Guest guest Posted August 20, 2001 Report Share Posted 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. About India | Arts | Cuisine | Fairs | Festivals | Neighbours | Society | Religions Site Map | Disclaimer | About Us | Write To Us Make international calls for as low as $0.04/minute with Messenger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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