Who is a Hindu?
What is Hinduism?
The answer will be a surprise to many!
Hinduism is not a religion but a culture and a way of life.To be Hindu is to believe that "There is only one God and one truth". Hinduism is a persons eternal search for the truth. Unlike other religions, it has no founders, but has developed over the years.
There is much debate about the origins of the terms Hindu and Hinduism.
Two of the most plausible explanations are that the term was that which was used for people living on the banks of the river Sindhu (Indus) and their way of life, beliefs and customs.
Another belief is that it refers to the people who live south of the Hindu Kush Mountains.
Both explanations refer to generally the same area. Over time, the terms came to be used for the people and customs of all inhabitants of the Indian sub continent, before the advent of modern religions.
A few important terms that come up when discussing Hinduism are Karma, Maya, Dharma, Puranas, Vedas, Sruti and Smriti, Ayurveda and Rishis. Below I have given small descriptions for all these subjects.
The Enigmatic Rishis.
The ancient world had intellectuals with profound knowledge. They could be compared to the professors, teachers and scientists of today; they were known as Rishis. They did not preach and allowed people from other religions and atheists to question what they thought was wrong with their religion. The Rishis only cared for the truth and had no other agenda. Rig Veda 1:89:1 states that "let noble thoughts come to us from every direction'', it does not state that noble thoughts come to us from India alone. The Rishis encouraged us to seek the truth from all over the universe.
The Notion of Dharma.
Dharma can mean a lot of things but here it implies the necessity to maintain and keep order and not go astray. Dharma is a Sanskrit word whose root is dhr, which basically means hold or maintain. Dharma's concept is similar to that of Rta which means regulating the natural order of the universe and everything within it. As times past eventually Dharma foreshadowed the concept and use of the word Rta.
The Postulates of Sruti and Smriti.
The Hindu scriptures say that knowledge has always existed in the universe as sounds. Thus, the conceptualisation of Sruti emerged- that which is heard.
Smriti was the notion of remembering or remembrance. There were 2 types of Hindu scriptures, Sruti and Smriti. Sruti or that which is heard were the Vedas and Upanishads. Smriti or that which is remembered were the rest of the scriptures.
Vedas - The Ancient Fountainheads of Knowledge.
The origin of the term Veda came from the Sanskrit word 'vidya' or 'vid', which means 'to know'. They are considered as apaurusheya (not of humans); in other words, it is believed that God or Bhagwan wrote the Vedas. The Vedas and Upanishads are both Sruti scriptures. The Vedas stated that the only goal of human life was self-realisation.
There are 4 Vedas, they are:
1. Rig Veda - Knowledge of Hymns - it has 10,600 verses.
2. Sama Veda - Knowledge of Music - it has 1,875 verses.
3. Yajur Veda - Knowledge of Liturgy - it has 3,988 verses.
4. Atharva Veda - Knowledge given by Sage Atharvan - it has 6,000 verses.
Puranas - The Odes to the Trinity.
Religious stories which set forth the truth are known as the Puranas. In Sanskrit Purana means ancient or old. This term was used in the Atharva Veda. There are 18 major and 22 minor Puranas. Out of the major 18 Puranas, 6 are addressed to Lord Shiva, 6 to Lord Vishnu and 6 to Lord Bhramha. Veda Vyasa, the person who narrated the epic Mahabharata, is also the one who compiled the Puranas. The Srimadacharya Bhagvata Purana is the most important among all the Puranas.
Ayurveda - The Primordial Medical Science.
Ayurveda in simple words is called 'The science of life'. It is called an Upa Veda of Atharva Veda. It was originally an oral tradition recorded more than 5,000 years ago in the Sanskrit language. The three pillar texts connected to Ayurveda are Chakra Samitha, Sushruta Samhita and Bhela Samhita. Dhanvantari is considered the god of Ayurveda, since he appeared many times in the Vedas and Puranas as the physician of the gods.
The Cycle of Karma.
All that a person has done, is doing and will do in the future is Karma. It cannot be seen the same way as punishments or rewards. The cycle of cause and effect is more accurate. According to the theory of Karma anything and everything that happens to an individual is because they did something to deserve it, either in this life or one of their previous lives.
Maya - The Phantasm.
In simple terms Maya means 'illusion'. The word 'Maya' comes from the Sanskrit words 'ma' and 'ya' which mean not and that respectively. So Maya means 'that which is not'. It is believed that through Maya, God is recreating the complete illusion of existence again and again.
This is just the beginning of learning about Hinduism. We haven't even scraped the surface of the vast world of Hinduism. In the future we will talk more in detail about the teachings of the great scriptures I have mentioned above and also the greatly known epics, like Mahabharata and Ramayana.
There is much that we still do not know about these great myths that I have talked about over the weeks, I hope that this journey about myths which you and I take together teaches us a lot about different cultures and their beliefs. Covering all the myths in the world may take me a few years to finish, but when there is so much knowledge that the world is offering us let me take it gratefully, for what they teach me will never be forgotten by me.
Good job!
Excellent write up👍👍