HINDUISM FOR ALL

AN INTRODUCTION TO HINDUISM

Whenever a person in distress or in ecstasy looks up, almost involuntarily, he is reacting to the instinctive belief in a Supreme Being. The question of Supreme Being as the Guardian, Originator, Destroyer of the created universe is debated from the time man learned to be argumentative. Many who felt that they were created for a purpose and have a role to play in the scheme of worldly things, were in the quest of That which put them in this scheme. The birth of organized religion lies in this quest.

Throughout the world there are many religions founded upon certain universal principles and traits, by certain great thinkers or messiahs of God. The existence of these religions is grounded upon the historicity of the founders. But Hinduism, as it is known today, has no such Messiah or a founder. It is based on some Universal Truths passed on to the mankind through Vedas.

Though many sceptics argue that man created God to overcome his fear of the unknown, but to toe such a line of argument is cynical, for the fear from unknown is common for both the theist as it is for an atheist. The theist looks up for the support and thus gets a psychological comfort and guidance to take on his problem, the atheist is left to the mercy of the worldly education to come to his support.

Organised religions across the world have many things in common such as -

Belief in a creator, sustainer, God.

Belief in His supreme knowledge.

Belief in certain disciplines which would ultimately take man closer to his Creator.

Belief that world is full of misery and the ultimate escape from it comes only from the creator.

Though on such broad outlines, everyone agrees, it is in Who? What? How? that the religions differ diversely.

THE WORD HINDU

Hinduism, as the word goes by now, was not the name ascribed by its followers to it. It was referred to only as the ‘Sanaatana Dharma’ the eternal way of life.

The term ‘Hindu’ is a corrupt form of the word ‘Sindhu’ – the Indus River. The Persians, who came to India referred to the people across the Indus River by the term ‘Hindava’, due to the phonetic shift of ‘S’ to ‘H’. Thus the people of India came to be addressed by the others as ‘Hindava’, or the now anglicized form ‘Hindu’.

This article is a snippet from the Book Hinduism For All, Authored by TS Srinivasan and Edited By Dr Ramchandrashekar. Hinduism for All is available online at www.giri.in & across Giri Trading Agency Private Limited, A chain of Speciality Stores dealing in all kinds of products needed in Indian Culture & Tradition.

To Know More & For Deeper Insights on Sanatana Dharma, Hinduism & Indian Culture & Tradition, Follow Us on