Hinduism sanatana dharma “eternal truth”
DEMOGRAPHICS 3 rd Largest religion in the world ~850,000,000 followers Mostly in India
Origin/History May be the oldest religion in the world Its oral history pre- dates its written history 2000 BCE Aryans brought their Vedic teachings Written in Sanskrit
Diety/Dieties One Supreme Being Has unlimited forms Enters the world as an avatar, a deity who manifests in bodily form
Major Deities Vishnu A full manifestation of God Creates each universe Known as the Preserver of the Universe Has 10 avatars
Major Deities Brahma Created by Vishnu Runs the universe Creates demigods to help him
Major Deities Shiva The Destroyer Destroys each universe so a new one can arise
Sacred/Holy Text(s) The Vedas 2000 BCE The Upanishads Introduced reincarnation The Puranas Mythological stories of the gods The Ramayana The Mahabharata
Holy Figures Pundit: priest Guru: teacher
Main Tenets Karma All actions produce effects in the future Brahman The “world soul” The Atman (or the individual soul) Reincarnation Good karma leads to a favorable reincarnation Cyclical Can be ended when moksha is attained When atman equals brahman
Creation Vishnu breathed Brahma into existence Brahma then created deities to help him run the universe There have been and will be more universes—Shiva continually destroys them while Vishnu creates them anew.
Death/Afterlife After death, the atman may be reincarnated (depending on karma) If moksha has been attained, a nirvana-like state will exist
Holidays/Rituals (samskaras) Birth 16 different samskaras Death Cremation Ashes scattered over water (ideally the Ganges River) For holidays, see pages
Lifestyle Practices The Caste System Ascribed status, based on karma Made illegal in the 1950s Pilgrimages The Ganges River (in the city of Varanasi) The Himalayas Taboos Eating or killing cows
Subdivisions/Sects Vary depending on which incarnation of Vishnu is worshipped