HINDUISM

Question 1

Child : Mom, can you tell me about the Hindu religion and how it differs from the other religions of the world

Mother : Yes, dear, that's a very good question. First of all, let me start with some basics. Hinduism is not a religion in the strict sense of the word. It is recommendation for living a disciplined, pure and blissful life needed for God realization. The word religion comes from the Latin "religio" which means binding the soul back to God. Other religions have strict laws and back to God. Other religions have strict laws and beliefs to attain this God realization. Hindus, however, do not believe in such strict laws. The desire to free one's self from worldly bondage and to obtain a better present and next life through proper karma (actions) in the present life is the basis of the Hindu way of life. Your karma (good or bad actions) returns to you with results and act as your teacher to guide you in the right directions in the life. The guidelines for better living to achieve such a liberation (moksha) was revealed directly by God to our ancient sages who used to meditate constantly for the welfare of all human beings. These revelations are the contents of the Vedas, our fundamental scripture. It is also called sanatana dharma, an eternal discipline of life or Vedic dharma, the proper way of living based on Vedas. Hindus believe that every human being is divine by nature and the purpose of life is to expose that divinity to the fullest possible extent. Based on the Vedic recommendations, Hindus believe in one formless and all pervading God called Brahma who is the creator of the universe and represents the supreme truth.

For all practical purposes, in the modern times the Hindu way of life is called Hinduism. It is the oldest living religion on earth. Because of its basic philosophies the Hindu religion can be considered a universal religion.

The main difference between Hinduism and other religions is that Hinduism did not evolve out of the teachings of any one saint, prophet or messiah. Instead, the vedic thoughts were obtained by various sages over the centuries. A very big difference is that Hinduism teaches reincarnation, or rebirth of soul. Moreover, Hinduism is a very accommodating and compassionate religion. Coexistence with other religions with respect and humbleness is the core of the Hindu way of life. Hindus not only love their neighbors but they also love and pray for everyone. A Hindu life is meant for humanity and is achieved through uplifting of one's morality. Unlike people of other religious faiths Hindus regard the mother, the father, the teacher and all their guests as God.

Question : 2

Child : Mom can you please tell me more about the Vedas and dharma which you just talked about?

Mother : The Vedas are the original scriptures of Hinduism on which entire Hindu way of life is based. The ethical way of living as suggested in the Vedas is called dharma. Dharma is God's divine law for discipline and proper development of human beings. By Vedas no particular book is meant. The revelations that the ancient seekers of truth received through meditations were transferred from generation to generation through oral teachings. Many of those spoken concepts have been compiled and are available in volumes that we now call the Vedas. The Vedas are a collection of hymns, prayers, rituals, benedictions, sacrificial formulas and chants There are four distinct Vedas : Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sam Veda and Atharva Veda. Rig Veda the oldest among the Vedas mainly consists of hymns and chants praising God; Yajur Veda contains divine verses in musical form; and Atharva Veda contains guidelines for the proper way of living. The four Vedas were revealed to the sages Agni, Vayu, Aditya and Angira respectively. Later the Vedas were systemized for human benefit by sage Vyas.

Each of the Vedas contains similar essential detains on how to lead a life with a sound body, mind, and intellect and also how to attain a better next life. Each Veda consists of a ritual part and a philosophical part. The philosophical part of Vedas is called Upanishad. There are 108 Upanishads in all.

Question 3

Child : Could you tell me some more about reincarnation in Hinduism?

Mother : Yes my child. The word reincarnation literally means coming again into physical body. According to our scriptures, a soul passes into a body at birth and migrates into another body at death. The change of the bodies is just like putting a new garment and discarding it when it is worn out. The kind of body the soul enters into at death determined by one's actions (karma) in present life. A person's karma determines in what form he will reappear. He may come back in a higher (human) or lower (animal) life form. Good karma in the present life leads to a better next life and bad karma in the present life leads to a worst next life. This cycle of rebirth continues until one achieves liberation from worldly bondage (moksha). At the liberated stage a soul becomes godly and reincarnation stops.

Question 4

Child : Mom, what does the "Om" sound and sign mean? I often see and hear it at every Hindu rite or service.

Mother : "Om" is the most sacred syllable often spoken during the practice of any Hindu rites. It is a holy character of the Sanskrit language, the language of God. The character is a composite of three different letters of the Sanskrit alphabet. The English equivalent of those are "a", "u", and "m", and represent the Trinity. The Trinity is composed of the three supreme Hindu Gods: Brahma, the creator, Vishnu, the preserver, and Shiva, the destroyer. These three letters when pronounced properly in unison create an invigorating effect in the body. Because of its significance this sacred syllable is spoken before any chants to show God we remember him. This sign in Hinduism also represents the whole universe. It looks like this:

Another very important sign is the Swastika which is regarded divine by Hindus. The word swastika means auspicious in the Sanskrit language and hence is used to symbolize the welcoming of auspiciousness and driving away evils. The symbol also represents the changing of the universe around the unchanging nature of God. The symbol looks like this: Unfortunately the sign has been abused by group such as the Nazis during World War II.

Question 5

Child : I know Amen is used a lot in other religions. Is it similar to Om?

Mother : No, they both have different meanings. Amen is spoken to assert faith at the end of a religious proclamation, and Om is spoken to invoke the presence of God before any religious recitation.

Question 6

Child : Why do Hindus have so many gods and goddesses in different forms to worship?

Mother : Actually, Hindus believe in only one formless and all-pervading, all-existing, and all-blissful God. That formless God, however, can best be realized by concentrating on various forms of ideal personalities as recorded in the scriptures. In other words, the Hindu religion is flexible and provides many ways to develop one's spiritual ideas in order to suit individual needs. "Unity in the diverse plan of nature" is recognized in the Hindu faith. Just as people tailor clothes to fit their needs, Hindus have different gods and goddesses for their religious needs. All these gods and goddesses resemble humans, animals or natural forces such as wind, water, fire, sun, and moon; each has different powers to bless the world. These godheads, when worshipped, fulfill people's desires in an easier way but with the same qualities of blessings as from one God.

Question 7

Child : Who are some of these gods and goddesses?

Mother : Most of the gods and goddesses that are worshipped are either incarnations of Lord Vishnu, the preserver of the universe, and his wife Goddess Lakshmi or other deities. Some commonly worshipped gods and goddesses include: Vishnu (worshipped in various forms and names such as Venkateshwara, Jagannatha, Tirupati, Bithala or Balaji), Shiva who is also known as Mahadeva or Mahesha, (Shiva-linga, a symbol of Lord Shiva which is commonly worshipped instead of his image), Rama, Krishna, Hanumana or Mahaveera, Ganesha, the older son of Lord Shiva and who is also known as Ganapati or Vighneswara, and Subramanyam or Kartikeya, the younger son of Lord Shiva. Shiva's wife Parvati (who is also known as Gauri, Uma or Meenakshi and also exists in her incarnated form of Durga or Kali is worshipped as a Divine Mother. Lord Brahma is not usually worshipped but his wife Saraswati is worshipped as the Goddess of learning. Goddess Saraswati is the favorite deity of students in schools and colleges. Lakshmi is worshipped as the Goddess of wealth and prosperity and is favorite deity of business people. Sita, Lord Rama's wife, and Radha, Lord Krishna's companion, are other feminine deities who are adored. Commonly Lord Rama is worshipped as part pf a family, along with his dear brother Lakshamana his wife Sita and his devout hero of the epic Ramayana, Hanumana. Also, Lord Krishna is usually worshipped along with Radha, a staunch lover and devotee of the Lord. Gayatri, the most powerful feminine force and the prescribed deity of the Vedas, is worshipped universally in Hinduism by reciting the Gayatri Mantra. This mantra is a powerful chant worshipping the light of the universe. Lord Satyanarayana is another incarnation of Lord Vishnu and is commonly worshipped in Hindu homes together with family and friends.

Each Hindu God and Goddess has a form of appearance which carries a special symbolic meaning. Some of them have multiple arms or heads which represents their greater capabilities to provide protection for people. Multiple arms express their domination over all directions of space, and multiple heads indicate their broad vision. Many Gods and Goddess ride on animal-vehicle (Vahan) to accomplish their mission. of protecting people. A crown on a deity's head represents the supremacy of the divine power over common people. The images or pictures of Gods and Goddesses are used for the purpose of instilling devotion in us during worship. Later, I will tell you about the forms and features of some common Gods and Goddesses.

Question 8

Child : Mom, can you tell me about the scriptures in Hindusim?

Mother : Unlike other religions Hinduism is not based on any one sacred writing. Instead it has many sacred books which support the basic thoughts of the Vedas. Several of these writings have been translated into foreign languages and have been much appreciated world-wide. Two such writings which happen to be folklore of the Hindu scriptures and are the most commonly used by the Hindus are the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Both of these are in epic form, the former being the oldest and the latter the largest of the epics. Both glorify the principles of the Vedas in a simple way. The celebrated Bhagavad-Gita is a part of the great epic, Mahabharata.

Question 9

Child :Mom, would you please tell me about the sacred books which you have just mentioned? I have often heard about them, but I don't have a clear understanding of their contents.

Mother :The Ramayana relates the life story of Ramchandra, the ideal man who is also considered a famous God by Hindus. He was the oldest of the four sons of king Dasharath of Ayodhya -Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna. In his early life Rama was trained as a great archer. He showed his valor by killing many unbeatable demons who used to harass saints while they worship. Later, at the time of his coronation, he was exiled to the forest by his jealous step mother Kaikeyi for 14 years. Rama's wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana accompanied him in exile. During the exile Sita was abducted by the demon Ravana. In order to rescue Sita Rama later killed Ravana with the help of the great monkey armies of Sugreeva and Hanumana. Rama returned to Ayodhya and became its king after finishing his exile.

The Ramayana has seven Cantos. This epic was originally written by the sage Valmiki a long time ago and then by others in many regional Indian languages. More recently, Tulsidas, a famous poet of the seventeenth century, rewrote the story of the Ramayana in Hindi folk language to make it more popular. The book is known as Ramcharit Manas. The main teaching of the Ramayana is to show the human race the proper way of living, devotion to God, obedience to elders, and a path of moral duties.

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