Hinduism: Origins and Identity

Origins and Identity

• The Kumbh Mela in 2019 attracted 200 million people, showcasing the diversity of Hindu practices and deities.
• In Hinduism, the universe operates in cycles, accommodating multiple universes, lifetimes, and realities.
• Creation stories vary, including the cracking of a golden egg, a lotus flower from a god’s belly button, or a lonely creator seeking companionship.
• Contradictory stories are seen as fragments of an infinite ultimate truth.
• Hinduism is considered the world’s oldest living religion, with texts dating back over 3,000 years in the Indus River Valley.
• The term "Hindu" originated from Persians and Greeks as a geographic and ethnic label for people living by the Indus River.
• The shift of "Hindu" to a religious identity is traced back to the 19th century when British colonizers used it in their census to categorize indigenous communities as "not Muslim".
• Can also be seen as a religious identity shaped by a centuries-long rivalry between Muslims and other faiths in South Asia.
• By the 19th century, "Hinduism" encompassed thousands of years of culture and history.
• Today, Hindus remain diverse, lacking a central creed or holy figure, but share stories designed to explore questions about self, cosmos, and life.

Hindu Scriptures and Stories

• Hindu stories are divided into two types: "shruti" (divinely revealed) and "smriti" (authored by humans).
• Shruti includes the four Vedas: Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva, containing knowledge and wisdom.
• The Rigveda, the oldest, contains over a thousand hymns and chants for living a good life.
• Smriti includes the Bhagavad Gita, a widely read scripture that models how to navigate life.
• Smriti is flexible, adapting across time and space, allowing for multiple versions of the same story.
• The Ramayana has numerous versions reflecting different meanings across times and places.
• The Ramayana is just one of many narratives starring the Hindu pantheon: gods and goddesses commonly understood as incarnations of the ultimate reality, or Brahman.

Core Concepts and Deities

• Brahman transcends any single name or form, yet has infinite names and forms.
• Brahman is often understood through the trio of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.
• Brahma has four heads and arms and is the creator of the universe.
• Vishnu is four-armed, often blue, and the preserver of the universe.
• Shiva is also four-armed, often blue, and the destroyer of the universe, allowing constructive change.
• Ultimate reality is framed as neither male nor female, with each god having a goddess counterpart.
• Shaktism worships Devi, the divine feminine energy inherent in Brahman and views her as the supreme goddess.

Key Terms

• Many Hindu stories explore the relationship between Brahman (ultimate reality) and atman (a person’s soul).
• Karma is the idea that actions affect the world and the soul’s future path.
• Samsara is the cycle of birth, life, death, and reincarnation.
• Mokṣa is a state of liberation from existence, which some interpret as letting go of desire.
• Dharma involves fulfilling the duties of one's social position, influencing traditions.

Caste System

• Interpretations of dharma have been used to arrange social hierarchies like the caste system.
• The caste system has been used throughout South Asia to assign different levels of privilege based on inherited social status, even among non-Hindus.
• Varna refers to one of the four categories of people named in the Rigveda.
• Jati refers to rankings of people based on their lineage.
• Castes became more rigid when British colonizers created lasting inequalities by muddling the forms of caste and claiming they were unchangeable, leading to deep and lasting social inequalities
• Some groups have weaponized caste to maintain power, including through violence.
• Caste divisions continue to cause inequality, with ongoing governmental efforts to decrease it and a significant role in Hindu nationalism.

Practices and Global Spread

• Hinduism involves rituals expressing bhakti, or devotion to the divine.
• Puja rituals happen at home or in mandirs (temples) with statues of deities.
• Temple attendees ring bells and greet deities to access dharshan, a state of seeing and being seen by the divine.
• Temple-goers offer food, which is then given to people in need as seva.
• Hinduism isn't limited to South Asia but has spread to the Caribbean, South Africa, Indonesia, North America, and Europe.
• Diwali is celebrated worldwide, representing the triumph of good over evil.