The Vedas, Upanishads, Brahmsutras and the\u00a0Bhagavad Gita form the basis of Hindu dharma\u00a0and philosophy. These are jointly considered the\u00a0authoritative scriptures for Hindus and are\u00a0written in the ancient language of Sanskrit.\u00a0Many religious works, including literature and
\nhymns or bhajans have been written over the\u00a0centuries in many other commonly spoken\u00a0Indian languages which include Hindustani or\u00a0Hindi, Gujarathi, Tamil and Telugu.\u00a0There are 18 books called Puranas which contain\u00a0examples and stories to illustrate the concepts
\nfound in Vedas in much simpler language. There\u00a0are also two major epics – Ramayana and\u00a0Mahabharata, the historical narrations of [Lord]\u00a0Rama and [Lord] Krishna, which serve as a guide\u00a0for the common man to live a moral life. The\u00a0Ramayana and Mahabharata are also written in\u00a0various Indian languages, and elements from\u00a0each continue to be popular bedtime stories.\u00a0HINDU SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT\u00a0Since Hinduism is a very tolerant religion, and\u00a0regards all paths to truth as valid, many diverse\u00a0schools of thought exist within its domain.\u00a0Among these, Advaita, (Non-dualism), a school\u00a0popularized by the 8th century AD monk\u00a0Shankara, proclaims the absolute oneness of\u00a0God, Soul and the Universe; and that the\u00a0universe as we see it is transitory and therefore\u00a0illusive. Other schools, Dvaita and Vishishtadvaita,\u00a0do not agree with this doctrine. Advaita also\u00a0teaches that when final liberation comes, man\u00a0becomes free from the cycle of birth and death\u00a0(Jivan Mukti). This is considered possible within\u00a0the present life itself, and is compared to a little\u00a0drop of rainwater joining the vast ocean.<\/p>\n
THE KARMA THEORY<\/strong> REALIZATION OF DIVINITY IN MAN \u2022 Yoga of Action: Karma Yoga These Yogas are described in detail in the SIGNIFICANCE OF AUM OR OM:<\/strong> INTRODUCTION<\/strong> ESSSENCE OF HINDUISM SCRIPTURES: The Vedas, Upanishads, Brahmsutras and the\u00a0Bhagavad Gita form the basis of Hindu dharma\u00a0and philosophy. These are jointly considered the\u00a0authoritative scriptures for Hindus and are\u00a0written in the ancient language of Sanskrit.\u00a0Many religious works, including literature and hymns or bhajans have been written over the\u00a0centuries in many other commonly spoken\u00a0Indian languages which include Hindustani or\u00a0Hindi, Gujarathi, Tamil …
\nThe Karma Theory states that every action\u00a0performed by man will have a consequence\u00a0(Karamphala). It is the moral foundation of the\u00a0universe. Desire, discretion and action are\u00a0interconnected. There are no eternal\u00a0rewards\/punishments as believed by other\u00a0religions, or intrinsic evil at birth. Every man is\u00a0born or reborn fashioned by his own Karma. To\u00a0achieve salvation, and no rebirth (Jivan Mukti),\u00a0Hinduism advises a life of selfless-service and\u00a0totally giving up expectation of the fruit of\u00a0action, and by following one or more of the\u00a0Yogas mentioned below.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The ultimate goal of life is to achieve salvation,\u00a0that is, to unite the individual soul with the\u00a0Supreme Being. Human life is very precious.\u00a0Out of His love, God grants human birth for the\u00a0sole purpose of realizing one\u2019s true nature or\u00a0uniting with God.There are four primary Yogas taught in\u00a0Hinduism, (Yoga = to join or unite) to achieve\u00a0this goal of self realization. Depending upon the\u00a0natural tendency of the person, one selects one\u00a0or more or a combination of these Yogas:<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Yoga of Knowledge: Jnana Yoga
\n\u2022 Yoga of Devotion: Bhakti Yoga
\n\u2022 Yoga of Self Control: Dhyana Yoga<\/p>\n
\nBhagavad Gita.<\/p>\n
\nAUM is described in the Vedas as the primordial\u00a0Sacred sound of creation. Aum is recited in the\u00a0beginning of all Hindu prayers and rituals. It\u00a0consists of three primary notes, A, U and M,\u00a0representing many three-fold entities such as:\u00a0Creation, Sustenance and Dissolution\u00a0Many spiritual seekers meditate on AUM as the\u00a0universal symbol or as an icon pointing to the\u00a0Supreme Being of the universe.<\/p>\n
\nHinduism is one of the world\u2019s oldest wisdom or\u00a0faith traditions. The date of origin of Hinduism is\u00a0unknown; it is considered as eternal. It is difficult\u00a0to define Hinduism since it is not a particular\u00a0creed but a way of life. No one person created\u00a0this religion; it is the sum total of thoughts\u00a0developed by sages and seers over many\u00a0centuries.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Sanatana Dharma, more commonly known as\u00a0Hinduism, is in essence an eternal order, a set of\u00a0rules for the governance and smooth functioning\u00a0of the universe. It is the inherent nature of\u00a0things, like the sun giving out light. Sanatana\u00a0means that which is eternal and not subject to\u00a0change. Dharma means fundamental truths or\u00a0spiritual laws which exist at all times, in all places\u00a0and in all conditions. Dharma is which holds and\u00a0sustains (\u201cwhen one follows Dharma, it protects\u201d).\u00a0According to Sanatana Dharma there are three\u00a0spiritual truths which all human beings have to\u00a0deal with:\u00a0God (Brahman)\u00a0Individual Soul (Atman)\u00a0Creation (Jagat)\u00a0God (Brahman) is defined as the entity that\u00a0pervades everywhere, present in every atom of\u00a0this universe i.e., He is the existence or the \u201cIsness\u201d\u00a0of things. He provides support to\u00a0everything which exists in Nature but does not \u00a0need support from anyone or anything. God is\u00a0neither male nor female. However, Hindus\u00a0believe that God manifests Himself in personal\u00a0forms too. Therefore God is worshipped both in\u00a0the male form (as Ganesha, Vishnu and Shiva) or\u00a0the female form (Durga, Lakshmi and Sarasvati).\u00a0Hindus believe that whenever there is a decline\u00a0in righteousness, God manifests himself on earth\u00a0as a mortal being (e.g., Rama and Krishna). [The\u00a0Lord] Krishna declares in Bhagavad Gita:\u00a0\u201cWhenever there is a decline of Dharma\u00a0(righteousness) and rise in Adharma\u00a0(unrighteousness), I embody Myself from time to\u00a0time, O Arjuna; for the protection of the good,\u00a0destruction of the wicked and to re-establish\u00a0Dharma.\u201d\u00a0The Individual Soul (Atma) is like a ray of\u00a0consciousness of the Supreme Being. Just as an\u00a0image in a mirror has no existence without the\u00a0original, the Atman has no existence without\u00a0God. Atman has the same attributes as the\u00a0Supreme. Atman is the \u201cGod\u201d residing in every\u00a0creature. Its true nature is not realized due to a\u00a0false relationship with the ever changing body\u00a0and the world.\u00a0Creation (Jagat) is infinite. Hindus believe that\u00a0this universe we live in has always existed and\u00a0will always continue to exist. Unlike God, who is\u00a0not subject to modification, Nature (Prakriti) is in\u00a0a state of eternal and constant change. God is the\u00a0cause for the existence of Prakriti just as He is\u00a0the source for the Atma\u2019s existence. Due to\u00a0power of God alone, Prakriti is undergoing a\u00a0never-ending cycle of creation, sustenance and\u00a0dissolution. Creation, when properly understood,\u00a0should be thought of as a projection of God Himself and not just His creation.\u00a0Thus, there is one all pervading, all knowing\u00a0God. Brahmasutras reject the possibility that God\u00a0is distinct from nature. If God were distinct from\u00a0nature, then God would be limited; a God who is\u00a0not infinite is no God at all. It follows that,\u00a0humans, animals and every living being and nonliving \u00a0beings are part of God. Living creatures\u00a0such as humans, animals and birds have a\u00a0indestructible, distinct beingness, known as\u00a0Atman, that is eternal, unchanging and is basically\u00a0indistinguishable from the Supreme Being. The\u00a0many gods worshipped by Hindus are the higher\u00a0forms of life and are essentially representations \u00a0of the Supreme Being known in Vedanta as\u00a0Brahman. Prayers to any of these gods will be\u00a0directed to Brahman. Therefore man has the\u00a0freedom to imagine God in any orm or as\u00a0formless if she or he chooses.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>For Hindus, all secular and spiritual knowledge is contained in the Vedas. The root of the word\u00a0\u201cVeda\u201d is \u201cVid\u201d which is to know, therefore allknowledge is in the Vedas. The date that the\u00a0Vedas were written has never been conclusively\u00a0fixed. According to Hindus, the Vedas are
\neternal. The Vedas do not owe their authority to\u00a0anyone, as they are considered an authority unto\u00a0themselves. Since the Vedas are eternal, Hindus\u00a0believe that they were never created, but rather\u00a0that they have existed throughout time. Just as\u00a0Creation is infinite and eternal, ithout a\u00a0beginning or an end, so is the knowledge of God,\u00a0without a beginning and without an end.\u00a0Hindus believe that Rishis \u2013 the seers \u2013 received\u00a0this knowledge from God, just as an antenna\u00a0receives radio signals from the original source.\u00a0To facilitate an easy assimilation of this\u00a0knowledge, a seer called Ved Vyas compiled the \u00a0content of the Vedas into four major books: Rig,\u00a0Yajur, Sama and Atharva. Each Veda consists of\u00a0four parts: Samhitas, consisting of beautiful\u00a0poems that glorify God; Brahmanas that\u00a0enumerate procedures for carrying out rituals;\u00a0Aranyakas (Forest Books), developed primarily\u00a0for the forest dweller who devotes his time in\u00a0pursuit of the Supreme Identity; and the\u00a0Upanishads. The Upanishads, or Vedanta (the\u00a0definite end of or climax of knowledge in Vedas),\u00a0is considered to contain the essence of the\u00a0Vedas. Upanishadic thoughts have influenced\u00a0Western philosophers significantly in both\u00a0ancient and modern times.\u00a0There are more than 250 Upanishads. An\u00a0integrated synopsis of the Upanishads is provided\u00a0in the Brahmasutaras. Another much revered text\u00a0which contains the main thoughts of the\u00a0Upanishads is the Bhagavad Gita. Also referred to\u00a0as simply the Gita, and translated as \u201cSong of\u00a0God\u201d or \u201cThe Divine Message,\u201d it contains what\u00a0was delivered to Arjuna (a human who was\u00a0considered fit to receive this spiritual knowledge)\u00a0by [Lord] Krishna, who is God personified.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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