FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON HINDUISM
Hinduism
(Written By - Pandit Anant Dixit)
1.
What does "Hindu" mean?
The word Hindu is not very old as it
does not appear in Hindu scriptures. There are many interesting
stories about its origin. Many historians believe early Hindu
civilization developed along the banks of the river Sindhu in India
(now in Pakistan). The most popular theory is that the word Hindu is
a distorted version of the word Sindhu. It is believed the ancient
Persians, who lived on the other side of the river Sindhu,
pronounced the letter 'S' as 'H'. Hence, the word Sindhu became
Hindu, and the Persians referred to the ancient Indians living on
the opposite side of the Sindhu River as Hindus. However, a Sanskrit
verse in the ancient Hindu writings, Birhanaradi Purana, contradicts
the Persian origin theory. According to this verse, the word Hindu
is a combination of the first letter "Hi" of Himalayas and the last
compound letter "ndu" of the word Bindu. It refers to India as
Hindustan, a country living between the Himalayan Mountains and
Bindu Sarover (Cape Commorin Sea).
2. What was the original
name of Hinduism?
Hinduism was originally known as Dharma. It
is also called Sanatan Dharma; the word Sanatan means
eternal.
3. What is the meaning of "Dharma"?
In the
English language, there is no single word, which described the true
and complete meaning of Dharma, although it is usually translated as
religion. Dharma comes from the Sanskrit word "Dhr" which literally
means to hold or to sustain. Virtues, beliefs, moral obligations,
ethical laws, codes of behavior, traditions and righteous actions
that sustain human life in peace and harmony are all aspects of
Dharma.
4. How old is Hinduism?
Hinduism is the
world's oldest religion. It predates recorded history. Hinduism is
the first religion of humankind.
5. Who founded
Hinduism?
Hinduism has no founder. It does not owe its
existence to a specific prophet. It is based on divine revelations
experienced by a series of sages, called Rishis, while they were in
intense meditation. The divine knowledge received by the Rishis is
contained in the four sacred books called the Vedas. The word Veda
means knowledge, as the Vedas are the root and fountainhead of all
knowledge. That is why Hinduism is also known as Vedic Dharma.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON HINDUISM
A. Why does Hinduism have so many Gods?
Hinduism believes in one Supreme God that created the Universe and is all pervasive. The people of India with different languages and culture worship that supreme being in their own distinct way and refer to them by different names.
Hindus, because of this reason are very tolerant of other religions and they understand that each person understands God in their own unique way. Moreover, Hinduism preaches that God is not far away, but is inside each and every living soul, in the heart and consciousness.
B. Do Hindus believe in reincarnation?
Hindus believe that the soul is immortal and takes birth over and over. Each soul evolves by experiencing several lifetimes through reincarnation. Through each reincarnation we have experiences, learn lessons and evolve spiritually and finally graduate from physical birth.
C. What is Karma?
Karma is the Universal principle of cause and effect (it is like Newtons third law applied spiritually). Every Good deed is rewarded and every bad deed has to be penanaced for. Thus, Good and Bad deeds come back to us in future and as the soul learns and embraces all Good and rejects all Sin, the soul finally escapes from the cycle of life and death and achieves salvation.
D. Why do Hindus worship the cow?
Hindus do not worship cows, but respect them as the perfect example of Divinity in all forms of life. In India, the cow is honored, adored and protected as a symbol of wealth, strength, abundance, selfless giving and a full Earthly life.
E. Are Hindus Idol worshippers?
Hindus worship God through an image. Hindus invoke the presence of God from the higher unseen worlds into that image. Hence, Hindus worship Mother Durga as a form of Shakti or strength who annihilates all evil, removes all darkness from our minds and enlightens the soul.
In Hindu mythology, Durga is a fierce
form of Devi, the Mother Goddess, the all-powerful almighty goddess. According
to a legend the gods could not defeat the buffalo demon Mahish, who was
threatening the existence of the universe. They begged Shiva for his assistance,
and Shiva advised all the gods to release their shaktis.
The shaktis of the gods emerged in female form. These goddesses fused together
in blinding light from which arose a magnificent goddess with many arms. She was
as beautiful as she was deadly. Durga was born fully-grown and is depicted as
extremely beautiful and full of rage.
The gods called this goddess Durga, the invincible one, and they armed her with
all their weapons. Thus armed, Durga rode to the top of a mountain on a lion. In
a bloody battle, she defeated Mahish and his army of demons and thus saved the
Universe from this demon’s menace.
The picture below depicts all the different Gods joining forces to empower Goddess Durga.
F. Do Hindus have a Bible?
The Holy book of the Hindus is known as the 'Vedas', a Sanskrit word which means Wisdom. There are 4 Vedas, which comprise of Holy scriptures some of which date back to 6000 B.C., making Hinduism one of the oldest religions known to mankind. This divine knowledge was transmitted by Lord Shiva to Sages who passed it on Orally for ages before it was finally scribed in Sanskrit on palm leaves to share and preserve it. The Vedas preach life's scared-ness and the way to oneness with God.
The 4 Vedas are: Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva.
G. Why do Hindu women sometimes wear a dot in the middle of their forehead?
The dot worn on the forehead represent divine sight and also a beauty mark.
H. What about caste and untouchability?
Caste is an ancient heriditary division of Indian society based on occupation. The four castes in order are: Priest (the learned and the teachers), General (the warrior and law enforcement class), Business-man (the trading class) and Worker (the working class involved in menial jobs ). After Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the Indian Nation took up the cause for the lowest class, called Untouchables, the Indian Constitution has made it illegal to discriminate against, abuse or insult anyone on the basis of caste. Though in Urban areas of India, their plight has improved remarkably, they continue to suffer from discrimination and mistreatment in predominantly rural areas due to lack of education and modernization.
I. Are Hindus forbidden to eat meat?
Hindusim proposes vegetarianism as a way to live with minimum of hurt to other beings. But in the modern world, not all Hindus are vegetarians.