Hinduism is an Indian religion and way of life which is widely practised in the Indian subcontinent and parts of Southeast Asia. Also, Hinduism referred to as the oldest religion in the world. The word Hindu is referred to as Sanatana Dharma or eternal way of life, beyond human history. Many scholars believe Hinduism as a fusion of various Indian cultures with diverse roots with no founder. Believed to develop between 500BCE and 300CE, notably after the end of the Vedic period. The backbone of Hinduism hidden in the beliefs, the core beliefs are Purushartas(objective of human life), Kama and samsara, Moksha, the concept of God and authority. The 4 goal of human life fall under Purusarthas which branches into Dharma for righteousness and ethics, Artha for livelihood and wealth, the Kama for sensual pleasure, Samsara denotes continuing cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth and lastly Moksha means liberation. The concept of God in Hinduism is diverse and complex; primarily depends upon each individual's tradition and philosophy followed. To make it simple, Hindus has millions of God but preference lies on the devotees. Over decades Vedas emphasized Trimurti namely Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva and Lord Brahman as the premier deities. Allow me to share the important facts that you need to know about Hinduism.
There is one eternal energy however it can take many incarnations as God and Goddess. Sanskrit is the most commonly used language in the ancient scriptures. Hindus see the life in a circular manner, the belief in the life cycle which are birth, death and rebirth. Karma determines one birth and life based on the past good or bad deed. They are rewarded for good done and punished for bad omitted in the past life. God keeps an account of everyone's activity. In addition, Hinduism does not have a central institution or authority thus it's survival and continuity depends on the followers. So how can one approach and follow Hinduism to preserve its continuity? The best way is to practice and uphold the knowledge from the right source. Ancient scriptures are the best reference to learn Hinduism. It is classified into Shruti which are not man-made but revealed to the sages and owns higher authority. Another hand, Smriti is manmade with secondary authority. The four important Vedas of Hinduism are conserved in the books called Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda. Moreover, Upanishads are the foundation of the Hindu philosophical thought and have profoundly influence diverse traditions. The most remembered and followed are the Hindus epics and Puranas such as Mahabharata, Ramayana and Bhagavad Gita. You may approach Hinduism by following the rituals and celebrating the festivals too.
The rituals vary greatly among regions, villages and individuals. Makar Sankranti, Ponggal, Deepavali, Thaipusam, Holi, Ganesha Chaturthi, Ram Navami and Navarathiri are mostly celebrated in India and subcontinent Asia. All those rituals and festival has its purpose and rules to observe. Because religion and culture are inseparable with Hinduism, recurring symbols such as the gods and their reincarnations, the lotus flower, extra limbs, and even the traditional arts make their appearances in many sculptures of Hindu origin. During the Maurya and Gupta empires, the Indian culture and way of life were deeply influenced by Hinduism. Hinduism reinforced a strict social hierarchy called a caste system that made it nearly impossible for people to move outside of their social station. Sadly the caste system at the present decades causes many social disharmonies. Hinduism frequently faces setback due to myths or inappropriate information to describe the system; commonly misunderstanding or misinterpretation which leads to confusion. Even some Hindus are illiterate about their own religion despite growing up in the background of Hinduism. Some claims that Hindus worship 300millions over God but in reality, there is one Supreme God which cannot be fully known or understood. Apart from that, Hinduism does not support the discriminatory caste system but caste discrimination is rooted in culture but not religion. Hinduism never emphasized women as subservient instead the male counterparts are stressed to protect and preserve their purity. They have equal rights as men!
Bhagavad Gita is the ancient scripture spoken by God to his devotee and meant to deliver moral values, ethic and dharma to humankind. However, it is not the only reference because there is no one, central authoritative book in Hinduism. Karma is not fatalistic but it determines one's life process based on past deeds or simply every action has an equal reaction.
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