Hinduism

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Hinduism "Sanatana Dharma" The Everlasting
Religion
Prepared by Danielle STUDENT
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Number of Adherents

• Today there are an estimated 837 million
  followers of the Hindu faith.
• Hinduism is considered to be the Worlds third
  largest religion.

Source http//www.religioustolerance.org
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When and where the religion was established

• The earliest elements of the Hindu faith date
  back to as far as 3,000 BCE.
• Hinduism has no single founder. It is thought to
  have originated when the Aryans invaded India.
  Hinduism became a mixture of the religious
  beliefs of the Aryans and the people indigenous
  to India.

Source http//www.bbc.co.uk
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Influential Practitioners

• Gandhi is considered to be the father of India.

Mahatma Gandhi
Source http//www.bbc.co.uk
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• Adi Shankaracharya can be considered as the only
  Hindu spiritual leader who was almost universally
  accepted in this religion.

Adi Shankaracharya
Source http//www.hindubooks.org
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Holy Works Sacred Texts
There are three major sacred texts in Hinduism.

• The Vedas
• The Ramayana
• The Mahabharata
• Other texts include the Brahmanas, the Sutras,
  Puranas, and the Aranyakas

Source http//www.religioustolerance.org
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Vedas

• Vedas are the scriptures of Hinduism.
• They are divided into four categories Rig Veda,
  Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda.
• Vedas are passed on through written form and by
  word of mouth, from generation to generation.

Pictured are two characters frequently used in
Vedas. Lord Rama and Mother Sita
Source http//www.religioustolerance.org
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Ramayana

• Rama was the very life of the men of
  Ayodhya. He was unparalleled in the qualities
  which makes a man great. He was a very brave
  young man and yet his bravery was combined with
  mercy. Even if someone spoke harshly to him, he
  would never reply in the same tone. If anyone did
  him any favor, even if it were a small task, he
  would always remember it with gratitude while his
  own good acts would be forgotten by him even if
  they were hundreds in number. Each man loved him
  as his own son.

• The Ramayana is a moving love story with moral
  and spiritual themes that has deep appeal in
  India to this day .
• It was written by Valmiki, and is based on
  several generations of stories passed on by word
  of mouth.

Excerpt from the Ramayana
Sources http//www.religioustolerance.org,
http//www.hindunet.org
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The Mahabharata

• The Mahabharata is the worlds second largest
  book, and is used to introduce readers to the
  basic themes of Indias culture.
• It is a story of two sets of paternal first
  cousins who enter into a war over land, and are
  helped through ethical problems by Krishna,
  throughout the story.

Krishna
Source http//web.utk.edu
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CLERGY

• Priests in Hinduism are referred to as Brahmin.
• Brahmins are at the top of the caste system and
  are considered to have great power in Hindu
  society.
• It is legend that Brahmins have the power to make
  the Gods do things through use of their spells
  and rituals.

Initiation of a Brahmin boy
Source http//wsu.edu
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• In India, people are born into their caste
  therefore, to be a Brahmin, your mother or father
  has to be a Brahmin.
• Women have only been allowed to become Brahmin
  for about 25 years now. Today, there are about
  10,000 women Brahmin but some traditional Hindus
  still do not agree with this practice.

Sources http//www.hinduismtoday.com,
http//uwacadweb.uwyo.edu
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Ecclesiastical Law The Caste System

• One major aspect of the Hindu faith is the caste
  system a rigid hierarchy of social classes.
• You are born into your caste, you marry in your
  class, and you die in your class.
• It is very important to Hindus to obey the strict
  regulations of their caste system.
• The Caste System is divided into four categories,
  with a fifth outside of the caste.
• 1.Brahmans
• 2.Kshatriyas
• 3.Vaishyas
• 4.Shudras
• 5. Untouchables

Source http//codesign.scu.edu
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Brahmans

• Brahmans represent the highest social class.
• This class contains the priests, holy men, and
  arbiters.

Brahman Priest
Source http//codesign.scu.edu
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Kshatriyas

• Kshatriyas is the second highest class in the
  caste system.
• It includes the kings, warriors, and soldiers
  that protect and guard the country.

Source http//codesign.scu.edu
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Vaishyas

• The third highest class in the caste system is
  the Vaishyas.
• This caste includes the businessmen, traders, and
  the commercial class.

Source http//codesign.scu.edu
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Shudras

• Shudras is the lowest class of the caste system.
• It contains the farmers, producers, and peasants.

Source http//codesign.scu.edu
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Untouchables

• The untouchables are so low in the Hinduism
  social classes that they are not even considered
  part of the caste system.
• They are regarded as unclean and inhuman, and are
  left to perform menial and degrading jobs.
• In India about 25 of the population are
  untouchables.

Source http//codesign.scu.edu
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HOLY DAYS

• There are many holy days and seasonal days that
  are celebrated by Hindus. An example of a few of
  them are

Festivals Diwali Holi Mahashivrati Dusserah
Birthdays Rama Navami Wesak
Sources http//www.religioustolerance.org,
http//www.bbc.co.uk
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Festivals
Diwali
Holi
Mahashivrati

• Diwali is the Indian Festival of Lights, held in
  mid-November.
• Holi is the festival that celebrates creation and
  renewal, held in the Spring.
• Mahashivrati is the festival that is dedicated to
  Shiva.
• Dusserah is a festival that celebrates the
  triumph of good over evil, also held in November.

Sources http//www.religioustolerance.org,
http//www.bbc.co.uk
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Birthdays

• Rama Navami is the celebration of Lord Ramas
  Birthday.

• Wesak is the celebration of Buddhas birthday in
  early April.

Sources http//www.religioustolerance.org,
http//www.bbc.co.uk
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Rights, Rituals, and Ceremonies

• Communion with Gods or Holy Ones
• Birth
• Rites of Passage
• Baptism
• Marriage Rites
• Death Rites

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Communion with God/ Holy OnesPuja

• There is no communion in Hinduism however, Puja
  is a ceremony that is similar to communion.
• Puja consists of three parts
• 1.Seeing of the Deity
• 2. Worship
• 3. Retrieving and Consuming
• the Blessed Food
  
  
  

Source http//www.asia.si.edu
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BIRTH

• In Hinduism, baby rites occur before the baby is
  even conceived.
• Upon marriage, Garbhadana, a conception prayer,
  is recited.
• When the fetus reached its third month, another
  prayer, Punsavana is recited. This is done in
  hopes of protecting the fetus and encouraging
  growth.
• In the seventh month of pregnancy, the
  Simantonnyana, a baby shower, is held.
• Other baby rites include Namakarma (the naming
  ceremony), Nishkarmana ( the childs first trip
  out), and Annaprasana (the childs first taste of
  solid food).

Source http//www.bbc.co.uk
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Rites of Passage

• Rites of passage include the sacred Upanayana
  ceremony which is explained later in the slide
  show, under Age of Reason.

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Baptism

• There is no official baptism in Hinduism, but the
  Jatakarma ceremony is similar.
• The Jatakarma welcomes the child into the world,
  and includes the family placing honey into the
  childs mouth and whispering the name of God into
  the childs ear.

Source http//www.bbc.co.uk
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Marriage Rites

• There are four main stages of a Hindu wedding
• Jayamaala
• Madhu-Parka
• Gau Daan
• Kanya Pratigrahan

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• Jayamaala
• The bride and groom receive red kum-kum marks to
  the forehead. Members of both families meet. The
  bride and groom exchange garlands and declare
  Let all the learned persons present here know,
  we are accepting each other willingly,
  voluntarily and pleasantly. Our hearts are
  concordant and united like waters.
• Madhu-Parka
• The groom is led to the mandap, a decorated
  altar, and given a welcoming drink.

Source http//www.bbc.co.uk
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• Gau Daan
• Gau means cow and Daan means donation. During
  this stage, there is a symbolic exchange of
  gifts. The bride is given a Mangala Sootra
  (necklace) by the grooms mother. The Mangala
  Sootra is the emblem for the marital status of a
  Hindu woman.
• Kanya Pratigrahan
• Kanya means daughter and Pratigrahan means an
  exchange of responsibility on both sides. The
  brides father declares that the bride accepts
  the groom and he asks them to accept her.

Source http//www.bbc.co.uk
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Death Rites

• Most Hindu bodies are cremated, in hopes of the
  soul escaping quickly.
• Funerals are conducted by a priest and the eldest
  son. The ceremony includes several rituals such
  as
• A lamp is placed by the head of the body.
• Prayers and hymns are sung.
• Pindas (rice balls) are placed in the coffin.
• Water is sprinkled on the body.
• A mala (necklace of wooden beads) or a garland of
  flowers may be put around the dead persons neck.

Source http//www.bbc.co.uk
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Major Tenets of Hinduism
Reincarnation Four Goals in Human Life Trinitarian
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Reincarnation

• One major belief of Hinduism is Reincarnation
  the movement of the soul from one body to
  another.
• Hindus believe that a persons soul is reborn
  over and over, promoting the doctrine of non
  injury or non-violence (ahisma) more and more
  each time. Eventually the soul hopes to reach
  Moksha.

Source http//www.indialife.com
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Goals In Human Life

• Moksha
• Dharma

• Artha
• Kama

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• Samsara is the uncertainty of the universe, and
  Moksha is the liberation from Samsara.

• Dharma is
• achieving righteousness in your religious life.

Moksha
Dharma
Sources http//wsu.edu, http//www.religioustoler
ance.org
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• Artha is economic
• prosperity, or
• economic gain but
• it can only be
• attained through
• noble means.

• Kama is gratification of the senses, such as
  sensual and sexual pleasure, and mental enjoyment.

Artha
Kama
Source http//www.religioustolerance.org
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Trinitarian

• Some label Hinduism as Trinitarian, because
  Brahman is viewed as one God with three persons
  the Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.
• Brahma is the Creator who is continuing to
  create new realities.
• Vishnu is the Preserver of the new creations.
• Shiva is the Destroyer.

Brahman
Sources http//www.religioustolerance.org
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Location of most people who practice this
religion

• Hinduism is the dominant religion in India,
  Nepal, and among the Tamils in Sri Lanka.
• There are also about 1.1million Hindus in the U.S.

India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka
Source http//www.religioustolerance.org
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Age of Reason Upanayana

• The Upanayana is a sacred ceremony that
  symbolizes the transition of a boy from his
  parents to his Guru (teacher).
• It is ideally performed when a boy reaches 7 or 8
  years old, but it can be performed as early as
  five.
• It is only performed on males, and it consists of
  two parts
• Gayatri Mantra
• Yugnopavit

Source www.kamakoti.org
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• The Yugnopavit involves wearing the sacred
  thread.
• The wearer of this thread is supposed to be
  constantly reminded of his commitment to the
  secular and spiritual goals which he has set upon
  himself on this solemn occasion that this life
  may not pass away just in unconscious striving
  but become a means of the expansion of our
  "being" that it may provide a view of one's self
  and the world without being in conflict with the
  action that comes by that life, even at its
  worst, may still provide us a source of sharing
  the joyousness of our existence this is the
  greatest art of life, which comes, not through
  wanton experimentation, but through prayer and
  humility alone and through that the divine grace.
  

Source www.kamakoti.org
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• After the boy is adorned with the sacred thread,
  he is taught the Gayatri Mantra by his Guru.
• The focal point of the whole Upanayana ceremony
  is the recitation of the Gayatri Mantra and
  teaching its essence to the initiated. The Mantra
  is considered to be the most sacred and according
  to Manu there is nothing more exalted than the
  Gayatri. 

Source www.kamakoti.org
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Gayatri Mantra

• That splendid magnificence of Savitre, the
  Cosmic Sun permeating the three worlds, the
  Earth, the Space and the Heavens is assuredly
  Savitri the inspirer, life giver, the
  stimulative force. May we meditate on the life
  giving divinity, Savitri assuredly is God, and
  therefore I meditate on his splendor. May He
  himself illumine our intelligence. May He himself
  breath it into us".

• Om tat savitur varenyam bhargo devasya
  dhimahi dhiyo yonah prachodayat.

Source www.kamakoti.org
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Is the Hindu Faith Growing?

• The number of adherents to Hinduism are staying
  fairly stable.
• It has been slowly growing in some countries,
  while slowly decreasing in other countries.
• Ex Hindus increased in Africa from 1,986,000
  people in 1996 to 2,411,000 in 1998. While in
  Fiji, Hinduism decreased from 375,000 in 1993 to
  301,128 in 1997.

Sources http//www.religioustolerance.org ,
http//www.adherents.com
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Hinduism Temple

• The Parshurama Templeand the Pushkara or "Lotus
  Pond"which is in its precincts.Every Hindu
  temple has a pond near it.Devotees are
  supposedto take a bath before entering the
  temple.

Source http//www.hindubooks.org