The origins and development of classical hinduism 1st edition. At one time, it was believed that the basic tenets of hinduism were brought to india by the aryans who invaded the indus valley civilization and settled along the banks of. The earliest hindu scriptures, the vedas, veda knowledge are a collection of hymns of praise to the gods of nature. The creation story also indicates a definite ending to this created order. The word hindu originated, not as the name of a religion, but as a geographical marker. Hinduism a brief overview of the development of hinduism there. Origin of the sanatan dharma hinduism stack exchange. Aug 24, 2009 hinduism s early history is the subject of much debate for a number of reasons.
Hinduism religious literacy project harvard university. A variety of hindu symbols are used in art, sacred objects and ritual. Hinduisms early history is the subject of much debate for a number of reasons. It has thus been called the oldest religion in the. Today, with about 900 million followers, hinduism is. The water brings life as trees and flowers bloom and crops grow. Over the centuries this religious tradition has slowly evolved to be practiced and understood in many different ways, but it is. One would expect the proponents of an event to provide proof for its happening rather than demanding proofs for a nonevent. This section explains the history, meaning and use of some common hindu symbols. Hinduism is an indian religion and dharma, or way of life, widely practiced in the indian subcontinent and parts of southeast asia. Hinduism a brief overview of the development of hinduism.
Hinduism is not the name that the people of india gave this spiritual tradition. Origin of hinduism in bali indonesia history, holy. Culture a group of nomadic okdo pdf to all converter professional 4 5 serialh33teasypat people moved into. Devotional hinduism begins to cause buddhism to wane in india. Hinduism, the religion followed by 800 million people in india and 100 million in the rest of the world, encompasses a wide variety of beliefs and rituals. Knowledge warehouse too much of knowledge to digest at one go. To the rest of the world, hindu and hinduism refer to a set of people belonging to definite religious system. Government under aryan rule, indian society developed a distinct system of social classes that still affects india today. It is not based on a set of dogmas preached by a particular set of teachers.
The origins and development of classical hinduism is a mere 112 pages in length exclusive of appendices and notes, but it presents a solid overview of hindu history emphasizing its philosophical and theological ideas and its major texts. However, the following description thereof by a foreign thinker is nearer the mark than any other. Hinduism is hardly a dogma but a working hypothesis. The fact is that the both the words hindu and india have foreign origin. History hinduism, the religion followed by 800 million people in india and 100 million in the rest of the world, encompasses a wide variety of beliefs and rituals. Summary of hinduism beliefs meaning of name hinduism, from the persian hindu sanskrit sindhu, literally river. A rich geography, many languages and dialects, lots of different creeds, racial diversity, all these elements have shaped hinduism and made it so heterogenic. Culture a group of nomadic people moved into india and took over what was left of harappan civilization. Its history overlaps or coincides with the development of religion in indian subcontinent since the iron age, with some of its traditions tracing back to prehistoric religions such as those of the bronze age indus valley civilization. There are several important historical facts about hinduism that are relevant to the humanist context. Hinduism cannot claim any corresponding universal as a core principle of identity.
The word hindu is neither a sanskrit word nor is this word found in any of the native dialects and languages of india. Comparing and contrasting hinduism with christianity creation. Unlike the common faiths of the west, hinduism exists without a specific. Secondly, it rejected both the householder life of vedic hinduism and the extreme penance of jain mendicants. The main gods and goddesses in hinduism arly hinduism was a form of nature worship. They usually signify hindu concepts, the attributes of deities, or the gods or goddesses themselves. Although hinduism may sit outside of the western common paradigm of faith, it is the worlds third largest religion. The ancient persians, who occupied the lands west to the indus river called. The flow of hinduism can be divided roughly into major periods of change and development. Its origin can be traced back to the prehistoric era with its.
Hinduism flows from the misty past some 6000 to 7000 years ago. Hinduism is a compilation of many traditions and philosophies and is considered by many scholars to be the worlds oldest religion, dating back. With about 470 million followers, scholars consider buddhism one of the major. Hinduism origins, hinduism history, hinduism beliefs. Hopefully, in this paper i will show you the origin of the hinduism and buddhism, their cultural similarities and differences, i would also like to show how they compare and contrast. Om also spelled aum is a hindu sacred sound that is considered the greatest of all mantras. One can believe a wide variety of things about god, the universe and the path to liberation and still be considered a hindu. Hinduism is a collective term applied to the many philosophical and religious traditions native to india. However, all hindus worship one supreme being who created a bunch of gods to be his helpers. Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, and some practitioners and scholars refer to it as sanatana dharma, the eternal tradition, or the eternal way, beyond human history. Scholars regard hinduism as a fusion or synthesis of various indian.
This provided a middle way of renunciation to the society. Hinduism does not render the upholders of such views unfit to be recognised as pious and. Bashams observations on the origins of asceticism and the evolution of the key interrelated concepts of. Scientific origin of hinduism kindle edition by roy, raja ram mohan. Hinduism, major world religion originating on the indian subcontinent and comprising several and varied systems of philosophy, belief, and ritual. Hinduism every spring, the ganges river swells with water as snow melts in the himalayas. The term hindu in origin is a persian word in use from. Many scholars associate their origins with the nomadic tribes arriving in india from central asia.
In fact, it cannot be defined precisely as any other religion can be. Hinduism is not born of the teachings of particular prophets. Buddhism is a religion that was founded by siddhartha gautama the buddha more than 2,500 years ago in india. Hindu derives from the sanskrit word for river, sindhu, from which the indus river received its name. Although the name hinduism is relatively new, having been coined by british writers in the first decades of the 19th century, it refers to a rich cumulative tradition of texts and practices, some of which date to the 2nd millennium bce or possibly. Apr 11, 2018 hinduism s roots are diverse and are likely a synthesis of various regional tribal beliefs. Hindus believe that every living thing has a soul, which comes from the creator. One result of this is that there are many forms of hinduism and many beliefs however, one of the main ideas behind hinduism is the idea of dharma or duty. Despite sustained critique of the term, especially over the last two decades, the continued widespread use of the term, both within and beyond scholarly writing, suggests that it will remain a keyword in south asian studies for some time to come. First of all, the sanskrit term sanatan means eternal or ancient from wikipedia sanatana dharma devanagari. Infact,whenitcomesrightdowntoit,judaism,christianity,and. Hinduism embraces a great diversity of beliefs, a fact that can be initially confusing to westerners accustomed to creeds, confessions, and carefullyworded belief statements. The origin of the gods in hinduism is basically threefold. The third edition includes chapters on the origins of hinduism as well as its history of relations with buddhism, christianity, and islam.
The key principles, beliefs and concepts of hinduism. Parpolas new book successfully brings his many years of thinking and. In a concept also found among many other peoples, the parts of this first being became the various living creatures, including man. Hinduism is also known by the names sanatanadharmaand vaidikadharma.
Hindus call their religion sanatama dharma, eternal religion or eternal truth. The history of hinduism is unique among the world religions in that it has no founder or date of origin. According to historians, the origin of hinduism dates back to 5,000 years or more. The roots of hinduism run many thousands of years and miles across history. The traditional view is that hinduism originated around 3000 bce. The origin of the caste system is traced back to the rigveda, where the hymn to purusa, the supreme person, describes it in the following manner. Ancient origins articles related to hinduism in the sections of history, archaeology, human origins, unexplained, artifacts, ancient places and myths and legends. But islamic incursion into india weakens the influence of hinduism in its land of origin, as some hindus are violently converted or enslaved. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading vedic physics. Basic hinduism hinduism is the third largest religion in the world, following christianity and. While most major religions derive from new ideas taught by a charismatic leader, hinduism is simply the religion of the people of india, which has gradually developed over four thousand years. Christianity offers its followers an explicit account of the creation of the world and of human beings. The ultimate origin of indoeuropean is an unsettled question, and sapirs dogma may play a role in settling it when a macrofamily including indoeuropean is identified, but regardless of its origin, protoindoeuropean flourished in the ponticcaspian steppes 5000 to 7000 years ago, as the kurgan horsebreeding culture prospered.
Mar 17, 2015 the history of hinduism is unique among the world religions in that it has no founder or date of origin. On the other hand, if you ask what is the origin of the sanatana dharma philosophy, that is lost in time. But various modern scholars have challenged the 3000 bce origin story. Hinduism is defined and described in a variety of ways, as the following items indicate. The comparative study between hinduism and buddhism. Hinduisms roots are diverse and are likely a synthesis of various regional tribal beliefs.
Therefore, it was accepted by intellectual class and the masses alike. Hinduism is the worlds oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots and customs dating back more than 4,000 years. Hinduism does not condemn those who deny god as the creator and ruler of the world, who do not accept the existence of an eternal soul and the state of moksha or state of liberation. Hinduism, and the various systems of hindu thought. Parpolas new book successfully brings his many years of thinking and research into a coherent whole for the less scholarly reader. Hinduism man, according to the vedas, is the result of the gods sacrifice of the divine primordial form of man. The history and origins of hinduism learn religions. Hinduism a brief overview of the development of hinduism there are several important historical facts about hinduism that are relevant to the humanist context. Shruti works are considered to have been heard and transmitted by earthly sages, as contrasted to smriti, or that which is remembered by ordinary human. Comparing and contrasting hinduism with christianity. If the indus valley civilization 3rd2nd millennium bce was the earliest source of hindu traditions, then hinduism is the oldest living religion on earth. The forces of nature the sun, the moon, rain, wind, lightning were worshipped as gods.
Firstly, in a strict sense there was no hinduism before modern times, although the sources of. It makes no sense to talk in terms of indigenous and foreign when one is talking across such wide swaths of history. No comments on origin of hinduism in bali indonesia history, holy figures, and traditions found most notably in india and nepal, hinduism is a way of life or a religion and most its practitioners and scholars refer to it as sanatana dharma, the eternal law, or. The ancient indians were not interested in history as such, which is simply the records of kings and merchants written by the victors. Its origin can be traced back to the prehistoric era with its ancient scriptures dating back more than four. Hinduism has neither a specific moment of origin nor a specific founder. May 11, 20 hinduism is often labelled as a religion, but it is actually more than that.
The importance of right conduct in hinduism induism has no one main founder like the buddha or jesus or the prophet muhammad or guru nanak. Origin, definition and introduction to hinduism one of the astounding features of hinduism is that it is the oldest living religion that has retained its mass appeal as well as the breadth and depth of its universal vision. History of hinduism denotes a wide variety of related religious traditions native to the indian subcontinent. With about 470 million followers, scholars consider buddhism one of. This cycle of rebirth is a metaphor for hinduism, the religious faith of most people in india. They argue that hindu religion originated somewhere between 3500 and 5000 bce. Firstly, in a strict sense there was no hinduism before modern times, although the sources of hindu traditions are. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Today, with about 900 million followers, hinduism is the third. What is heard in hinduism, the mostrevered body of sacred literature, considered to be the product of divine revelation.