Published by This paper will be 700-1000 words in length, formatted by APA guidelines and answer the questions of what makes up the Hindu religion considering Hinduism lacks a uniting system of belief, what are the cultural and societal influences that have made Hinduism vital to the region where it originated, and it will provide an explanation for the desire of liberation from earthly existence.
Hinduism is a henotheistic religion focused on the trinity and teachings of Vishnu, the preserver of all that is righteous the creator Brahma, and Shiva the destroyer. Focused on ancient texts thousands of years older than Christian or Judaistic texts called the Vedas, Hinduism is the 3rd largest religion in the world. It is known both as Sanatana Dharam, “Eternal Religion” as well as Vaidika Dharma, “religion of the Vedas”. The Hindu religion was originated between the Himalayan Mountains and Bindu Sarovara and is united in their belief in one Ultimate God that is represented through several other deities; primarily the trinity of Shiva, Brahma and Krishna and the understanding that all humans are working to achieve liberation from Earthly existence.
Cultural texts emerged out of the region between the Himalaya Mountains and the Bindu Sarovara about societal interactions, morality, and the dynamics between Hindu deities and humans. Hindu’s linguistic derivation is from its geography. “Hi” came from the prefix of Himalaya and “ndu” came from the suffix of Bindu. Classical theory places Hinduism as originating in the Indus Valley civilization between 4000 and 2200 BCE, (Before Common Era). During these years, four primary texts called Vedas were written. Due to disputes regarding the date of the Noahic Flood, the oldest Hindu text, the Rig Veda cannot be definitely dated. Oral accounts of this book date from 1500 BCE to 4000 BCE. Both the Yajur Veda and the Atharva Veda refer to the vernal equinox in the Pleiades constellation during 2500 BCE. Lastly in the series of Vedas is the Sama Veda. A quote from B.A. Robinson, author for Religioustolerance.org states, “The Upanishadas deal with Vedic philosophy and form the conclusions of each of the Vedas… They elaborate on how the soul (Atmen) can be united with the ultimate truth (Brahman) through contemplation and meditation, as well as the doctrine of Karma – the cumulative effects of a person’s actions,” (Robinson, 2005). In addition to the Vedas, the Ramayana is a Hindu text involving a love story of Rama’s, Rama being an avatar of Vishnu. A series of six books called the Mahabharata are associated with the sage Vyasa and were composed between 540 and 300 BCE. These legends were concerning one of the groups of the Aryan Tribal groups that came to the Indus Valley. Most famous of these six is the Bhagavad-Gita- a conversation between Arjuna the warrior and Krishna where Krishna explains moral and ethical issues that life presents. These texts and their interpretations are what make up the Hindu religion. Societal sociology and cultural geography make Hindu vital to its own region.
Two groups of Hindu practitioners exist, the pravritti and the nivritti: each group holds a different understanding of the desire for liberation from Earthly existence. Pravritti and nivritti both believe that the “transmigration of the soul” is both the means and the ends to our existence on Earth. This process is known as Samsara and it is the transfer of one’s soul after death into a new body. Both groups also believe in Karma, also known as the accumulated sum of one’s good and bad deeds. Karma determines how you will live your next life. Good deeds in previous lives as well as the current life will bring one to a higher level of reincarnation. This will mean the attainment of higher purposes in life and more challenging hurdles to overcome. At a point, accumulated good deeds will bring a soul to Total Enlightenment. Bad deeds have the opposite effect on a soul. Lower reincarnations will follow to the point of reverting back to an animal if bad deeds outweigh good deeds in past and current lives. While these different schools of Hinduism share common ground, their interpretation of the world is much different.
Pravritti are a group of people with a three-fold goal of increasing the bond between humans and the Earth. First, Dharma is the goal of living a righteous, religious life. This is accomplished through reading and developing an active understanding of the Hindu texts. Second, Artha is the goal of attaining material prosperity in life for all humans. This goal tightens the bond of Samsara because upon death the soul has more to look forward to in terms of property and entertainment. Finally, the third goal of the pravritti is Kama. This is the gratification of the five senses in all ways. By creating a tighter bond between humans and the Earth, pravritti believe that Samsara will occur progressively more rapidly, eventually so quickly that Samsara ceases to exist and all that is left is an infinite state of being. This is how the pravritti understand moska, moska being the liberation from Samsara. Moska is the supreme goal of mankind. Nivritti understand the road to moska differently than the pravritti. Nivritti understand that only by renouncing the world and separating the human experience from the physical earth can we attain moska. Nivritti understand that the transfer of one’s soul into another body upon death is unnecessary when no attachment to the material world is made.
Hinduism does lack a uniting belief system, yet through it’s spiritual texts and its different branches of practice it checks and balances itself. Hindu itself is made up of the belief in one God, represented by lesser powerful deities that represent important aspects of life and it is made up of the tedium in living to see moska, the liberation of Samsara. Cultural and societal influences that made Hinduism vital to its region include the location where it originated. A desire to liberate souls from Earthly existence is found in all of Hindu, yet the means in which to accomplish this task are varied between the nivritti and the pravritti.
