Hinduism is the oldest living religion in the world. It is also known as Sanatan Dharma – the “Eternal Law”. Hinduism is more than 7000 years old(even older than Jesus) ! Hindus believe there is only one God. Being universal, God can be “felt” and “experienced”in many ways. Differentaspects and characteristics of God areexpressed in different “forms” of God. Hindu philosophy is based on its sacred scriptures. Sacred books – There are several sacred scriptures. 4 Vedas 18 Puranas 2 Itihases Vedas are the oldest formof sacred literature in human history. 1) Rig Veda – hymns 2) Yajur Veda – explainshow to do the rituals 3) Sama Veda – explainshow to sing the hymns 4) Atharava Veda – hashymns on extra rituals There are several “Upnishads” that for the appendixes to the Vedas. Puranas– 18 Puranas narrate legends and mythologies of the variousGods of Hinduism. Itihas– narrates the histories of Indian people. Ramayan – has the history of Rama, Sita and the “Solar dynasty” Mahabharata – has the history of the princes of the Bharata clan of the “Lunar dynasty” Main Gods The Singular God of the Vedas is expressed as themany “Gods” that represent different aspectsof the divine. The Divine is expressed inmale and female forms. Brahma, with his wifeSarasvatiis the creator and educator of the universe. His children are the 7 Rishis (sages). All living things in the universe are the children of these seven sages. Shiv, with his wifeParvatiis the destroyer, and theykeep the universe in balance. Their children areGaneshandKartikeya. Vishnuwith his wifeLakshminourishes the universe. BrahmaandKamdeva, the God of love are their children. Holy animals Hindus believe that all animals should be treated nicely ! Even cows on the road are holy ! Here are some animals Hindus consider to be holyeg - cow, peacock, mouse,tiger, snake, lion, boar, elephant, monkey, fish, turtle, eagles etc. What a lot of animals! How some animals became holy! Cows – Milk and milk products are used for worship and hence cows have always been sacred to Hindus. Krishna lookedafter them when he was young and so they became ever more sacred! Pecocks – Because Kartikeya rides a peacock. Elephants – because of their association with Ganesh and Indra. Mouse – because it isGanesh’s pet ! Festivals Hindus celebrate lots of festivals. Sometimes, there can be 4 festivals in a single week ! Here are some popular festivals - Diwali, Kite festival, Holi, Navratri, Raksha-bandhan etc. Hindu temple Hindus go to the temple to worship their God. The temple is usually dedicated to a single Godor a group of Gods – like the family of Shiva. In the room where the God(s) “live”, the priest uses rice, kanku, water, flowers , arti (lamp), incense stick and prasad (sacred food) to worship the God.
Posted on: Sun, 23 Jun 2013 04:26:42 +0000
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