Samantha Dabek, Regip Babamusta, ; Anthony Mus
hayev
Hinduism
GE 2023 01
30 March 2017
Hinduism
Origins of Hinduism
An identity of a people can be defined by the culture and stories surrounding them, by the legacy those people leave behind and by the things that they choose to believe in. Belief was always there for man, especially a belief in higher power to explain away that which could not be otherwise explained. Over the long history of civilization many religions have risen and fallen. Such examples can be seen from the Egyptians to the Greeks, the Romans, and the Sassanids each having their own distinct culture and religion. It is then quite ironic that through the test of time, Hinduism, the oldest religion known to man, is one of the religions that survived to this day. What is also quite remarkable is the fact that it did not fade into obscurity but instead grew to be the world’s third largest religion, practiced by millions of people, not just in India but also around the rest of the globe. Although no one really knows the exact moment that Hinduism was created, it is believed to have been around since 2000 BCE, gradually taking in external influence from the outside world. Although some claim that Hinduism is eternal and has always been around with the texts referring to four different ages, golden, silver, copper, and iron. Each being more and more morally corrupt than the previous until the current age of iron whereas in order to invoke the golden age once more requires divine intervention. Unlike other religions Hinduism was never such a systematic religion in the beginning, it was more of a collection of traditions of the people of the Indus Valley.
The first real recognizable signs of Hinduism occurred with the migration of the Indus Valley tribes calling themselves Aryans, meaning noble ones, to the subcontinent where their culture came to dominate the region and their form of the religion to be adopted by most. However, there is debate on whether such a migration occurred, theories include the idea that no such migration occurred and instead the existent culture of the Indus Valley civilization in the region came to form the Aryan culture. Regardless of whether or not such migrations occurred what is known for certain is seen from the language and the excavated artifacts. The language of the vedic culture was called vedic Sanskrit and it was in this language that the Vedas or the sacred texts were written. All those who practice the religion recognize the Vedas as sacred texts. Hinduism is a very much cyclical religion, the way that they view time in a cycle is the way that they also view death and the afterlife or in this case reincarnation. Hinduism believes that the soul reincarnates after the death of its physical body and what happens to it is determined by the Karma that one has built in life. Unlike the common modern belief and misconception that Karma works in life, that if one has done something mean, it will eventually catch up to them, real “Karma is a concept directly related to the belief in reincarnation, an individual’s karma (earthly conduct) determining the position into which they are born in the next life. Liberation from the cycle of suffering and rebirth (moksha) is the chief aim in life.Mokshais attained through completion of the four stages of life (ashramas) and signifies a return to Brahman, the universal world soul.” It doesn’t necessarily have to be done alone, there is a belief that many choose to reincarnate in a group called a “soul group” in order to learn a predetermined spiritual lesson designed for spiritual growth from their continued joined reincarnation. Even the gods are accepted as being able to reincarnate the most prominent one being Vishnu the preserver “Lord Vishnu” is said to have nine reincarnations, tenth ‘Kalki’ is still awaited, they say “whenever there is decay of righteousness and a rise of unrighteousness, God manifests himself!” God will come (reincarnate) again and again to save his people, Bhagavad Gita (Chapter IV-7). This idea of endless reincarnation until the eventual end goal of Moksha is what keeps many within the Indian culture to do their duty and live out the best lives according to their religious texts.
Devotion such as this would be more prominent within the more Classical Age of Hinduism. Where temples and sanctuaries would be built and much of the previous sacrificing of animals and resources would be replaced by devotion. Devotion to the many devas or gods who lived in the three planes of existence mainly being the Earth, Atmosphere, and the Sky. Works of art and literature would be more prominent during this time period and poems would be written in Sanskrit that would later be excavated to show the worldview of the people of that time. Later during the Medieval era came a surge of new ideas and a focus on the worship of the three main gods with many of the newly formed petty kingdoms deciding their focus on one of the three. More works of art and literature would emerge during this time frame with famous philosophers such asAbhinavagupta writing commentary on the religious texts called Tantras. Tantras actually were considered to have surpassed or at the very least fulfilled the requirements of the Veda texts. Thus during this period the religion flourished with massive flourishing temples being built and the texts of religions being explored by new and fresh minds, making what seemed to be improvements each time. Even with the introduction of different ideas and therefore religions, Hinduism itself would stay as a dominant religion within the subcontinent up until the end of the 15th century when the Mughal Empire reigned supreme. The predominant rulers of the Mughal Empire were actually not Hindu but Muslim. Although the range of tolerance and freedom of religious practices varied from leader to leader, religious tensions would be present dividing the subcontinent. This would be seen by the British who would later establish the British Raj and use this as an excuse that the people of India cannot rule themselves. The British justified their conquest of India with “…the colonial argument that the primary identity of Indian society was that of religious communities, generally antagonistic to each other. We have internalised this colonial interpretation of our past at the popular level, and to such a degree that although it has been repeatedly questioned by historians, the popular mindset does not change. By conquering India, the British argued that they had got rid of Islamic tyranny and freed the Hindus, for which the Hindus should be grateful to the British.” However through the interaction of the british the religion of hinduism continued to evolve and develop, soon progressing towards what we now know in the modern age.
Hinduism, the world’s third largest religion originated in India and is still
practiced by the majority of the population there as well as the people who have migrated from
India to other parts of the world. Statistically speaking there are over seven hundred
Million practicing Hindus living in India and Nepal. About 70 million Hindus are currently living outside of India in places such as Nepal (stated above) and Mauritius. The word Hindu originates from an ancient Sanskrit term meaning “dwellers by the Indus River,” which refers to the location of India’s earliest known civilization who resided in what is today known as Pakistan. In comparison to other religions there is not much organization and hierarchy is virtually nonexistent. The religion advocates commitment to and respect for a quintessential way of life known as Dharma which is the principle of cosmic order. Hinduism absorbs foreign ideas and beliefs making it melting pot of variety, beliefs and practices. This has given it a character of social and doctrinal framework that stretches out to each part of life. The Hindus would define their huge community as, “those who believe in Vedas.” The practices and beliefs of Hinduism cannot be understood without knowing of the framework that was laid down many ages ago. Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion, it dates back more than 3,000 years and is unique in the sense that it has no single founder and its origins are lost in a very distant past. In 1500 BC the Indo-Aryan tribes attacked India and assumed control over the Mahenjo-daro. From the blend of
these two tribes came the love of goddesses. The Hindus started practices such as bathing in temple tanks and over time developed the seemingly endless postures of yoga. Soon thereafter, Gods of War were brought into the picture, created and worshipped. Sakas then started attacking the Hindus and had an enormous impact on the religion. The hallowed sanctuaries began to be fabricated and the sacrosanct laws were classified while myths and legends were saved in the Puranas. Soon great devotional movements began and ways of religion practice evolved and are still used today. In the medieval times the Hindus evolved enough to the point where they started producing people who would eventually grow up to become philosophers, musicians etc. A man named Chaitanya came into power and claimed to have a god reincarnated inside of him. In the 19th century, movements to reconcile traditional Hinduism with the social reforms and political ideas of the day took place. Many Hindus were sent on trips to Europe and Asia to preach in hopes of spreading Hinduism where it had never been followed. Throughout all these periods of time, the religion mutated and changed to fit with the changing times and as time progressed it turned into a massive Religion.
As a polytheistic religion the Hindus recognize three principal Gods. Those Gods are; Brahma, the creator of the universe, Vishnu, the preserver of the universe, and Shiva, the destroyer of the Universe. Although Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are the three main Gods Hindus worship there are many Vedic Gods of less importance that are still worshiped. Such as Indra (God of storms) Agni (God of fire) and Varuna (God of truth and normal judgement). While the Hindus believe in more than one God, they also believe in life after death known as reincarnation. There is no permanent heaven or hell in Hinduism. The atman (soul) will continuously take on a new physical body whether it’s as a human or animal until moksha takes place (release from the cycle of rebirth). All outcomes of rebirth depend on one’s Karma (the result of a person’s actions as well as the actions themselves).
From a collection of traditions to a more recognized religion Hinduism went through great change between the ancient era of the people of the Indus Valley to the Modern Age.
According to the Pew Research Center, in 2015, there were an estimated 2.23 Hindus living in the U.S. alone. The number is much higher when thinking of the entire world. Not just India but all over the globe there are hundreds of thousands of Hindus. This religion has been in existence for an extremely long time and has had its ups and downs, including reformation. Social reformers are people whom are advocates of alterations in social customs which would involve a break with traditionally accepted pattern. They were convinced that altered ways of thinking and behaving were positive values, sought to convince others to modify or entirely transform their ways of life (Heimsath, 14). This transformation began in the 19thcentury in India and was sought out through the upper castes being the role models for the reform. By the 20thcentury, reformers were awakening the idea of repudiating the caste structure of society itself. The caste system was seen as the main cause of India’s social ills. These changes were advocated by men who held a broad view of the welfare of Indian society and preached on themes of universal ethics and the potentialities of all human beings (Heimsath, 17).
This reform has allowed Hindus to migrate across the globe. As of 2014, there are many temples appearing in Europe with France having the highest population with 300,000 refugees from Sri Lanka settling in. The Netherlands coming in second with 200,000 Hindus. The diversity in Hinduism is the most striking with organized communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bali. Hindus are facing typical challenges of integration and challenges coming with second generations. Interfaith marriages and interracial marriages are becoming more common and accepted in the temples of European countries. Even holidays are being recognized such as Diwali (Religion Watch, 7-8). Basic Hinduism is still valued today. The practices of vegetarianism, yoga, meditation, hatha postures, reincarnation and karma are being widely embraced. Having come a long way from when the Muslims took actions to abolish Hinduism, it is astonishing to see how the religion is thriving. In 1947, major Hindu temples in North India were destroyed when Hindus refused to accept Islam and some were killed. Having such different religions, it was difficult to find a peaceful ground. Muslims believed in one God, Allah and Hindus believed there is one God but whose name is anything an individual wants it to be. Muslims believe God is formless and should never be worshipped or imagined in any form. Hindus believe God is formless and should be worshipped in any form. Hindus have accepted many individuals into their religion but Muslims were never able to fully accept another view. Having split the country into parts, Muslims were to stay in the newly formed Pakistan region while Hindus stayed in the India region. The massacres throughout this time still haunt India and Pakistan to this day. Hinduism is associated with multiple world’ religions that it is under no means restricted to the single subcontinent that was its origin (Smith, 5-86). This makes for a religion that is open to every individual, no matter what background.
Having become such an open religion, Hinduism has influenced a great amount of culture in the West. A major influence was in the New Age’ movement which looked for a richer personal experience of spirituality. Hatha yoga classes are taught at just about every fitness center throughout the world. The main purpose of Hatha yoga is to keep the body in optimal shape for advanced spiritual practices. This movement allowed for more open-mindedness, willingness to experiment, and heartfelt sincerity. The quest to understand the inner self, meditation, visualization, and stress reduction techniques, vegetarianism, a fascination with occult powers, openness to the religious beliefs of indigenous peoples, certain healing methodologies, recognition of past lives and the role of karma, and the search for the spiritual master we all adopted by the New Agers from the Hindu tradition. It is considered a beginning level form of Hinduism. Most people whom would never identify themselves as Hindu have taken upon beliefs of the past lives and take the concept of karma seriously. Without direct correlation, Hinduism has influenced the modern day society greatly without realizing it (Smith, 1-103).
Bibliography
Heimsath, Charles Herman.Indian Nationalism and Hindu Social Reform.Princeton University Press, 2015.
“Hinduism Establishes itself in Continental Europe.” Religion Watch 01 2014: 7-8. ProQuest. Web. 29 Mar. 2017.
Smith, David.Hinduism and Modernity. John Wiley ; Sons, 2008.
Flood, Gavin. “BBC – Religions – Hinduism: History of Hinduism.”BBC News. BBC, 24 Aug. 2009. Web. 23 Mar. 2017.
Payal, Kanwar. “Religious Interpretations of Reincarnation.”Indian Journal of Health and Wellbeing(2015): n. pag.ProQuest. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.
King, Richard, and Geoffrey A. Oddie. “Imagined Hinduism: British Protestant Missionary Construction of Hinduism, 1793-1900.”The Journal of Asian Studies(2007): n. pag.ProQuest. Nov. 2007. Web. 22 Mar. 2017.
