HINDUISM | Davidsindiaproject

The Hindu Elephant God, Ganesha

Source: http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/art-54820/Ganges-River?

Hindus praying near the Ganges River

Source: http://www.cntraveller.com/photos/the-week-in-travel-pictures/travel-pictures-3-may-2013/viewgallery/968899

ORIGIN AND DESCRIPTION

Hinduism is the world's third most popular religion and has about 750 million followers. The religion of Hinduism originated in Northern India, near the river Indus, about 4000 years ago. It is the oldest existing religion in the world and over 80% of India's population practices Hinduism. One of the basic beliefs of Hinduism is dharma, which stands for law, obligation, and duty. One of the most famous Hindu sacred texts is the Ramayana, which tells about life in ancient India. Hindus believe in one god called Brahman and their place of worship is a temple. Rivers, mountains, trees, natural things and animals - especially the cow are sacred for Hindus [1][2][3].

THE VEDAS

The early Hindu religion was called Vedism, after the Vedas. The Vedas are known as the "Books of Knowledge" and are the most sacred scriptures of Hinduism. The ancient scriptures were written in Sanskrit from about 1200 BCE to 100 CE. The Vedas are considered the earliest literary record of Indo-Aryan civilization. They are the original scriptures of Hindu teachings, and contain verses, hymns and prayers. The Vedas are separated into the following texts:

The Rig-Veda - The most important and oldest of the Vedas. It is divided into ten books called mandalas and has 1028 hymns in praise of various gods.

The Yajur-Veda - This Veda is used for performing sacrifices and is divided into two sections.

Sama-Veda - This Veda consists of chants and melodies to be sung during worship.

Atharva-Veda - This Veda contains hymns, mantras and incantations [4][5][6].

SANSKRIT

Sanskrit became the primary language for the religion of Hinduism. Sanskrit which, means "cultured" or "refined" is the oldest and the most organized language in the world. This language has 65 words to describe various things on earth, 67 words for water, and over 250 words to describe rainfall.

Sanskrit was successful and became the language of all cultured people in India and in other countries that were under India's influence. All scientific, philosophical and historical works were written in Sanskrit, and important texts existing in other languages were translated and adapted into Sanskrit. "For this reason very few ancient literary, religious, or philosophical documents exits in India in other languages." The amount of Sanskrit literature is huge, and it remains largely unexplored [7][8].

THE CASTE SYSTEM IN ANCIENT INDIA

Hinduism was not only a religion but also a way of life in Ancient India. The civilization was a well-organized society divided into social classes. The Europeans would later call this division the caste system. The Vedas describe the following four main classes:

Brahmins - This class included the priests and religious scholars.

Kshatriyas - This class included rulers and warriors.

Vaishyas - This class included the herders and merchants.

Shudras - This class included the servants.

Untouchables - This class included people that handled garbage and dead animals.

Each class or varna had its own responsibilities. The Brahmins, for example, had to study and teach the Vedas. Warriors had to become skilled with weapons and so on. The caste system meant that some people were favored over others. The Brahmins were at the top of the social system whereas the Shudras were at the bottom. Over the centuries a fifth class developed known as the Untouchables. The people in this class did all the work that Hindus considered lowly or "dirty" like hadling garbage and dead animals. The Untouchables had to live in their own villages or neighborhoods and could not enter many temples or attend most schools. The caste system affected all people in ancient India. Indians were born into a certain caste and could never change it. People that were part of a caste system also could only marry within the same caste system [9].

THE CASTE SYSTEM TODAY

The caste system still exists today in India but the rules are not as firm as they were in the past. The people in India are progressing because of influence from western education, contact with foreigners, media, and modern communications. Although the political and social force of the caste system has not completely gone away, the Indian government has officially banned caste discrimination and made widespread reforms. The law forbidding discrimination against the Untouchable class was passed in 1962. The efforts of Indian nationalists such as Mohandas Gandhi, have lead to rules preventing social mobility and cross-caste mingling to loosen. Gandhi renamed the untouchables Harijans, which means "the people of God." In recent years, the Untouchables have become a politically active group and have adopted for themselves the name Dalits, which means "those who have been broken."

"Today, Brahmins have land, work in the field and are involved in government service. Some Vaishyas and Shudra caste people are teachers, high officials, and successful politicians. Previously, Brahmins were not subject to the death penalty and were instead given the same status as cows in the Hindu religion. But now, all castes are equally treated by the law. Education is free and open to all castes. Discrimination is only done socially." [10][11]