The religion today known
as Hinduism may be almost as old as Indian civilization itself: archaeological
evidence suggests continuities between the religion of the Indus Valley society
of 2500–1500 BCE and the Hinduism of today.
The Vedic texts, from the period
that followed, provide the basis for some of the central themes of Hindu
belief, including samsara, the doctrine that all creatures are reborn
repeatedly unless the cycle can be broken through liberation (moksha), and karma,
the notion that actions in one life are rewarded or punished in the next.
The
Vedic religion was hierarchical, and centered around sacrificial offerings. In
time, sacrifice was largely replaced by puja, the personal devotion of an
individual to a particular deity. Hinduism has a vast body of sacred texts,
from the early Vedas onward, and generally is divided into the more
authoritative Sruti – revealed scripture – and the less authoritative Smriti –
which includes Epics such as the Mahabharata (including the Bhagavad Gita) and
the Ramayana. A hierarchy of sorts also exists amongst the many gods of India,
with Vishnu and Shiva enjoying a privileged position – although there is no
consensus as to whether there are in fact many gods, or whether the many are
merely different representations of the one God, Brahman.
Today,
like so many religions, Hinduism has a following throughout the world, largely
because of the many Indian diaspora communities. Despite this, the subcontinent
remains hugely important for Hindus, in part because of the value placed on the
many sacred sites in the country, such as the River Ganges, and in part because
of the strong ties that bind the wider community. Within India itself – now a secular
democracy – there exists something of a division between those at ease with
recent developments, such as secularization and the changing role of women, and
the emergent Hindu nationalists – often deeply hostile to other religions in
the region, particularly Islam – who seek a stronger role for religion in
public life.
Reference
Flood, Gavin D., and Gavin D. Flood Flood. An
introduction to Hinduism. Cambridge University Press, 1996.
Klostermaier, Klaus K. A survey of Hinduism. Suny
Press, 2007.
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