The Path
of
Hinduism
                                                          		 Hinduism                                                            
Gods & Goddesses


Hinduism is a complex mixture of sublime Vedic philosophies, dogmatic Brahmanical rituals, Yogic mysticism, Tantrik occultism, fertility cults, monastic orders, pagan customs and the belief in one God who manifests as innumerable divine beings.

The oldest text known to Hinduism is the Rig Veda that reached its final form around 1500 BC. For at least 2000 years before that, a great urban civilization existed in North-West India on the banks of the Indus and its tributaries. All totaled this makes Hinduism at least 5,500 years old, as such it is the oldest surviving religion on earth. The sacred motifs of this mysterious civilization – like the bull, the serpent and the swastika – are still part of Hindu worship.

There are many contradictions within Hinduism because Hinduism has tried to assimilate every belief it has come in contact with. Hinduism acknowledges that the Ultimate Truth manifests itself in infinite ways, and the human mind cannot fathom it.

It does not have a clearly defined God or one dominating philosophy or one holy book or one prophet or one church or one religious hierarchy. The secular and the sacred are not separated. Hence, Hinduism is referred to more as a way-of-life than as a religion.

Some common features of Hinduism are:

  1. Reverence for the Vedas
  2. Belief in God (Bhagawan, Ishvar) whose is part of the universe, not distinct from it and who incarnates as innumerable divine beings
  3. Adoration of the mother-goddess (Devi)
  4. Absence of the concept of evil and the Devil; all negative things in life are seen as the products of ignorance and lack of awareness
  5. Ritualism (yagnas, pujas, vratas, samskaras), including idol, plant, animal, ancestor and Nature worship
  6. Belief in reincarnation and the fatalistic acceptance of present situation as a consequence of actions performed in the past life (karma)
  7. Search for liberation from the cycle of existence through guidance of gurus or wise teachers
  8. Balancing righteous conduct (dharma) with material aspirations (artha), sensual pleasures (kama) and spiritual pursuits (moksha)
  9. Acceptance that there are many means (marga) to reach the divine
  10. Caste system (varna, jati)
  11. Belief that Hindus are born and are not products of conversion
  12. Perceiving the environment, the body and the mind as illusion (maya) and only the soul (atma) as the True Self that can be identified with the Supreme Divine Being (brahman)





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