Understanding Hinduism : Hinduism Meaning and Beliefs

Hinduism Meaning and Beliefs

Hindu, the root word for Hinduism, originates from the word Sindhu referring to the region. The region is incidentally home to the oldest religions of the world. Raja Ram Mohan Roy introduced the word Hinduism in 1816-1817, but it gained popularity in 1830. Hinduism depicts the collection of practices and beliefs that find their origin in Vedas.

Hinduism can be classified based on

• Darshanas – Sankhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa, and Vedanta
• The School of thought – Vedanta and Yoga
• Sects based on the worship of primary deities – Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism
• Hinduism defies the basic definition of religion. The beliefs of a single community or practice cannot categorise nor bind this Sanatana dharma. 
• Hinduism is all-inclusive. People following Hinduism are free to follow their own beliefs and worship their "ishta daiva", i.e., the god of their choosing. Apart from the prominent deities – Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti, and Pancha devatas worshipped by the popular sects, people worship hundreds of divinities. It is a perfect example of the saying unity in diversity.
• Hinduism allows, in fact, stresses the importance of a guru's guidance to achieve anything in life. It carefully lays out a path to achieve nirvana or the state of mindfulness that only a handful of people can achieve.
• Hinduism, as advocated by many, is not a religion but a way of life. Every element in nature is worshipped and revered as a deity. Followers of this religion believe in Sahadharma and Sahishnute – meaning getting along with everything and everyone. 
• Many religions have branched out from this mother religion according to the convenience of the preachers and followers. The broad spectrum of living science forms the core of this ancient Vedic religion that the world is looking towards now.
• To learn more about this Sanatana Dharma and its origins, follow our blogs and let us know in the comments about what you would like to learn about this religion that built civilizations.

An enormous number of 33 million gods- this is what Hinduism offers to its followers. Categorized as one of the major religions along with Christianity and Islam which are mono aesthetic, the real reason for it to be poly-aesthetic has been baffling historians as well philosophers around the globe for long.

Also Read 

Hindu Purana Stories 

Indian God and Goddess

Various theories have been put forward by the great thinkers of our times, but yet a spill-proof explanation is yet to come. Here is an attempt to find an explanation for the existence of multiple gods in Hinduism. Philosophy is the viewpoint of a particular individual, it is his or her own thoughts presented in a connected manner with or without a scientific base. A philosophical discussion is on when arguments arise in the mind of readers. Hence, they are always welcome.

The so-called sages and related figures of ancient India are the first to formulate a conception regarding god that it does not have a shape, color or odor or any other materialistic properties we can perceive. Also, God never has a beginning neither has an end. It might have taken years of meditation or yogic activities for realizing this big idea.

Higher-order minds can absorb these ideas. But for a normal person, these would sound absurd. Its technically impossible for an average mind to picture something that does not have a start or end because the entire thinking procedure of the human brain is calibrated to time. Its also impossible to concentrate or picture an object that has no physical properties. If one tries to picture that, his mind would oppose by questioning its existence itself. Hence they need something basic for the common man to visualize god.

Now the shapeless has to be given a shape, that exists everywhere has to be confined to space, The idealistic being has to be doped with materialism. The sages could have searched for various shapes that remain sacred in the eyes of the coming generation. Well, finally they had the insight that after all, the only thing human beings do care will be themself in the end. So they visualized god in the form of a human beings.

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