Quick Guide to Hinduism and Beliefs

Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the world and it orginated in India. It has many beliefs and is a complex religion. This page is a simple guide to Hinduism and basic key terms. Of course, there are many variations on Hinduism, but this is only meant to be a basic guide.

Hinduism began in India and is thousands of years old. It has no one founder or single holy book, and it is a polytheistic religion, having many gods. Hinduism formed from a combination of Indus Valley, Aryan and Dravidian cultures. It blends Aryan traditions with the religious beliefs of the people the Aryans conquered. Hinduism beliefs developed over tiem from the Vedas and the Upanishads, the oldest sacred texts. Other famous works of literature include two epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Hinduism did not develop at one time, and it's still evolving and changing today.

Many scholars believe that Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa composed the Vedas. Dvaipayana Vyasa was a sage who lived before 4 B.C. Some scholars believe that after collecting the Vedic Truths and compiling them into the Vedas, he was later renamed Veda Vyasa, and wrote the Mahabharata. Others wonder if the Vedas were written by one man, or a collection of scholars. Most people still consider Veda Vyasa the single authoer of the Mahabharata.

The Mahabharata is a long epic with many stories, and it was likely written sometime before 4 B.C. (when Veda Vyasa lived). It's title literally means "the great tale of the Bharata dynasty." It's main story tells of the conflict between two familes - the Pandavas and Kauravas. One well known story called "Sibi" comes from this epic.

At over 1.8 million words, the Mahabharata is one of the longest epic poems in the world.

There are many gods in Hinduism, and this is why it is considered a polytheistic religion. There is a main being called Brahman, who is made up of three main gods. They are:

• Brahma - The Creator
• Vishnu - The Preserver
• Shiva - The Destroyer

These are just the main gods in Hinduism. There are many, many others.

Yoga is the path to enlightenment. The goal of Yoga is moksha, which is union with god (Brahman).

There are four different Yogas. They are the paths of:

• Work
• Knowledge
• Meditation
• Love

Dharma is the Hindu word for duty, or how you should conduct yourself and live your life. Each person has a dharma according to what caste he or she is in. For example, the dharma for all kings is to protect their people and keep order. Each person also has his or her own individual dharma.

Karma is the actions in a person's life, which affect his or her next life. To have good karma, a person must perform his or her dharma. If a person has good karma, he or she will be reincarnated into a higher caste in the next life. If a person has bad karma, he or she will be reborn into a lower caste in the next life.

The caste system is an important aspect of Hinduism. There are four main castes called varnas:

1. Brahmins - priests
2. Kshatriyas - rulers and soldiers
3. Vaisyas - farmers and merchants
4. Sudras - artisans

There is also a class of "untouchables," which originated in 1000 B.C. The untouchables were made up of non-Aryans who did dirty jobs for little or no pay.

Caste affects peoples jobs, husbands/wives and the food they can eat. Lower castes can pullute upper castes. For example, an upper caste person is not supposed to eat food prepared by a lower caste person.