Hinduism ProjectVeena Jaipradeep, Sana Baig, Simran Dhal, Mariel

Barnett, Sunita Wassan

The Gods

Hinduism has thousands of gods, but there are three main gods.

Worship can be divided into 4 main sects:

Shavism- Shiva is worshiped.

Vaishnavism: Vishnu is worshiped.

Shaktism: the female goddesses are worshiped.

Smartism: Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti, Ganesh, Murugan and Surya.

Three Main Gods

Bhrama

The Creator

Vishnu

The Preserver

Shiva

The Destroyer/ Transfoermer

Saraswati

Bhrama’s wife

Knowledge, music and art

Lakshmi

Vishnu’s wife

Wealth and prosperity

Prayed to on Diwali

Parvati

Shiva’s wife

The Divine Mother

Three Main Godesses

Other Important GodsRam(a)Incarnation of VishnuMain character of RamayanaHe was banished to the forest and later dueled Ravana.The holiday Diwali is celebrated when he and his wife, Sita (as well as his brother) returned home, this represented the victory of good over evil.

HanumanWas loyal and helped Ram in Ramayana.

Other Important GodsGanesh

Son of Shiva and Parvati

Wisdom and Intellect

Krishna

Incarnation of Vishnu

He is childish and playful

He was the charioteer of Arjun in Mahabarat, and helped them win the war. His teachings to Arjun compose of the holy book, the Bhaghvad Gita

Basic Beliefs

One supreme creator (can be or not associated with Bhrama)

Belief in the four vedas

- rig: the book of mantra

-sama: the book of song

- yajur: the book of ritual

-atharva: the book of spell

Belief in karma, the way one makes their own destiny

Belief in reincarnation until moksha, once reaching the highest potential a soul can achieve, is reached.

Basic Beliefs

Brahmacharga: the knowledge and character during school years

Grastha: the middle years, is focused on worldly pursuits and pleasures such as marriage, family and career;

Vanaprastha, when one's children reach adulthood, is a time of increased focus on spiritual things

Sanngasu, in the last years of life, one may abandon the world entirely for a life of contemplation.

How the followers Practice the Religion

The followers of Hinduism usually take part in rituals and practice that include small statues or pictures of the gods. Most people have shrines in their homes that they can pray near

A common ritual that many Hindus take part in is poojas. Poojas are religious rituals that include praying to the gods when doing anything, from eating, bathing or to a major event in one’s life such as a wedding. Many people complete their poojas at their home shrine.

Hindus also have temples for any auspicious occasion. It is very common to have shrine in the family’s house, but it is not required to go to a temple every week.

The major rituals/holidays of the

religion Hindus celebrate many different holidays, along with the

birthdays of the gods and goddesses. All dates of the holidays are according to the position of the moon.

Diwali- the date depends on the moon, so it changes every year, but it usually falls in October or November. Diwali is the festival of lights. It is also known as the Indian new year. This holiday five days consists of candle lighting, fireworks, Indian sweets, and music.

It celebrates the day Ram and his wife Sita came home from fighting Ravana. The people of the villages lit candles in the night because it was a new moon, so that they could find their way home.

Holidays

Raksha Bandhan aka Rakhri- when the full moon occurs in August. It is a sibling holiday when sisters tie bracelets (traditionally gold and red) on their brothers’ wrists to celebrate their relationship. Usually the brother gives the sisters gifts or money

When a sister ties a rakhri on a brother's wrists that means that they have the responsibility to protect her.

Holi: (the day after the full moon in March)-celebrates the beginning of spring and is one of happiness.

Hindus attend a bonfire and throw colored powders at each other, which is why it is also known as the Festival of Colors.

Holidays

Mahashivratri (14th day of the dark half of March)- Hindus spend the day fasting and meditating, worshipping Shiva, and visit temples dedicated to Shiva They give offerings such as fruits and home cooked food.

Other holidays:

Navratri- 9 days of celebration till the 10th day when Ravana is killed, which is Dassera- Sept/October. People usually fast during this time.

Dassera- celebrates Ram’s victory over Ravana- Sept/October

Rama Navami- celebrates Lord Ram’s birthday, April

Women’s Role

Limited freedom, dependent, and their main purpose is to nurture children, and shape them into what they are to become.

“Her father protects (her) in childhood, her husband protects (her) in youth, and her sons protect (her) in old age; a woman is never fit for independence.” -Manusmriti 9.3

They worshipped many female goddesses.

Women= embodiment of mother nature Shakti

Goddesses face troubles too, and represent the struggles and discrimination of women long ago.

Women’s Role

Roles of woman that is married: dasi- servant, mantri- helper, mata- mother, rambha- lover.

They couldn’t: inherit or own property, study texts or participate in sacrificial rituals, and were almost treated as the lower class (Shudras).

Sati- widows had to sacrifice themselves in their husband’s funeral pyre

In theory: women have privileges, exalted as a goddess; in reality: miserable lives of servitude

The Major Texts

Mostly written in Sanskrit

The Vedas- the first texts, about three millennia old. There are four: contain songs, prayers, and spells.

Upanishads- tales told by gurus that teach lessons to the youth.

Ramayana- tale of god Rama saving his wife Sita from the demon king Ravana.

Mahabharata- a tale of war between families, in which the Pandavas were victorious. Lord Krishna has a major role in it.

Bhagavad Gita- a very important part of the Mahabharata. It is equivalent to the Bible for Christianity.

The Religion's Missionary/Outreach until 600 C.E

The Gupta Empire from 320 to 550 CE was controlled by Hindu priests. With this, they brought back Vedic practices to their position, and most likely influenced the citizens of this period with Hinduism--but the citizens were never forced to join.

Although they were religiously tolerant of other religions like Buddhism and Jainism, they granted large land slots to Brahmin priests and built elaborate temples for worship.

The origin and cultural

diffusion of the religion until

600 C.E.

Hinduism originated in the Northern region in approximately 6500 B.C.E.

There isn’t a specified set date of when Hinduism was created because it is a series of traditions that have been evolving from the Indus Valley era to the Vedic age with Buddhist and Jainist influences.

However, Hinduism in its vitality becomes prevalent with the creation of the Vedas during the Vedic period by Brahmin priests from northern India.

Major Contacts with other religions until

600 C.E. Both Buddhism and Jainism were implemented in

India before 600 C.E. Jainism emphasized the holiness of the life force animating all living creature. Mahavira was known to his followers as Jina, “the Conqueror”. He and his followers practiced strict nonviolence.

Buddhism centered on the individual. It did not reject the existence of gods but it denied their usefulness to a person seeking enlightenment. The important aspect was living one’s life with moderation, in order to minimize desire and suffering, and searching for spiritual truth through self-discipline and meditation.

Similarities and differences in relation to

other religions Hinduism believed in reincarnation. The Brahmin priests

taught that every living creature had an immortal essence: the atman, or “soul”. Separated from the body at death, the atman was later reborn into another body. In Egypt, a similar idea of afterlife was practiced. They believed in afterlife and made extensive preparations for safe passage to the next world and a comfortable existence once they arrived.

Also in Hinduism, the gods were forces of nature similar to Greek gods, with numina, divine forces in nature. For example, Varuna is the lord of the sky and Agni is the force of fire. Greek gods such as Poseidon, God of the Sea, and Apollo, God of Light. Apollo is similar to the sun god Surya in Hinduism.

Similarities and differences in relation to

other religions A difference is that sacrifice was less central and there was

more opportunity for direct contact between gods and the individual worshiper. In Mesopotamia, they believed that gods sought nourishment from sacrifice and feared their gods, believing the responsible for the natural disasters that occurred without warning in their environment, and sought to appease them; this differs from the Hindu belief.

Another difference is in Hinduism there are several ways of worship such as special knowledge of sacred truths, mental and physical discipline, or extraordinary devotion to the deity. In Olmec society, the only way to have contact with the gods was through the ruler. Shamans were individuals who claimed the ability to make direct contact with supernatural powers.

Works Cited

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BBC News. BBC. Web. 13 Sept. 2014.

Das, Subhamoy. "What You Need to Know About the Vedas, India's Most Sacred Texts." About Religion. About.com, n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2014.

The Earth and Its People: A Global History. 5th ed. Print.

"Hindu Rituals and Practices." Religion Facts. ReligionFacts, n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2014.

Works Cited

"Hinduism." - ReligionFacts. Web. 12 Sept. 2014.

"Nine Beliefs of Hinduism." Basics of Hinduism. KAUAI'S HINDU MONASTERY, n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2014.

"Traditional Status of Women in Hinduism." Traditional Status of Women in Hinduism. Web. 13 Sept. 2014.

"URI Kids :: World Religions." URI Kids :: World Religions. Web. 13 Sept. 2014.