Sindhu is a sanskrit word used by the inhabitants of the region, the aryans in the second millennium bce. In many regions of the world, religion is the defining characteristic of a people. The words india and hinduism have the same derivation, the indus river, which is where the religion originated. What hinduism had needed was the organizing and consolidating of its own idea, a rock where she could lie at anchor, and an authoritative utterance in which she might recognise herself. Hinduism theo 424 christianity and world religions. It is intended to whet your appetite for further study and to help you understand the religious beliefs of others in todays global society. Hinduism is the world s oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots and customs dating back more than 4,000 years. Hinduism is an indian religion and dharma, or way of life, widely practiced in the indian subcontinent and parts of southeast asia. Considered the oldest religion in the world, it dates back, perhaps, to prehistoric times no single creed or doctrine binds hindus together.
The oldest religion in the world, hinduism originated in the indus river valley about 4,500 years ago in what is now modernday northwest india and pakistan. Hinduism from ancient times hinduism today magazine. While many around the world choose not to believe in a god or gods, there are plenty who do. As far as i am concerned hinduism is the best religion in the world. It arose contemporaneously with ancient egyptian and mesopotamian cultures. China, japan, thailand, vietnam, myanmar, sri lanka, south korea, taiwan, cambodia and india. There are a number of scriptures and holy books in hinduism. If the indus valley civilization 3rd2nd millennium bce was the earliest source of hindu traditions, then hinduism is. Hinduism simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Saskrit is the first language in the world and which is started at hindu religions.
What the world had needed was a faith that had no fear of truth. The top ten countries in which the most people practice are. The term hindu was derived from the river or river complex of the northwest, the sindhu. All hindus know that some books are considered holy by everyone, and not every book written by every author becomes holy. India leads the world in terms of hindu population, with its hindus representing 94. There is something called pramana, authority, which our acharyas have recognised, and as per the acharyas a set of books are considered primary texts, whereas, other books based on these primary books can also be referred to. World facts countries with the largest hindu populations. A collection of sacred books containing diverse materials concerning the origins, experiences, beliefs, and practices of the early hebrew people.
I feel like, once youve read those, you ought to know all thats. Hinduism download books, sacred, spiritual texts and pdf. Hinduism from ancient times the largest civilization in the ancient world developed in the indus valley of india over 5,000 years ago. Other holy scriptures in hinduism are called the upanisads, the smrutis, the puranas, the ramayana and the mahabharata. The upanishads are also called as vedantas or the end of the vedas. Hinduism is widely practiced in south asia mainly in india and nepal. Holy books about law, history, prophecy, and wisdom of the ancient people of israel. Hinduism is the major religion of india, practiced by more than 80% of the population. The holy books of world religions sacred texts in world. In the thousands of years that followed, india produced many great empires under which science, art and philosophy flourished. Scholars regard hinduism as a combination of different indian cultures and traditions, with diverse roots. The term sadhu comes from the sanskrit for accomplish and can refer to any religious ascetic or holy man. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The puranas are holy books of hinduism that date back to gupta empire in ancient india.
The earliest texts from this region are extensive, but unfortunately, scholars have yet to find a way to translate the language of the texts. Countries with the largest hindu populations india leads the world in terms of hindu population, with its hindus representing 94. Different religions have different beliefs, practices, and leadership structure. Beyond christianity, according to the oxford world encyclopedia, the term scripture has referred to a text accepted to contain the sacred writings of a religion, while the concise oxford dictionary of world religions states it refers to a text having religious authority and often collected into an accepted canon. The major religions that are practiced b many people across the world are christianity, islam, and hinduism. Here are the 12 most popular world religions and belief systems according to. The basis, which focuses on hinduisms history and holy texts, and the practice, which discusses philosophical ideas and specific practices such as vegetarianism, meditation, and worship.
It is the oldest religion and we should not know who is the founder of hinduism. Hindu texts are manuscripts and historical literature related to any of the diverse traditions within hinduism. Hinduism in the modern world presents a new and unprecedented attempt to survey the nature, range, and significance of modern and contemporary hinduism in south asia and the global diaspora. Today, with about 900 million followers, hinduism is the third. The bible, specifically the new testament as the old testament is just taken from the torah. Dubois, a french catholic missionary in india, wrote a book called hindu manners, customs, and ceremonies free download here. Most of the extant text was compiled by members of the priestly class in the fifth century b. However, this is a somewhat dated position, as hinduism has become a major world religion and many people flock to learn its. The book is made up of chapters and is divided into two conceptual parts. The batu caves near kuala lumpur, malaysia is one of the most famous hindu sacred sites outside of the nation of india. There is no single scripture as it is in other religions like christianity and islam. Hinduism a guide that serves as a brief introduction to several world religions.
Hindus believe that existence is a cycle of birth, death and rebirth governed by individuals karma. The bible just read the most important chapters, dont read all of it, the bhagavad gita eknath, the dhammapada eknath, the tao te ching. Both are found in the words and writings of swami vivekananda. Hinduism is the oldest of the major world religions. The eight major ones in our world are buddhism, christianity. For these reasons, writers often refer to hinduism as a way of. The 12 most popular world religions and sects in images. Download the bible, the holy quran, the mahabharata and thousands of free pdf ebooks on buddhism, meditation etc.
Buddhism is based on the teachings attributed to siddhartha gautama, commonly known as the buddha the awakened one, who lived in the northeastern region of the indian subcontinent and likely died around 400 bce. Guided by the founder, satguru sivaya subramuniyaswami, the magazines editors, who are initiated monks of the kauais hindu monastery, collaborated with holy men and women and experts around the world in creating. The scriptures of the vedas are meant to guide hindu believers in their daily lives. Vedas and upanishadas are the most authoritative amongst all hindu scriptures and holy books. Later migrants and invaders, the persians in the sixth century bce, the greeks from the 4th century bce. Throughout its extensive history, there have been many key figures teaching different philosophies and writing numerous holy books. There are those that claim that you cannot convert to hinduism. You should read enough of the materials presented in this section concerning the tradition of hinduism in order to understand how this tradition displays the characteristics or elements that make a tradition one that would be termed a religion. Religious prejudice means negative attitudes or behavior between people of different religious groups because of their differing religious beliefs. List of world religions and founders, religious books. The second strand in the fabric of hinduism is practice.
Throughout its extensive history, there have been many key figures teaching different philosophies and writing innumerable holy books. Hinduism, major world religion originating on the indian subcontinent and comprising several and varied systems of philosophy, belief, and ritual. By holy book i assume you mean the central texts which are. The batu caves near kuala lumpur, malaysia is one of the most famous hindu sacred sites outside of.
Hinduism factshinduism facts revealing facts about hindu. It is but natural that people all over the world should show increasing interest in a religion with so universal an appeal. With roughly one billion followers, hinduism is the thirdlargest of the worlds religions. Despite indias enormous diversity, a common grammar of ritual behaviour connects various places, strata, and periods of hindu life. For these reasons hinduism is referred as way of life or a family of religions. Organized to reflect the direction of recent scholarly research, this volume breaks with earlier texts on this subject by seeking to overcome a misleading. If youre interested in knowing the most important aspects of the longest lasting religion in history, this reading list is for you. Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, and some practitioners and scholars refer to it as sanatana dharma, the eternal tradition, or the eternal way, beyond human history. Most people who practice the hindu religion are born into it, and consider it something of a birthright. However, some of these books and songs became more popular than others and came to define the culture and religion we know today as hinduism. All about hinduism is intended to meet the needs of those who want to be introduced to the various facets of the crystal that. Hinduism a system of religious beliefs and social customs, with adherents esp. As of 2010, hinduism had approximately 1 billion followers worldwide, equating to around 15 percent of the global population.
However, unlike followers of other major world religions, hindus worship a wide variety of deities. Hinduism is the worlds oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots and customs dating back more than 4,000 years. Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world, and hindus refer to it as sanatana dharma, the eternal tradition, or the eternal way, beyond human history. He gave a description of the behaviors of hindus, not based on scriptures, but on his own observations. While it is true that various elements of vedic ritual survive in modern practice and thereby serve a unifying. People that practice hinduism read holy books called vedas, or the vedic texts. So, what are the holy books of the five major world religions. The most holy of the hindu books is written in sanskrit and is referred to as the vedas. However, the puranas are supposed to be complied by muni vyasa. The buddhist religion is practiced all around the world. Out of this rich history developed the hindu religion, today the third largest in the world.
One way of life in hinduism is renunciation of the world and asceticism, which is the path of the sadhu or hindu holy man. Early hinduism was founded over 5,000 years ago in the indus river valley in india. World religions test study guide flashcards quizlet. The basic beliefs and history of a religion is often found in its sacred or revered texts. Hinduism, islam, and hinduism essay 1205 words 5 pages. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices considered by most to be a religion. Books and texts in hinduism hindu rituals and traditions 4 branches of hinduism where is buddhism practiced today. These texts are glorious tales of the hindu trinity brahma, vishnu and maheshwar shiva. Choose your answers to the questions and click next to see the next set of questions.