Hindu Festivals

August 20, 2001

Hinduism

Hinduism is the oldest of the five great religions followed today. Hinduism is

perhaps the only religion that is so diversified in premises and practical

expressions. Hinduism is different from the other great religions for they

cannot be traced to a single founder. It is probably based largely on the

religion of the Aryans. Their sacred texts, the Vedas, are among the most

important Hindu scriptures. Many Hindu beliefs come from those of the Aryans,

but other beliefs and practices have been added later, as Hinduism spread

through India.

Hindu PhilosophyThere are three major schools of philosophy among the Hindus

i.e., Dhvaita Philosophy of Shri Madhvacharya, Adhvaita of Shri Shankaracharya

and Vishista Adhvaita of Shri Ramanuja Acharya based on how Vedas are

interpreted. They are all based on the primary scriptures of Hindus - the

Vedas. All living things have a soul or atma . The aim of the human life is to

make the soul pure. This can be done by leading a truly good life. The idea of

karma, cause and effect, means that each life is shaped by behavior in one's

previous existence. Hindus believe in a variety of Gods and idol worship. The

three most important Gods are Brahma - the creator, Vishnu - the preserver, and

Shiva - the destroyer. They form the Trimurthi. There are also other Gods, like

Ganesha - the elephant-headed God, Surya - the Sun God, Hanuman - the monkey

God. Hinduism believes that Gods incarnate themselves in a human form called an

Avatar. Lakshmi is the Goddess of Wealth and is worshipped on Deepawali.

Saraswathi is the Goddess of knowledge and education without which there would

be no progress in society. Gowri is the Goddess of power and valour, who

conquers evil to benefit mankind.

Hindu ScripturesThe most sacred scriptures of the Hindus are the Vedas and

Upanishads. The Vedas are a collection of Aryan prayers that have been passed

by word of mouth. The Upanishads are teachings of holy men, or gurus, about the

nature of the human spirit, and its relationship with the Almighty. Besides

these, the Mahabharath and Ramayana are two great mythologies which are

considered as sacred by Hindus.

Hindu FestivalsThe Hindu calendar contains a list of festivals that are

celebrated all around the year. Some of the more important Hindu festivals are

Diwali, Dusshera, Janmashtami, Ramanavami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Holi,

MaharaSankaranthi and Raksha Bhandan.

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