Overview
 

Hinduism is one of the oldest religions of the world. It is definitely the oldest among the living religions. The European historians of early 20th Century grudgingly accepted the period around 2500 B.C. as the earliest available evidence of the origin of the Vedic religion, which is a precursor to Hinduism. But many present day scholars, especially from India, do not agree with this opinion and believe it to be around 8000 B.C.

The Evidence
The antiquity of Hinduism can be better estimated from the astronomical evidence available in the Hindu Scriptures, the folk-traditions and anthropological studies peculiar to the Indian sub-continent, and some geographical and etymological references mentioned in the Vedic literature. These evidences suggest that Hinduism has a long and checkered history of at least 6000 years or more.

Whatever be the truth, the Rig Vedic Aryans did not start a new religion in the sub-continent when they occupied the Indus Valley. They were practicing a religion that was already centuries old. Many of the hymns and rituals of the Rig-Veda stand testimony to this fact. To the new inhabitants of the land of the five rivers, the Vedic hymns were products of a very ancient wisdom, received by them through oral tradition and through generations of scholars and seers starting from the time of Manu, the first man on earth.

Hinduism is as old as the primitive man!

If we accept this as a religious truth, for there seems to be no reason why we should not, then the Vedic religion, which is a precursor to the present day Hinduism, might probably have its antecedents in the prehistoric days, when the aboriginal men were slowly trying to understand the mysteries of their own existence and the mysteries of the world around them!

How does Hinduism differ from other religions?

Hinduism differs from other organized religions in the following aspects:

Hinduism is a way of life unlike religion

Hinduism, we are told, is not a religion at all, but a way of life. In a way this is quite true. According to the tenets of Hinduism, life and religion are inseparable. Religion is there every where, dominating and regulating every aspect of human life, infusing it with divine presence and making life more meaningful and purposeful to its followers.

Though there are some core beliefs common to virtually all Hindus, there really is no "Hindu orthodoxy"--no hard and fast dogma that all Hindus must believe. It's actually a family of gradually developing beliefs and practices.

There are no specifically laid out rules constricting a person's eating/drinking habits, or clothing style or something like that. In fact, it is on a much higher platform, where such petty things are inconsiderate. It deals with the spiritual aspects of trying to understand God and to approach Him through many varied means (principal of which is love). As a natural fallout, it also shows how to lead a meaningful life full of bliss, peace and love.

 

An examination of the historical process

Throughout its entire history, Hinduism was never static. It evolved continuously from stage to stage and went on transforming itself continuously. This was due to the self less and extraordinary contribution by many scholars, seers, sages, institutions, kings and emperors, over a vast period of time.

By correcting, molding, modifying, and integrating various aspects of the religion to suit the social, political, material, intellectual and spiritual requirements of the times, these great souls kept the religious lamp shining and vibrating. These great sages and saints provided knowledge and guidance to the multitude of beings, while barbarism and savagery still ruled many parts of the world.

Hinduism is like an ocean

It was they who gave the religion the depth and complexity for which it is known today, making it, as far as possible, acceptable to a great majority of the Indian people. Because of them Hinduism became more or less like an ocean that would absorb every thing that flowed into it from all directions.

Like an ocean it remained stable and firmly entrenched in its place and went on absorbing new knowledge and religious insights from all directions, without losing in the process, its moorings and its original character. It did not compromise on its basic ideals, nor suffered unduly from the process of assimilation and adaptation.

Why Hinduism is incomprehensible to outsiders

This flexible approach helped it to survive against the onslaught of new religious movements and invasion of foreign ideas. But in the process it also amassed a great body of inner contradictions , which today stand out prominently, making it incomprehensible to many outsiders.

It is sincerely hoped that this site will help resolve some of those incomprehensibilities!

Spirituality

The ultimate aim of Indian spirituality is to gain the Supreme Knowledge and become one with the Supreme Being.

Several spiritual paths have been prescribed to achieve this transformation. Love, nonviolence, good conduct and the law of dharma define the Hindu path. Hinduism explains that the soul reincarnates until all Karmas are resolved and God realization is attained.

At the Heart of Hinduism is the monotheistic principle of Brahman. The entire universe is basically a representation of the Supreme Soul, and He is present in each and every thing, human and animal, animate and non-animate.

Deity is simultaneously visualized as a triad.-

Brahma , the Creator , who is continuing to create new realities
Vishnu , the Preserver , who preserves these new creations.
Shiva , the Destroyer , who is its ultimate destroyer.

The Hindu gods are very much alive and live in temples, snow capped peaks, in rivers and oceans and above all in the very hearts and minds of the Hindus.
 

Basic believes of Santana Dharma

1. I believe in a one, all-pervasive Supreme Being who is both immanent and transcendent, both Creator and Unman fest reality.

2. I believe that the universe undergoes endless cycles of creation, preservation and dissolution.

3. I believe that all souls are evolving towards union with God and will ultimately find moksha: spiritual knowledge and liberation from cycle of rebirth. Not a single soul will be eternally deprived of this destiny.

4. I believe in karma, the law of cause and effect by which each individual creates his own destiny by thoughts, words and deeds.

5. I believe that the soul reincarnates, evolving through many births until all karmas have been resolved.

6. I believe that divine beings exist in unseen worlds and that temple worship, rituals, sacraments as well as personal devotionals create a communion with these devas and God.

7. I believe that spiritually awakened master or sat guru is essential to know the transcendent Absolute, as are personal discipline, good conduct, purification, self-inquiry and meditation.

8. I believe that all life is sacred, to be loved and revered, and therefore practice ahimsa or nonviolence.

9. I believe that no particular religion teaches the only way to salvation above all others, but that all genuine religious paths are facets of God's pure love and light, deserving tolerance and understanding.

MANTRAS

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare

This is an example of a Mantra known as Hare Krishna Mahamantra.

A Mantra is a sacred power in a sound structure. They are devices used to connect one with the divine energies not seen by the naked eye, on the physical plane. Mantras correspond with sounds associated with the charkas, the energy centers in the Astral body and with the energies and deities they represent. but most importantly they are intoned with love and devotion to a higher power.

Mantras are considered to be divine rhymes composed by the ancient Indian saints in the divine language of Sanskrit. When recited properly they protect human from different malefic effects of other evil elements.

Integrating mantras into your daily life is easier than you might think. The easiest way to be in the presence of a loved one is to evoke their name! Try it for a few days and witness for yourself the transformation it brings within you!

Hare Krishna Mahamantra

The transcendental vibration established by the chanting of Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is the sublime method of reviving our God consciousness. As living spiritual souls we are all originally God-conscious entities, but due to our association with matter from time immemorial, our consciousness is now polluted by the material atmosphere. The material atmosphere, in which we are now living, is called Maya, or illusion. Maya means "that which is not." And what is this illusion? The illusion is that we are all trying to be lords of material nature, while actually we are under the grip of her stringent laws. When a servant artificially tries to imitate the all-powerful master, this is called illusion. In this polluted concept of life, we are all trying to exploit the resources of material nature, but actually we are becoming more and more entangled in her complexities. Therefore, although we are engaged in a hard struggle to conquer nature, we are ever more dependent on her. This illusory struggle against material nature can be stopped at once by revival of our God-consciousness.

By practical experience also, one can perceive that by chanting this maha-mantra, or the Great Chanting for Deliverance, one can at once feel a transcendental ecstasy coming through from the spiritual stratum. And when one is factually on the plane of spiritual understanding--surpassing the stages of senses, mind, and intelligence--one is situated on the transcendental plane. This chanting of Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is directly enacted from the spiritual platform, and thus this sound vibration surpasses all lower strata of consciousness-- namely sensual, mental, and intellectual. There is no need, therefore, to understand the language of the mantra, nor is there any need for mental speculation or any intellectual adjustment for chanting this maha-mantra. It springs automatically from the spiritual platform, and as such, anyone can take part in the chanting without any previous qualification, and dance in ecstasy.

The word Hara is the form of addressing the energy of the Lord, and the words Krishna and Rama are forms of addressing the Lord Himself. Both Krishna and Rama mean "the supreme pleasure," and Hara is the supreme pleasure energy of the Lord, changed to Hare in the vocative. The supreme pleasure energy of the Lord helps us to reach the Lord.

The material energy, called Maya, is also one of the multi energies of the Lord. And we, the living entities, are also the energy--marginal energy--of the Lord. The living entities are described as superior to material energy. When the superior energy is in contact with the inferior energy, an incompatible situation arises; but when the superior marginal energy is in contact with the superior energy, called Hara, the living entity is established in his happy, normal condition.

These three words, namely Hare, Krishna, and Rama, are the transcendental seeds of the maha-mantra. The chanting is a spiritual call for the Lord and His internal energy, Hara, to give protection to the conditioned soul. This chanting is exactly like the genuine cry of a child for its mother. Mother Hara helps the devotee achieve the grace of the supreme father, Hari, or Krsna, and the Lord reveals Himself to the devotee who chants this mantra sincerely.

____________________

Just as a single force in space can be mathematically conceived as having various spatial components, the Supreme Being or God, the personal form of the Ultimate Reality, is conceived by Hindus as having various aspects. A Hindu deity (god or goddess; note small g) represents a particular aspect of the Supreme Being. For example, Saraswati represents the learning and knowledge aspect of the Supreme Being. Thus, if a Hindu wants to pray for acquiring knowledge and understanding, he prays to Saraswati. Just as sunlight cannot have a separate and independent existence from the sun itself, a Hindu deity does not have a separate and independent existence from the Supreme Being. Thus, Hindu worship of deities is monotheistic polytheism and not simple polytheism. 

Hindus declare that there is only one Supreme Being and He is the God of all religions. There is no "other God." Thus the Biblical Commandment "Thou shalt have no other God before me," really means, "Thou shalt not deny the Ultimate Reality or worship any power other than the Ultimate Reality." 

Hindus view cosmic activity of the Supreme Being as comprised of three tasks: creation, preservation, and dissolution and recreation. Hindus associate these three cosmic tasks with the three deities, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Lord Brahma brings forth the creation and represents the creative principle of the Supreme Being. Lord Vishnu maintains the universe and represents the eternal principle of preservation. Lord Shiva represents the principle of dissolution and recreation. These three deities together form the Hindu Trinity. 

One must clearly understand that Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are not three independent deities. They represent the same power (the Supreme Being), but in three different aspects. Just as a man may be called a doctor, father or husband based upon the tasks he performs, the Supreme Being is called Brahma, Vishnu or Shiva when conceived as performing the three different cosmic tasks of creation, preser-vation, and dissolution/recreation. "The oneness of the three gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva is brought out by the mystic symbol AUM where 'A' represents Vishnu, 'U' Shiva and 'M' Brahma." 

Hindu religion is often labeled as a religion of 330 million gods. This misunderstanding arises when people fail to grasp the symbolism of the Hindu pantheon. According to the Hindu scriptures, living beings are not apart from God, since He lives in each and every one of them in the form of atman (BG 10.39). Thus each living being is a unique manifestation of God. In ancient times it was believed that there were 330 million living beings. This gave rise to the idea of 330 million deities or gods. Actually, this vast number of gods could not have been possibly worshipped, since 330 million names could not have been designed for them. The number 330 million was simply used to give a symbolic expression to the fundamental Hindu doctrine that God lives in the hearts of all living beings.

 

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