İnanç Dosyası 6 | Hinduism 1

India – Madurai, worshippers in Sri Meenakshi – Sundareshwara Temple.

At the present time, apart from the millions of believers on the sub-continent of India, Hinduism is the established religion of the state of Nepal, and 20 per cent of the population of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, 50 per cent of that of Fuji and Mauritius and 90 per cent of the population of the Indonesian island of Bali are Hindu. 

Hindu is the word for India in the Hindi language, and India is a very spiritual country. The true source of Hinduism is the Vedas, the most ancient writings of Hinduism, dating from 1500 - 1200 BCE. Vedas are sacred hymns, composed in Vedic, an older form of the Sanskrit language, current among the Aryan peoples who entered India from the Iranian regions (c.1500 BCE). They declare that Reality is one; Hindus are not polytheistic, in that the various gods and goddesses of their pantheon simply represent the powers and functions of Brahman, who is the supreme God, the creator, the ultimate divine authority in the manifest world. The entire range of human activities is covered by these numerous deities.

There is no founder or central authority in Hinduism, a religion which does not accept converts,since, according to orthodox beliefs, one must be born a Hindu in India of Hindu parents. With the Hindu life style comes belief in destiny, and in obligation to fulfil one's duty.  In different regions over the vast sub-continent of India, beliefs and observances vary widely.

However, there are several factors which unify them. These are: the belief in reincarnation, samsara; karma (conduct and action); dharma (religious rules and guidelines governing conduct appropriate to one's station in life); atman (the soul or inner self, the unchanging eternal truth, identified with Brahman); and the caste system.

Hindus believe in the cycle of life on earth, known as samsara, the process of rebirth after death. One's actions, karma, in previous lives will determine the quality of these births. Fulfilling your duty and living a virtuous life on earth, dharma, increase one's chances of returning to life in a higher caste, in improved circumstances, and, being released from further rebirths, of achieving moksha, the ultimate reunion with God eternally. 

God manifests Himself in many ways and at many times, often assuming human form as avatara (descent), the manifestation of a deity, an incarnation who descends to earth to prevent a great evil or to exert an influence for good. 

Trimurti, the Trinity, consists of the three principle gods of Hinduism: Brahma, creator of the universe, Vishnu, preserver of the universe and Shiva the destroyer. These three inseparable deities are the manifestations of the supreme Reality, and they are simply three aspects of the same divine authority. Hinduism regards time as a cycle and the world as a sequence of creations followed by destructions; creation is not possible without destruction, and there can be no destruction without creation. The most widespread of the worshippers of a god or goddess are those devoted to Vishnu, the Vaishnavas, to Shiva, the Shaivas, and the Shaktas who worship Shakti, goddess as female energy. Male energy represented by Shiva is, according to Tantric belief, powerless in the absence of the female. 

Hindu society’s social structure is divided into four separate strata which make up the caste system. At the highest level are the Brahmins, the name of the priestly caste, who possess an almost complete monopoly on religious affairs. Next are the warriors, merchants, farmers and peasants. Every caste is subdivided into many sub-castes known as Cati. Lower than the four castes are the Parias or Harijans, the Untouchables but who  Mahatma Ghandi called, the Children of God, who perform the most unclean tasks. These members prefer to be called Dalits, meaning the Despised People. Originally the intention of the caste system was to eliminate the antagonism caused by rivalry between social classes. The basic purpose of the caste system was to ensure the performance of one's duty appropriate not only to one's own caste, but also in relation to other castes according to the religious rules and observances laid down in dharma. The objective is the welfare of the community rather than the rights of the individual. 

Unfortunately, in time, the system became rigid and resulted in oppression. The existing written constitution of India states that everyone is equal, but the caste system still remains. 

 

 “God did not create men with the badge of superiority or inferiority; no scripture which labels a human being an inferior or uncounchable because of his or her birth can command our allegiance. It is a denial of god and Truth which is God “

“I believe that if untouchability is really rooted out, it will not only purge Hinduism of a terrible blot but its repercussions will be worldwide. My fight against untouchability is a fight against the impure in humanity”

 

Gandhi