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The roots of Hinduism reach deep into pre-historic hoary past. It has evolved over these millennia, and still this process continues. Dynamism, tolerance, cattholicity, assimilation, inclusiveness, optimism and unity in diversity have always been its hallmarks. Its multiplicity is more apparent than real. In the ultimate analysis, Hinduism proves to be a great synthesis of many diverse and even conflicting and contradictory trends and elemaits. Thus, its multiplicity and ambivalence are not only incompatible with the concept of essential unity of life and its creator, but also mark its strength. The Vedas and Vedanta form the earliest source of our knowledge of Hinduism. The Vedanta literature reflects mainly the early ritual-side of the Hindu way of living. So do the Puranas, as they throw significant light on the various mundane aspects of later Hinduism. The two Epics and the Gita also delineate the basis tenets of Hinduism, and underline the desirability of dharma and righteous living leading to ultimate triumph of the forces of good over evil.

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Philosophie et théologie

Hinduism

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Publié par	Diamond Books
Date de parution	06 novembre 2020
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9789385975417
Langue	English

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‘Hindu, ‘Hinduism’ and such other related words are persian in origin, and are derived from the word ‘Sindhu’, the river. ‘Sindhu’ became ‘Hindu’ in Persian, and then the people living in the region of the Sindhu river were called die Hindus and their religion Hinduism. Hinduism represent the ancient most living religion and culture of the world. In ancient times Hinduism was called ‘Brahmanism’ or ‘Vedantism’. It is also called the ‘Sanatana Dharma’. ‘Sanatana’ means eternal and everlasting and ‘Dharma’ means something which upholds or maintains. Thus ‘Sanatana Dharma’ stands for the law which upholds and maintains life and order. It also underline the fact that Hinduism has neither a beginning nor an end. It is eternal and everlasting and its beginning cannot be fixed in terms of time and its originator.
HINDUISM

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Edition: 2014
Hinduism
By - Dr. B. R. Kishore
PREFACE
The roots of Hinduism reach deep into pre-historic hoary past. It has evolved over these millennia, and still this process continues. Dynamism, tolerance, cattholicity, assimilation, inclusiveness, optimism and unity in diversity have always been its hallmarks. Its multiplicity is more apparent than real. In the ultimate analysis, Hinduism proves to be a great synthesis of many diverse and even conflicting and contradictory trends and elemaits. Thus, its multiplicity and ambivalence are not only incompatible with the concept of essential unity of life and its creator, but also mark its strength. The Vedas and Vedanta form the earliest source of our knowledge of Hinduism. The Vedanta literature reflects mainly the early ritual-side of the Hindu way of living. So do the Puranas, as they throw significant light on the various mundane aspects of later Hinduism. The two Epics and the Gita also delineate the basis tenets of Hinduism, and underline the desirability of dharma and righteous living leading to ultimate triumph of the forces of good over evil.
The relization of Reality or Self, leading to final liberation, is one of the fundamentals of Hinduism. In this sense, yoga is efflorescence and fruition of Hinduism. Hinduism is not only a religion, but also a way of living and thinking. As such, its contribution towards world heritage and culture has been quite tremendous and unparalleled. Hinduism has exercised a great influence on world-minds in respect of abstract speculation, religion, arts and science. The well-known six systems of Hindu philosophy, are still a great force to be reckoned with. Thus, it has been a kindly light on the path of Pilgrim’s Progress of humanity. One of the most characteristic qualities of Hinduism, is that it never believes in conversion, and there has never been a recognizable attempt at proselytization. There is no religious conquest on record. It has been a great living force in the life of millions of people on the subcontinent and in foreign lands.
In spite of its many drawbacks such as casteism, untouchability, superstitions, dogmas, and other ills, Hinduism is rational and scientific at its core. These shortcomings and ills may touch it, but they can never penetrate its spirit. In this sense, many of the ills of Hinduism can be said to be extraneous and peripheral. But they are to be condemned in no uncertain terms, and must be eliminated.
The present book is rather a fall out of my comprehensive readings in Hinduism over these years. I feel indebted indeed to many authors, especially for textual quotations. My attempt here has been to bring into focus the panormic view of the popular Hinduism as well as its abiding and eternal principles, in a style simple and direct and yet lucid and vigorous.
— Dr. B. R. KISHORE
CONTENTS
Preface Hinduism History and Heritage The Vedas and The Upanishads The Epics and The Gita Pantheism and Polytheism Rites, Rituals and Observances Yoga : The Science of Soul
CHAPTER ONE
Hinduism : History and Heritage
‘Hinduism’ is a modern term, but it represents the ancient most living religion and culture of the world. In ancient times Hinduism was called ‘Brahmanism’ or ‘Vedantism’. It is also called the ‘Sanatana Dharma’. ‘Sanatana’ means eternal and everlasting, and ‘Dharma’ means something which upholds or maintains. Thus ‘Sanatana Dharma’ stands for the law which upholds and maintains life and order. It also underline the fact that Hinduism has neither a beginning nor an end. It is eternal and everlasting and its beginning cannot be fixed in terms of time and its originator Like Christianity and Islam, Hinduism does not owe its origin to one prophet or a religious book. It has evolved through these epochs and ages and still continues to grow. (There is no single human agency or personality at the root of Hinduism. Hinduism is the religion of the majority in India, and over 80% of the Indian population are the Hindus. It is eternal and everlasting in this sense also that it has escaped the fate that overtook the religion of Egypt, Mesopotamia and Babylonia of ancient times.
‘Hindu’, ‘Hinduism’ and such other related words are Persian in origin, and are derived from the word ‘Sindhu’, the river. ‘Sindhu’ became ‘Hindu’ in Persian, and then the people living in the region of the Sindhu river were called the Hindus and their religion Hinduism. The terms ‘Hindu’ and ‘Hinduism’ were later extended to the people of the whole sub-continent and their way of living and thinking. In the beginning the extent of the people and their civilization were actually far more widespread than the expanse indicated by such words as Hindu and Hinduism. In Greek Sindhu became ‘Indus’, and from it were derived India and Indian. Thus ‘Indian’ is an anglicised word meaning the ‘land of Indus’ Hindu now cannotes the whole spread of religious, cultural and philosophical way of thinking and living of the entire sub-continent.
The word ‘Hinduism’ is geographical in origin, and geography has played a very vital role in the growth and formulation of the thinking and practices of the Hindus. Obviously, Hinduism is a product of the interplay of the forces of Indian geography and ancient Indian genius. India’s geographical features have considerable influenced, both directly and indirectly, her religion and way of living. India is a vast country, a sub-continent with her fantastic and formidable an arc of the Himalayas in the extreme north, and the vast sea round her southern peninsular plateau. India’s great latitudinal spread, encompassing a wide range of climates and temperatures, made it rich for the advent and development of a great and multi-dimensional religion such as Hinduism and its off-shoots like Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism.
The vast plains of the Sindhu and the Ganga, one of greatest stretches of the flat alluvial areas of our planet, were the cradle-ground of early Hindu religion and culture. The great size, the splendid isolation, the protection provided by the mighty Himalayas and the seas, the rich and fertile alluvial soil, abundant rain and the generous bounty of nature made India a fit ground for intellectual pursuit, philosophical speculations and abstract thinking. It is India’s characteristic geographical features, which have imbued the Indian wisdom with great maturity and matchless mellowness. In spite of numerous geographical regions, different climates, etc., India has been culturally and religiously one and unified. Hinduism, as a religion and cultural force, has been a great unifying single force in India. Amidst diversity of rituals and customs, there can be seen a certain uniformity and similarity at higher religious and intellectual levels. It were India’s mountains, rivers, forests and sea-shores that exercised an abiding influence on Hindu speculation and way of life. For a Hindu they all have a deep divinity about them, and so they are worshipped and deified. The Himalayas have been the abode of the Hindu gods and goddesses. It is on the banks and confluences of the rivers that many Hindu pilgrimage centres are located. It was in the sylvan forests that the Hindu tapovans, retreats, hermitages and gurukulas were situated, where the aspirants, rishis and students practised austerities, tapas and learning. It was her in the forest retreats that Upanishads were born and developed.
It is the religious thinking and affinity, coupled with moral values and abstract thinking, which cuts across all geographical and political barriers. In spite of diverse ritual practices, attitudes and thinking, a single ideology prevails at a deeper level. It is again the bounty of nature that helped considerably in making the Hindus so tolerant, catholic, non-violent and generally vegetarian. They developed a sense of affection, bordering veneration to the cow in particular and other animals and birds in general. Consequently many birds and animals came to be associated with Hindu deities, and they, became their vehicles and mounts.
Nature had destined India to develop her religion in a splendid isolation and yet there is no other land that has had such a rich and varied intercourse with so different peoples, religions, cultures and thinking. Geographically isolated, but historically it has been a great meeting point of various cultures and civilizations all these centuries. India and its religion(s), have outlived the test of time and invasions. Empires have risen and fallen, kings have come and gone like bubbles, but India with her vibrant culture and Sanatana Dharma continues to march forward triumphantly. Diversity and assimilation have always been the hall-mark of this eternal land. Many races and conquerors came, but they all lost their individualities in this marvel of the Indian melting pot.
Hinduism represents a succession of rich cultural epochs. Since it