User:Gurvinder2007

                    "HINDUISM"

Hinduism is considered to be the oldest of the world's living religions. It is known as ‘Sanatana Dharma’ and ‘Vaidika Dharma’. Sanatan Dharma means eternal religion and is expressive of the truth that religion as such knows no age. It is coeval with life. It is the food of the spirit in man. The term Sanatana Dharma also means the religion as taught in the shruti and smriti. The word shruti means what has been heard and the word smriti means what has been memorized or remembered. What the seers (rishis) heard direct from the gods or what was revealed to them is recorded in books which are described as shruti. The Vaidika Dharma means the religion of the Vedas (God Knowledge or God Science). It does not own its origin to any historical patronage or prophet. No definite date can be cited as marking the beginning of Hinduism. Hence it is called Sanatana and Vaidika, ancient and revealed. Hinduism is sometimes called the eternal doctrine. Its literary tradition goes back to the Rig-Veda- the mankind's oldest book. "Its long history covers about forty centuries from 2000 B.C. to modem times. In broad outline the history of Hinduism can be divided into five periods: the Vedic period from 1500 B.C. to 600 B.C., the Epic period from 600 B.C. to A.D. 200, the Sutra period and the systematic development of the Hindu systems of philosophy beginning from the early Christian era, the scholastic period from A.D. 1200 to the eighteenth century and the modem period beginning from the nineteenth century". (Dr. K. R. Sundararajan, Hinduism, p.1) In the history of Hinduism one can discern tendencies both towards pantheism (belief that God is everything and everything is God) and polytheism (belief in many gods), monotheism (belief in one God) and monism (the doctrine that ultimate reality is one and indivisible). Modern thinkers such as Sri Rama Krishna, Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi have emphasized the universal and unitary character of Hinduism. For a long time, a true Hindu was one who accepted the authority of the Vedas, revered the Brahmin and the cow and performed his caste duties. But the Hindu reformers of modern times have rejected caste distinctions. Yet they remained within the Hindu tradition. For example Mahatma Gandhi ji called him-self sanatani Hindu (orthodox) on his own terms. He wrote- “I call myself a sanatani Hindu because (i) I believe in the Vedas, the Upanishads, the puranas and all that goes by the name of Hindu scriptures; (ii) I believe in the varnasarmadharma in a sense in my opinion, strictly Vedic but not in its present popular and crude sense; (iii) I believe in the protection of the cow in its much larger sense than the popular and (iv) I do not disbelieve in idol -worship." Hinduism embraces many different forms of belief and practice. It is rather a large and hospitable family of diverse doctrines and practices. Yet it is a distinctive way of life. Hindu tradition has produced religious sects and philosophical systems like shaivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism, Arya Samaj, Brahma Samaj etc. Each of these understands Hinduism in its own way. One common link is the acceptance of the authority of the Vedas wh1ch keeps them securely within the Hindu fold. There is a persistent principle of unity in diversities. One important and typical belief of Hinduism is that the goal can be reached by any one of the several roads. There can be more than one ways to the realization of truth. The Rig Veda declares: ‘’ekam sat vipra bahlldha vadanti" i.e. Reality is one. Sages speak of it in different ways. (1. 89.1) We find in the Bhagavad Gita a spirit of accommodation: “Whosoever men approach me, even so do I accept them, for, on all sides. Whatever path they may choose is mine. (IV. 11)