Brown 1975).

Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism Lord Vishnu is God for the
Vaishnavism, especially in his incarnations
Krishna and Rama. Adherents have
multitudes of saints, temples, and sacred
texts. Smartism
Smartism
For the Smart, devotees are left to choose their own
deity in one of six manifestations, namely, Ganesha,
Siva, Shakti, Vishnu, Surya, and Skanda. Smart as are
known as liberals as they embrace all major Hindu
gods.