Hindu Religious Traditions

Hindu Religious Traditions

Hindu Religious Traditions Hindu Religious Traditions People around the world worship something, depending on their beliefs. Christians worship God believed to be the creator of the entire universe. Muslims worship Mohammed believed to be a prophet from God, Buddhist believe in the founder Siddhartha Guatama known as Buddha and Hindus believe in Brahma who is known to dwell in all part of reality, and existence throughout the whole universe. I will be writing on Hinduism religious traditions and beliefs. Hinduism is considered one of the largest religions in the world and dates back to 8000 BCE (Fisher, 2002 p. 83), recognized as one the complex and different religions because of the many gods they worship. Hinduism has no founder but has enlarged slowly over the period of years and widely practiced in Nepal and India. Settlers who lived by the Indus River obtained the name Hinduism. It is derived from a name applied by foreigners to the people living in the region of the Indus River, and introduced in the nineteenth century under colonial British rule as a category for census-taking (Fisher, 2002, p. 79). Today the preferred name for Hinduism is Sanatana Dharma, which means eternal

religion. According to the Indian tradition, there are as many as 333 million deities (Fisher, 2002, p .79). However, the three major deities of Hinduism are Shiva, believed to be the creator and destroyer of every living thing, Brahma, known as the creator, and Vishnu considered as the protector or preserver of everything. Hindus believe in one supreme God known as Brahma. Among other gods of Hindus include Sarawathi, who is the goddess of wisdom and is the wife of the lord Braham, she is the goddess of music, creative arts, and knowledge. Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and the wife of lord Vishnu; she is described as the goddess of good fortune, beauty, light, and wealth. Parvati is a representation of Shakti and is the wife of the Hindu lord Shiva and recognized as the motherhood and goddess of the household. Ganesha is the son of

Hindu Religious Traditions Parvati and Ganesha, he is the god that has the form of a human being but has the head of an elephant. Hinduism entails an extensive range of viewpoint from pluralistic theism to total monism. The religion has four major denominations, Smartism, Shaktism, Saivism, and

Vaishnavism. They share a wide heritage of belief and culture like reincarnation, dharma, temple worship, many deities, karma, sacraments, and different yogas. Men created many Hindus deities more than 6000 years ago, hold them to high respect, and praised in their cultures. They identify the divine as a huge complement of the opposite, the female divine is Prakriti, and the masculine is Purusha. Hindus believe is important when they wake up in the morning to first put the right foot down before the left, is considered good luck before starting off the day. Hindus carry out daily rituals such as Puja or devotion, which focuses on purity. Puja is a way of worship carried out or performed daily by taking a bath without food in the morning, is important the Hindu after taking a bath dresses up before eating any form of food. Most Hindus have shrines set up at their homes for these daily rituals, Hindus erect pictures and statues of the various gods they believe and trust in these shrines, they chant to the gods to prepare them for the daily activities. Hindus believe the religion; Hinduism is a way of life than a faith based, or belief system, and knows good will certainly overcome evil. The Hindu temple is Mandir; the temples are devoted to different gods and focus more on religious existence. In India, many people belonging to Hinduism gather at the place of worship Mandir, over the weekend to reverence their gods. In the course of worship, Hindus replicate the names of their favorite goddesses, mantras, and gods. In the process of worship, they offer flowers, incense, water, and fruits to their gods.

Hindu Religious Traditions Hinduism has more than one sacred book but the ancient holy book or text, written in

Sanskrit known as Vedas that widely used. Vedas is a collection of hymns, which consist of four different elements, known as Brahmanas, Samhitas, Aranyankas, and Upanishads, an outcome of psychic as part of the daily ritual. Hindu sacred scriptures include Vedas, Upanishads, Smrutis, Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Puranas that are all written in Sanskrit language. In addition, the four Vedas are Rig-Veda, Yajur-Veda, Sama-Veda, and Atharva-VedaVerdes. The four Veda are divided into sections, Hindus believe Rig Veda are the work of humans according to Hindus. Rig Veda is the oldest scriptures or otherwise known as hymn of praise. A Vedas scripture directs Hindus in their everyday lives and assist them in preserving the spiritual or religious direction of society and family. The important aspect of the Hindu religion is the relation between place of worship places and rituals performed in various holy places. Hinduism has a primary symbol commonly known as Aum. Aum is the main symbol of Hinduism. It is the sound heard in deepest mediation and is said to be the name most suited for God (Barrow, 2008). Hinduism consists of ceremonies preparation for birth, marriage, cultural rites, and death. The basic practices are the caste system, worship called Puja and cremation after the death of a Hindu. Hindus make journeys to sacred places commonly known as pilgrimage. Part of the Hindus sacred places are mountains, temples, rivers, and many sacred destinations in India. Many believe the journeys to the sacred places are the sites most of the Hindu gods appeared and became visible to them in the world. Hinduism has another tradition known as Karma, Hindus tradition Kama educates that individuals are held accountable for their various actions and thoughts. Hindus in this life believe people will reap what they sow in this world and will carry their consequences and repercussions to the next life (Fisher, 2002, p. 131). For Hindus to cleanse themselves from dangerous Karma,

Hindu Religious Traditions they worship hoping and trusting to become better people in the next life. Hindus think no one can escape the previous conditions or situation of Karma, but ones future is open to Karma. In Hinduism, Hindus getting purge of bad Karma is a chance to discover how to accept or receive give divine love, which is the ultimate goal.

Hinduism is certainly one of the oldest and largest religions in the world. This religion is made of the way people live and has many beliefs in many gods allowing them to choose from which gods a Hindu will like to worship. They seem to have the free will and choice to decide which god to follow based on every individuals belief and faith, they are not compelled or restricted to gods they do not want to worship. Because of the leniency of the religion, a Hindu can freely adopt another religion provided they remain Hindus. This particular religion encourages Hindus to be truthful and positive in every way so they can remain on the good side of their gods.

Hindu Religious Traditions References Fisher, Mary P., (2002). Living Religions Entire Ebook, Fifth Edition, Published by PrenticeHall, and imprint of Pearson Education, Inc. Barrow, M., (2008). World Religions. Retrieved February 25, 2010, from http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/religion/hinduism.htm