What is a Hindu?

Now we began our look at the Eastern religions. In some ways this will be more difficult due to the fact these religions are significantly different than Christianity. On the other hand, since I’m starting out on ground zero, I’ll just rely on copying everything verbatim from Wiley Publishing, Inc.’s Religion For Dummies. Most all of the following information is from that source. Remember, this is just an overview as a full explanation of these religions is beyond the scope of my simple little blog. Many of you already know more than I can tell you. I’d be anxious for you to share your knowledge and thoughts with me.

Hinduism is the main religious tradition of India. Hindus believe in the Brahman, an eternal, infinite principle that had no beginning and has no end and is the source and substance of all existence. Hindus believe in transmigration (the soul passing into another body at death) and reincarnation (a cycle of death and rebirth). Hindus also believe in karma, the idea that your actions in one life have a direct effect on the events in your next life. To Hindus, salvation comes when they are finally released from the cycle of death and rebirth. I suspect you won’t find these same beliefs down at your typical Methodist church!

The Hindus have several holy texts. They believe that neither man nor god wrote the Vedas (Books of Knowledge). Instead, seers heard them and then transcribed them into Sanskrit. The books consist of four Vedas. They are the Rig-Veda (Wisdom of the Verses), Yajur Veda (Wisdom of the Sacrificial Formulas), Sama Veda (Wisdom of the Chants), and the Atharva Veda (Wisdom of the Atharvan Priest). Another important text for Hindus is the Bhagavad-Gita (Song of God), which explains the paths to salvation. Other Hindu holy texts include the Sutras, the satras, and the smritis, which were written by man and outline rules of conduct and behavior.

Many who practice within the Hindu faiths view suffering as having purpose. Remember, the goal of the Hindus is to find release from the cycle of birth-death-rebirth that continues until a person can finally free himself or herself from desires, which keep the cycle going. The suffering people experience in this life is a result of their actions in a former life. By acting to relieve the suffering, a person cannot escape the birth-death-rebirth cycle. In addition, many Hindus believe that by taking away the suffering, a person might be reborn in a lower life form. So, although things might be easier in this life, they could be that much worse in the next.

In Hinduism, there is a god who is the creator (Brahman), a god who is the destroyer (Shiva), and a god who is the affirmer (Vishnu). Hindus also venerate a goddess, Kali, who is another destroyer god. The Hindu religion includes hundreds of other gods and goddesses that divide responsibility for all the other parts of life in the world.

The Hindu gods are not jealous, fighting gods, and they don’t demand reverence only to them. Because of this openness, Hindus seek to include people of other faiths. For example, if a Christian person moved to a city in India, the Hindu neighbor might invite him to the temple. It would not matter that the Christian worshipped a God by another name. The Hindu neighbor would encourage the Christian to bring a picture or representation of the God to the temple to add it to the pantheon (group of gods). Most Hindus will explain that they do worship many gods and goddesses, but all of these images are part of one divine essence that permeates the universe. That essence is Brahman or Parusha.



To understand Hindus, one should probably understand the caste system. In Hinduism, human beings are divided into four classes, determined by birth. A person’s caste defines the job he or she may do, the person he or she can marry, how he or she is to dress, the religious practices the individual should adhere to, and the level of freedom to move about. If a Hindu ignores the rules of the caste system, the he may be reborn at a lower station in life. The laws regarding caste, however, are not the only factor determining the extent of good or bad karma. Hinduism offers many paths that you can take to break the bonds of the birth-death-rebirth cycle. For instance, as opposed to choosing to follow your caste, you could devote your life to a god or goddess, or you could take the path of the sannyasin and abandon life in search of the Divine. All of these, and more, influence karma and the possibilities of the next life.

To Hindus, the concept of ahimsa, or nonviolence to any living thing, demonstrates love on a grand scale. They reject violence and believe that animals, birds, and all sorts of beings become your friend when you cease to kill and eat them.

Hindu communal worship centers on temples, each of which is dedicated to a particular Hindu deity. During the service, flowers are placed around the statue of the god, which is usually in the center of the Temple. The statue is also anointed with oil. Incense is lit. Prayers are recited and holy food is served to the worshippers. Normally, the entire community does not go through the worship service together. Instead, worshippers proceed in their sacrificial offerings at their own pace.

Hinduism celebrates the sacredness of the Ganges River. Each day, thousands of spiritual pilgrims wash in its waters for purification. The sick and the dying are brought to its waters so that they may taste liberation after the death in this world. These waters not only purify in this world, but Hindus believe the waters enable them to avoid rebirth in the next.

On the fourth night after a marriage, a Hindu couple is supposed to make love to create a child. If the father’s characteristics are dominant, the child will be a boy. If the mother’s are dominant, it will be a girl. After the child is born and the umbilical cord is cut, the child receives a sacred name from his parents, which only they will know in life. Ten or twelve days after the birth, the child receives his everyday name, often based on astrological information. This name serves as a cover for the real, secret name. Hindus believe that children should be protected, not only by name, but also by action, against the forces of evil that are in the world.

Education is completely determined by your class, the higher the class, the earlier the education. Girls normally don’t participate in very elaborate education. In traditional Hindu families, a girl comes of age on the same day she is married.

Gandhi was a world famous Hindu. He advocated nonviolence or passive resistance. In fact, he was an attorney! He was driven by his passion to help people. He entered into politics to protest the role of the British in India and set about achieving independence through nonviolent resistance of British rule and law. He simplified his life by abandoning his wealth. He also tended to the sick and the dying. He fought to bring tolerance between the Hinds and Muslims during their civil war. He was assassinated by a Hindu extremist in 1948.

Every 12 years, millions of Hindus flock to one of the sacred sites along the Ganges River to participate in a religious festival. According to the Guinness Book of Records, “the largest number of human beings to ever assemble with a common purpose, in the entire history of mankind, was at this festival in 2001. Nearly 30 million people took part in the festival that year.



Hindus hold the cow in sanctity. The idea, stemming from the importance of cows in the lives of early Indians, is that the cow represents divine and natural goodness and should be protected. You may also see a woman wearing a red dot on her lower forehead. That is simply a way of showing the world that she is married and unavailable.

That’s all I know for now. Certainly there is more when considering this religion is several thousand years old. Their beliefs and traditions are significantly different than mine. I can say that the one Hindu I know is a very gentle, kind, and a very nice person. If you have any thoughts and/or comments, don’t hesitate to let me know.

Little Boze