God should existed before beginning of mankind?

[gkjmail]

Hi guys,

 

I am new here, I would like to know about hinduism. Humans have existed for about two to three million years, and our particular species for about 200 000 years. And how old is Hinduism? Certainly not as old as to have existed "at the beginning of mankind".

 

So is that God should existed before beginning of mankind????

 

Regards

[theist]

Yes certainly God existed before the Big Bang (if there was such an occurence) He lit the fuse.

 

God means He who is the source of everything else as well as He who has no beginning. God is known as the Cause of all causes. If we trace all effects back to what caused them and those back to what caused them evidentualy we come to God who Himself has no cause other than Himself.

[gkjmail]

My question is, if our particular species existed for about 200 000 years. Why God come to existence only about 5000 years. What was God doing before that?

[Murali_Mohan_das]

 

My question is, if our particular species existed for about 200 000 years. Why God come to existence only about 5000 years. What was God doing before that?

 

What makes you think God came into existence 5000 years ago? Is it because that's when the Lord made his most recent incarnation on this planet as Sri Krishna?

 

Not only has the Lord always existed, but *we* have always existed. We have no beginning and no end, just like the Lord.

 

The Lord has said that, in each age, he appears in a form appropriate for that age, so the Lord has appeared on this planet innumerable times.

 

Inconceivably, even when the Lord appears here on this Earth, He is *still* ever-situated on the plane of Divinity engaged in His eternally-fresh pastimes. In fact, he brings that plane of Divinity and so many Divine Associates with him for his "manifest" pastimes.

[gkjmail]

Thanks for the reply.

 

So anyway how old is Hinduism? and is that any prove?

 

Regards

[Murali_Mohan_das]

From what I've heard, "Hinduism" doesn't exist. It's a Western term used as an umbrella for all the Vedic-based faiths of India. There is disagreement amongst scholars as to the age of the various written Vedic literatures. It is believed that some might have been passed down orally prior to being written down.

 

Sanatan Dharma, our constitutional path and position, is eternal, however.

 

Unfortunately, there is no mundane proof since Sanatan Dharma exists in the realm of spirit and consciousness.

 

The best hope for proof that we have is to experience the results of sincerely applying the principles of Sanatan Dharma as taught by the self-realized and all-merciful souls.

 

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

So anyway how old is Hinduism? and is that any prove?

 

Regards

[gHari]

The scriptures are actually not created. They emanate from the mouth of God when He breathes. It is that sound of reality that manifests as the Vedas, the scriptures within space and time, from time to time, in every universe, in every cosmic manifestation that appears then disappears forever across eternity.

 

We must understand who God is to know how it is that He is in existence before man. He Just Is. That is, there was never a time when He did not exist, and it is upon His unique existence that everything and everyone else exist. He says "There is no truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread". So you see, that anything exists is only possible because He exists.

 

Think of God in this way and soon you will come to know of His greatness in your life, and learn to understand what life really is. It is a treasure you will savour your entire life. "As pearls are strung on a thread" - the thread, this is God.

[shvu]

 

My question is, if our particular species existed for about 200 000 years. Why God come to existence only about 5000 years. What was God doing before that?

 

Where did you get the "5000 years" part? Nothing specific happened 5000 years ago - not from religion nor from history. Perhaps you were told Hindu books are 5000 years old on some internet article? That is incorrect information propogated by some ignorant groups. There is no religious book relating to Hinduism that can be pushed back beyond 500 BC. Though some books claim to be existing from the beginning of of time, none of them claim to be 5000 years old. The Vedas of the Aryans are older, but that is not to be confused with Hinduism though there are some remnants of that religion integrated into Hinduism.

 

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

So anyway how old is Hinduism? and is that any prove?

 

Regards

 

Hinduism as we see it today with idol worship, singing bhajans, etc is at least 2500 years old. The still mysterious Indus valley civilization had seals containing images images of Gods that look like Shiva and a form of mother Goddess. If this group moved into India and was the original root of present day Hinduism, then Hinduism in the form of Shaivism and Shakti worship may be 4000 to 5000 years old, although we have no serious evidence to support this theory as there is no documentation available from that period other than the IV seals.

 

The Aryan civilization of North western India that came after the Indus valley civilization had its own Vedic Gods like Indra, Agni, Vishnu, etc., of which Vishnu gradually became popular. They believed in the concept of heaven and practised fire worship for their popular Gods - Indra and then later Vishnu. They were not worshipping idols and the concept of temples, etc did not exist.

 

Towards the fag end of this period (1000-500 BC), present day Hinduism came to be formed which was a merger between the indigenous religions of India and the Aryan religion. A new set of "Hindu" Gods like Rama, Krishna, Ganapathi, etc., replaced the originally popular vedic Gods like Indra, Agni, Vaayu, etc. These non-vedic Gods most likely came from native Hinduism and some were mapped to Vedic Gods (Rama & Krishna to Vishnu, Shiva to Rudra, etc). Fire worship and animal sacrifice gave way to Idol worship and vegetarianism became fashionable in many circles.

 

I think Shiva, Rama, Krishna, Hanuman, etc., are very old and were part of Indian religion from long ago. Idol worship most likely had its origins from this group. These Gods were borrowed by the Aryan/Vedic Brahmanas and after throwing in some Vedic elements, they created a new form of religion which is now Hinduism. It is noteworthy that the Mimamsa school of Brahmanas did not care a hoot for these newly added Gods and practises and stuck to their fire worship rituals until 1000 AD after which they went into decline.

 

Cheers

[Murali_Mohan_das]

Is this version of history (which appears to be perfectly good from the mundane perspective) universally accepted, or does it represent some sort of scholarly consensus?

 

 

Where did you get the "5000 years" part? Nothing specific happened 5000 years ago - not from religion nor from history. Perhaps you were told Hindu books are 5000 years old on some internet article? That is incorrect information propogated by some ignorant groups. There is no religious book relating to Hinduism that can be pushed back beyond 500 BC. Though some books claim to be existing from the beginning of of time, none of them claim to be 5000 years old. The Vedas of the Aryans are older, but that is not to be confused with Hinduism though there are some remnants of that religion integrated into Hinduism.

 

 

 

Hinduism as we see it today with idol worship, singing bhajans, etc is at least 2500 years old. The still mysterious Indus valley civilization had seals containing images images of Gods that look like Shiva and a form of mother Goddess. If this group moved into India and was the original root of present day Hinduism, then Hinduism in the form of Shaivism and Shakti worship may be 4000 to 5000 years old, although we have no serious evidence to support this theory as there is no documentation available from that period other than the IV seals.

 

The Aryan civilization of North western India that came after the Indus valley civilization had its own Vedic Gods like Indra, Agni, Vishnu, etc., of which Vishnu gradually became popular. They believed in the concept of heaven and practised fire worship for their popular Gods - Indra and then later Vishnu. They were not worshipping idols and the concept of temples, etc did not exist.

 

Towards the fag end of this period (1000-500 BC), present day Hinduism came to be formed which was a merger between the indigenous religions of India and the Aryan religion. A new set of "Hindu" Gods like Rama, Krishna, Ganapathi, etc., replaced the originally popular vedic Gods like Indra, Agni, Vaayu, etc. These non-vedic Gods most likely came from native Hinduism and some were mapped to Vedic Gods (Rama & Krishna to Vishnu, Shiva to Rudra, etc). Fire worship and animal sacrifice gave way to Idol worship and vegetarianism became fashionable in many circles.

 

I think Shiva, Rama, Krishna, Hanuman, etc., are very old and were part of Indian religion from long ago. Idol worship most likely had its origins from this group. These Gods were borrowed by the Aryan/Vedic Brahmanas and after throwing in some Vedic elements, they created a new form of religion which is now Hinduism. It is noteworthy that the Mimamsa school of Brahmanas did not care a hoot for these newly added Gods and practises and stuck to their fire worship rituals until 1000 AD after which they went into decline.

 

Cheers

[Murali_Mohan_das]

So very nicely phrased!

 

In his class last Sunday at the Seva Ashram, Sripad Srutasrava Prabhu related a(nother) story about Srila Sridhar Maharaja during his itinerant preacher years. Travelling somewhere, Srila Sridhar Maharaja came across a (presumably non-Gaudiya Vaishnava sadhu) and asked him in broken Hindi, "Have you seen Krishna?".

 

The sadhu lifted his arms, gestured all around and said, "How can you *not* see Him?!?!"

 

Srila Sridhar Maharaja said that this brief encounter forever changed is perspective.

 

 

The scriptures are actually not created. They emanate from the mouth of God when He breathes. It is that sound of reality that manifests as the Vedas, the scriptures within space and time, from time to time, in every universe, in every cosmic manifestation that appears then disappears forever across eternity.

 

We must understand who God is to know how it is that He is in existence before man. He Just Is. That is, there was never a time when He did not exist, and it is upon His unique existence that everything and everyone else exist. He says "There is no truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread". So you see, that anything exists is only possible because He exists.

 

Think of God in this way and soon you will come to know of His greatness in your life, and learn to understand what life really is. It is a treasure you will savour your entire life. "As pearls are strung on a thread" - the thread, this is God.