Hinduism

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Hinduism
Hindu
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General Facts

• third largest religion in the world (after
  Christianity and Islam)
• about 762 million followers 13 worlds
  population
• dominant religion in India (mainly in Bharat)
  and Nepal
• between 766,000 1.1 million Hindus in United
  States
• worlds oldest organized religion
• based on practice of Dharma, the code of life
• has different names
• - Sanatana Dharma eternal religion
• - Vaidika Dharma religion of the Vedas
• - Hinduism (mostly used in North America)
• ancient inscription
• Persian word for Indian
• Persian corruption of the word Sindu
  (the river Indus)
• name invented by the British
  administration in India during colonial times

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More General Facts
Early history Classical Theory Emerging
Theory Sacred Texts most important Vedas
(Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva) others
Upanishadas, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Brahmanas,
Sutras, and Aranyakas Hindu Beliefs Polytheist
ic Monotheistic Trinitarian (Brahma, Vishnu,
and Shiva) Henotheistic Hindus do not separate
religion from the other aspects of their
lives mostly worship at home with their own
shrine
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Hindu Gods and Godesses
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Ganesha
Ganesha is the most widely worshipped Hindu God. He is worshipped at the start of any action or venture, because he is considered to be the God who removes obstacles. He has an elephant head and four arms. In his upper hands he holds the pasa and ankusam. In the lower two hands are held in the abhaya and varada mudras. He is also seen holding his broken tusk in his right lower hand and a modhakam in his left lower hand. He has a huge belly and is fond of various sweets and fruits. He wears a sanke ornament round his belly. He is depicted in seated, standing and dancing postures.                        
   
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Lakshmi
Goddesses Lakshmi is the possessor of every form
of wealth. 
She is the possessor of great beauty and is
depicted in standing as well as in the seated
postures. She is however always seen on a lotus.
In her hands she holds two lotuses.
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Brahma
Brahma is the god of creation. He has four heads
(originally five), representing the four vedas
which are said to have sprung from his heads. He
is bearded his eyes are closed in meditation.
He sits on a lotus. In his four arms he holds the
vedas, the kamandalam (water pot), suruva
(sacrificial spoon). He is a serene soul and is
the provider of all sources of knowledge
wisdom.  There are no temples for Brahma.
According to mythology, he is supposed to have
been cursed by Shiva (for his having uttered a
lie for his ego) that he would go without
worship.
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Saraswathi
Goddess Saraswathi is the of wisdom and learning.
She is considered as the personification of all
knowledge - arts, sciences, crafts and all
skills.  She is depicted with four hands. In one
hand she holds a book and in the other a rosary.
With her other two hands, she is seen playing the
veena. The swan is known for its exceptional
characteristic of being capable of separating out
water from milk, indicating that we should
possess discrimination to segregate the bad from
the good.
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Siva
Siva is the last of the Trinities is the God of destruction.
Siva resides high up on snowy mountain ranges.
Image of Siva in his physical form presents him
as a soothing meditative figure. His ornaments
are not gold precious stones.  
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Anjaneya
Hanuman, the monkey God is considered to live
eternally.  He is strong, full of valor, with
various skills and powers.  At the same time , he
is wise, a great gnani, a yogi, a brahmachari. 
He had the one thought only - that of serving his
Lord Rama with utmost humility and devotion.  He
is known as Siriya Thiruvadi.
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Vishnu
Vishnu is one of the principal Hindu deities,
worshipped as the protector and preserver of the
world and restorer of dharma (moral order). 
In theory, Vishnu manifests a portion of himself
anytime he is needed to fight evil, and his
appearances are innumerable
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Reincarnation

• Reincarnation is the passing of the soul from one
  body to the next.

• Your rebirth into a new life is determined by you
  karma or actions in you present life.

• The law of Karma states that for every action you
  take there will be a reaction in the future after
  you are reincarnated.

• Leading a positive life and taking good actions
  builds good karma which leads to joy and
  happiness in the future.

• Leading a negative life and taking bad actions
  builds bad karma which leads to disease and
  suffering in the future.

• The goal of achieving good karma was to escape
  the cycle of existence. By escaping the cycle,
  your spirit would be united with the Great Word
  Spirit, Brahman. Brahmins are, by definition the
  closest to ultimate release from the law of
  reincarnation.

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Reincarnation

• In the Hindu religion, we never die we merely
  change our physical form until we have perfected
  our karma. There are 8.4 million different forms
  of bodies. Being a human is the highest form of
  life.

• Reincarnation provided religious sanction for the
  class division in Indian society in addition to
  providing moral and political justification for
  the privileges of those at the higher end of the
  scale.

• It gave the poor society hope that if they
  maintained good karma, they might improve their
  condition in the next life and move up the social
  ladder.

• The goal of achieving good karma was to escape
  the cycle of existence. By escaping the cycle,
  your spirit would be united with the Great Word
  Spirit, Brahman. Brahmins are, by definition the
  closest to ultimate release from the law of
  reincarnation.

• Brahman is described in the Upanishads as a form
  of dreamless sleep, free of earthly desires.

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Works Cited
Duiker, William and Jackson Speilvogel. The
Essential World History Comprehensive Volume.
United States. Thomson Learning Inc.,
2002. Hindu Gods Goddesses. Saigan Connection.
27 September 2003 lthttp//www.indian- heritage.org
/gindex.htmlgt. Hinduim Introduction. BBC World
Service. 28 September 2003 lthttp//www.bbc.co.uk/
worldservice/people/features/world_religions/hin d
uism.shtmlgt. Robinson, B.A. Hinduism. 9 August
2002. Ontario Consultants on Religious
Tolerance. 28 September 2003 lthttp//www.religio
ustolerance.org/hinduism.htmgt. Trivedi, Maulesh.
Hindu Gods Image Gallery. 1998. 28 September 2003
lthttp//www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/2745/gall
ery.htmgt.