Hinduism

 

               Hinduism is the religion followed by nearly 85% of the Indian people. The basic ideas of Hinduism were brought into India by the Aryans about 1500 B.C.  Through the centuries, Hinduism has greatly affected India’s history and way of life.

 

                 Hinduism does not have one holy book, such as the Bible or Koran. Instead, it has many sacred writings which have contributed to the fundamental beliefs of Hinduism.  The holiest writings are the Vedas, a collection of hymns and prayers and magic spells.  Long poems called Epics also contain many Hindu ideas.  Most Hindus know more about the epics than the Vedas.  These are stories about famous Aryan heroes.  The Mahabharata is the longest poem ever written.  It tells the story of a warrior named Arjuna.  The god Krishna teaches Arjuna about man’s duties and how the soul can reach God through good deeds.

 

               Another epic, called the Ramayana, describes the adventures of Prince Rama and his wife Sita.  She is captured by the evil king of Ceylon, and Rama has many adventrues trying to rescue her.  Eventually he saves Sita with the help of a monkey general and his monkey army.  The Ramayana teaches about love and devotion between husbands and wives.

 

               Hinduism allows a person to believe in one god or many gods.  Some families worship Brahma, who is believed to have created the universe.  Others worship gods who are different forms of Brahma.  The god Vishnu is the preserver of the universe.  The god Siva is the destroyer.  These are the most important, but there are 33,000 lesser gods who are also worshipped.

 

               Although Hindus worship different gods, they do have certain ideas they all believe.  One concerns what happens to the soul after death.  Christians and Muslims believe the soul goes to heaven or hell, depending on how the person lived in this life.  Hindus believe that when the body dies, a person’s soul goes into the body of another human being or animal.  This is called reincarnation.  The Hindu word for it is samsara.  The soul keeps being reborn until it reaches moksha, where it becomes united with the universe and Brahma.  Once the soul reaches moksha, it does not have to go through rebirth again.

 

               Hindus believe that a person’s karma determines how his soul will be reborn in the next life.  Karma means deeds or actions.  If a person does good deeds, he will have good karma and will be reborn in a higher level.  If his deeds are bad, he will have bad karma and will be reborn in a lower form, perhaps even as an insect.

 

               A person’s dharma tells him how to live properly so he has good karma.  Dha