What is Hinduism?

Hinduism is one of the oldest religions of the world. Its roots are in India. Though it is 3500 years old, only India, Nepal and Mauritius are predominantly Hindu states in the world. Hindus make up 13% of the world population. Majority of them live in South Asian countries but also a significant number of them live in United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, Guyana, Suriname, Fiji, Mauritius and South Africa.

The Hindus are governed by the following three doctrines:

1. DHARMA: Show reasonable behavior towards others.

2. KARMA: Fulfill your duties no matter what come.

3. SAMSARA: Moksha (liberation from the cycle of rebirths) should be the goal of the life.When one liberates from the cycle of rebirths his soul merges with the soul of the god in the Heaven, and then he gets rid of all the sufferings for ever. The liberation of the soul from the cycle of reincarnation into different bodily forms is possible through:

- "KNOWLEDGE" of the reality of the life.

- Correct "ACTIONS".

- "DEVOTION" to the god.The Hindus worship before the idol of the god by chanting hymns, by offering flowers or performing sacrifices. The idol of the god is made of metals or stones and is installed inside the temple or in the open air. The head of the Hindu temple is called priest. Priests are required to wear yellow or red clothing. They perform the daily rituals of the temple.

Hindus believe that the amount of pleasure and suffering in present life are entailed proportional to the amount of good or bad deeds commited in the past life. Likewise, if one acts righteously in the present life he will be blessed with a happier living in the next life.

Pity, sympathy, charity and brotherhood are essence of Hinduism. It highly regards forgiveness and coexistence and accepts any methods of the devotion of the mankind to god. It also justifies fighting for the judicious causes.

Hindu scriptures include Purana (has eighteen volumes; contains myths, legends and tales), Veda (has four volumes; contains hymns, chants and rituals), Upanishad (written on universe and philosophy), Mahabharata (an epic), Bhagavad-Gita (a philosophical dialogue), Ramayana (an epic), Sruti (contains religious things for seers), Smriti (books of social laws).

Bhagavad-Gita (Gita), Mahabharata and Ramayana are considered the most sacred and are widely preached and frequently quoted. Mahabharata was written 200 B.C. It is the description of the war between the sons of king Bharata and contains discourses on moral, religious, social and political topics. Gita is regarded as the most sacred of all Hindu scriptures. Hindus are required to swear by Gita before giving testimonies in the courts. Ramayana is the biography of Ram, one of the incarnations of god. All of the Hindu scriptures are written in Sanskrit.

Hindus are required to adopt the following doctrines in their daily life:

1. Speak truth and be honest.
2. Respect the parents, teachers and elders.
3. Pray to god and meditate on Him.
4. Show love, pity and affection to all creatures.
5. Help the needy.
6. Be a good person; avoid bad company and bad works.
7. Perform the duties.