Hinduism is the world’s third largest organized religion and is a dominant religion in India, Nepal and among the Tamil population in Sri Lanka. Most forms of Hinduism are henotheistic, which means they recognize a single deity but also view other Goddesses and Gods as aspects or forms of the supreme God. The Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva is considered to be the most fundamental of Hindu deities. Brahma is seen as creator, Vishnu as preserver and Shiva as destroyer. Hinduism is viewed by many as a way of life with many philosophical, cultural and religious ideas and practices.
The origins of Hinduism is unclear but some scholars believe that it can be traced back to 10000 B.C. and that the earliest of Hindu scriptures, The Rig Veda was most likely written before 6500 B.C.
The most important sacred writings of Hinduism include the Vedas, the Puranas, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata with its with its section called the Bhagavad-Gita, and the Manu Smriti. The Vedas contain hymns, rituals and incantations from ancient India. The Ramayana is a writing based on oral traditions that concerns the hero Rama who was the avatar of Vishnu and often considered a deity in his own right. The Mahabharata is group of writings that records the legend of Bharatas and the Bhagavad-Gita is a poem describing a conversation between a warrior Arjuna and the God Krishna
As mentioned earlier, Hinduism is seen by many to be a way of life and many Hindus organize their lives arrange their lives around activities or purasharthas. These are called “the doctrine of the fourfold end of life” or the “four aims of Hinduism and include the following:
The three goals of the pravritti or those who are in the world are:
Dharma- the path of virtue and living one’s life in accordance to the writings of the Vedas. This is seen as the highest goal.
Artha-success in economic life
Kama-gratification of the senses, pleasure, appreciation, sensual and mental enjoyment
Moksha (also known as nirvana)- liberation from samsara. Samsara is seen as ignorance of the True Self (Brahma) and because of this the soul is led to believe in the reality of the temporal world.
Most Hindus believe that the soul of a person is eternal and the ultimate goal in life, the moksha or nirvana, is seen as the realization of one’s union with God and of all existence. It is also seen as the attainment of perfect mental peace and perfect unselfishness. The exact concept of moksha differs among the various schools of Hindu thought.
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