The Religious Ideology of Hinduism - Essay Example

s 2 May, The religious ideology of Hinduism Every individual has his own perspective and approachon religious doctrines and the belief in the presence of some divine authoritative power that allows the universe and its inhabitants to exist. Religion is often classified to be linked with faith or a divinely planned belief system presented to us through scriptures and Prophets or Saints. I believe it is a person’s own choice, whether he/she wants religion to be restricted to observing and performing holy rituals whenever due or make it a habit to encircle every aspect of life with that particular belief system. As for me, it is more than that, it should be a way of life for everyone including me and incorporated in every aspect in my life too. I believe in Hinduism as my spiritual healer and my way of living life. I belong to a Hindu family, and I am a follower of Lord Hanuman and Lord Krishna. I am not a Hindu just because my ancestral religion is Hinduism, but I have developed strong faith in its teachings and values. My family had always stressed on the importance of understanding the religious values and beliefs by reading the scriptures in order to get an in-depth and accurate knowledge. They have been the guiding force behind my perfect faith in Hinduism ideology. After a lot of research and thorough understanding, now my psychological roots are deeply attached to Hindu philosophy I chose not only to abide by the values which Hinduism incorporates but also would want to share the knowledge I have gained with as many people as possible. This paper is an attempt to provide all the important information on the birth and evolution of Hinduism and its salient features. Hinduism could be broadly described as a religion, culture and way of life. There is no specific timeline information about the origin of Hindu traditions. It can be said that it is a cumulative collection of communities, faith, beliefs and practices that have come together over the centuries. Its ancient roots are seen in the cultures of the Indus Valley, Saraswati River civilization and Indo-European people. Local traditions of these civilizations have entered Hinduism through the process of “Sanskritization,” whereby a regional deity becomes identified with pan-Indian gods and Brahmanization, the adoption of high-caste rituals by many communities (Narayanan). The stages of early Hindu history are marked not by remarkable personalities but by the composition of philosophically sophisticated and entertaining texts that were transmitted orally and through the generations primarily by means of performing arts (Narayanan 13). Today India is the hub of Hinduism practices and around 80% of its total population is Hindu. It has flourished in Southeast Asia for more than fifteen hundred years, and now in every part on the world (Narayanan) The Vedas (knowledge) is the earliest source of information about Hinduism and constitute manuals of poetry, rituals and philosophy. In Vedic hymns, the social divisions were first mentioned, which today are referred to as caste. Vedas was followed by Aranyakas and Upanishads, and later the epic narrative called the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The Bhagvat Gita (Sacred Song) is a part of Mahabharata. The most adored Vedic hymn in Hindu society and religious sectors is the Gayatri Mantra. In order to understand Hinduism, it will be better to understand the ideological philosophy and the main features of this religion. Firstly, the concept of god is very clearly defined in Vedas. “One alone exists; sages call it by various names” (1-164-46) (Bhattacharyya). There are various attributes related to god and there is a particular name assigned to every aspect. God is father, mother, brother, friend, wealth, knowledge, strength and everything else. To explain this it becomes important to provide the names of a few of God’s attributes. Brahma is the creator to the world; Vishnu is the sustainer, Mahesh the destroyer of the world, Kirishna being subjugated, Ganesh represents collective wisdom; Laxmi represents wealth; Durga is for strength; Ram is the bestowed of bliss and happiness, Kali being the cause of death; Sita is related to crops; Radha is the giver of delight, prosperity and success. So, if someone seeks knowledge, will be a devotee of Ganesh and if someone seeks wealth, then he will adore Laxmi. This is where Hinduism distinguishes with other religions because here God is referred in the feminine sense too unlike any other belief system. Another concept which provides the basic ideology of Hinduism is of the omnipresent, undivided and infinite nature of Brahman (the supreme spirit); the universe is termed as Brahmand and is the body of the Brahman. This is the superior aspect of God and also is referred as Niguna Brahma. The other aspects related to Brahman include Ishwar, which is the immanent aspect of the supreme spirit. God in dreaming state is termed as Hiranyagarbha, and the fully awake God is Virat. This is another feature of Hinduism while other religions only discuss the immanent aspect of God. An important element in Hinduism ideology is the immortal nature of Aatma (soul), and that it is beyond the attributes possessed by a physical body. In Bhagvat Gita, it is explained like this, “It is never born and never dies nor once it exists, does it cease to be. Unborn, eternal, abiding and ancient, it is not slain when the body is slain” (Narayan). There is no particular saying about the concept of heaven or hell in Hinduism. It is a person’s own actions and deeds, which make heaven or hell for him on earth. The belief in rebirth is an important element of Hinduism. Every action either good or evil performed in a past or present will be reflected in the next life. So it becomes important for a Hindu to be good to others as well as his own soul and should not indulge in evil activities. With this comes the aspect of Dharma which is not just the Sanskrit version of religion but incorporates a deeper thought process. Dharma is the part of life for every Hindu. It is the set of rules provided for coexistence, and every action or deeds performed. Mercy for everyone and non-violent attitude are the highest virtues of Dharma, which are hard to stick to through the course of life but if done so guarantees a highly respectful status in the next birth. Personal mental and physical cleanliness, forgiving attitude towards those who is guilty, honesty, staying away from greed and evil activities, to gain knowledge and to restrain oneself from inappropriate sensual demands are other relevant aspects of Dharma. Arth or prosperity and wealth are considered morally desirable but within the limits of dharma. Yoga is the element in Hinduism, which can lead to a union with God. There are four parts of Yoga to meet the intellect, temperament and capabilities of every individual. The Raj-Yoga is a set of courses for physical and mental exercises and aims on providing psychological discipline. The Jnana-Yoga is for attaining self-knowledge. Bhakti-Yoga provides an opportunity to love God and realize the fact that God is always watching. Karma-Yoga is what leads to perform worldly duties and the attitude with which one should perform the allotted tasks of everyday life. It maintains the law of cause and effect. Every individual should perform the allotted duties irrespective of the outcome. Hinduism is a religion which supports happiness in every aspect of our life. It is not about our worldly gifts and pleasures; it is a guide to achieve maximum happiness and prosperity in this life and the others to come by following the right path. Even the festivals do not comprise of any mourning event, but are about spreading happiness throughout the world. The events of mass-celebration for Hindus are the birth occasion of Ram and Krishna, and major festivals include Vijaya Dashmi, Deepavali and Holika or Holi. God according to Hindu Vedas and scripture don’t have a Pratima or material shape; however, Hinduism is often thrashed as contradicting itself with the large number of idols and images of gods and goddesses worshiped in temples or mandirs. This can be understood with the psychological requirement of human mind. Our mind can seldom relate to invisible forms, and if we try to assume the presence of a divine super power then we will have to make a great conscious effort in order to believe the actuality of this fact. So the concept of idol worship emerged, which was mostly influenced by the flourishing of Buddhism and Jainism in India soon after the Vedic period. The presences of churches and mosques for the followers of other religions constitute the fact that every belief system, there is a need for some specific place where one could get to link with God in privately. Idolatry is not a division of God or submergence of other figures with God, but just serves as a sacred place and image where God may visit or reside. Gender equality is often regarded as a conflicting issue in various religious systems, but in Hinduism, there is no specific saying found in the Vedas which claims who precedent which. It does not claim that Adam came first or Eve followed. In Hinduism, both genders are equal and can be described as the two sides of the same coin. Women hold respectable status in this religion; it gives them right to choose husbands, right for share in property and wealth and the husband is required to make her happy and provide her with not just food and shelter but love, companionship and freedom. An important feature of Hinduism is the caste system which is the world’s oldest and longest social hierarchy. The social grouping is based not on the worldly status but on the religious purity level one possesses. Karma plays an important role in determining this factor, and it is understood that if a person is born into a high caste family, then he must have done a worthwhile effort in the previous life. The categories of the caste system consist of the Brahmins (priests), the Ksyatriyas (soldiers and rulers), the Vaisyas (traders and merchants) and the Shudras (artisans and laborers). There is another category known as the Dalit or the untouchables. It consists of people who are believed to have performed some ritually polluting actions to have gained this status. (McBride, Walrath, Haviland, and Prins) To conclude this discussion, it can be analyzed that Hinduism is a complete profile for life. In the present age of modernism and materialistic approach, it provides guidelines, which are in accordance with the needs and requirements of every era and timeline. Hinduism is much more than an idol worship involving religion. It provides guidelines to meet the physical, mental and spiritual needs of an individual. Works Cited Narayanan, Vasudha. Hinduism. The Rosen Publishing Group, 2009. Print. Bhattacharyya, Ashim. Hindu Dharma: Introduction to Scriptures And Theology. iUniverse Inc, 2006. Print. Narayan, Lakshmi. Believe in God, But Not in Religion. Atlantic Publishers & Dist, 2001. Print. McBride, Bunny. Walrath, Dana. Haviland, William and Prins, Herald. The Essence of Anthropology. Cengage Learning, 2006. Print. Read More