Hinduism

The follower of this path centres his or her devotion on a chosen personal deity (ishwara); offers worship to the image of the deity; chants the deity's name constantly; and serves others by doing good deeds in the deity's name. The ultimate goal is to let the soul merge into the spirit of God. Ahimsa means noninjury, and in Hindu ethics is an important virtue. To practise ahimsa ideally, a Hindu must avoid all physical, mental, emotional, and moral hurt to any living creature. Because Hindus believe that animals as well as human beings have souls, they have reverence for cows, monkeys, and other animals. They have special reverence for cows. A devout Hindu's life is divided into four ashramas, though in practice women usually share in only the second and third. Ideally, each stage brings its own special duties. The ashramas are: Brahmacharya (student), grihastha (householder), vanaprastha (retirement), and sannyas (renunciation). The fourth ashrama is optional, and only men can become sannyasins, though these days a few women are also claiming the right to take sannyas. From about 500 B.C., Hindus have upheld four aims in life. These provide a value system for each individual. Dharma (religious and social duties) is the most important. It governs the other three: artha (earning a livelihood by honest means), kama (enjoying the good things in life in moderation), and moksha (leading the soul towards God and achieving release from the cycle of rebirths). Even the burden of karma does not bind the soul if actions are performed selflessly and according to dharma. The six schools of philosophy. Many schools of Hindu thought have developed in India. The six most prominent schools are: (1) Nyaya, (2) Naisheshika, (3) Samkhya, (4) Yoga, (5) Purva-mimamsa, (6) Vedanta. Nyaya deals with logic. Vaisheshika concerns the nature of the world. Samkhya examines the origin and evolution of the universe. Yoga is a set of mental and physical exercises designed to free the body so that the soul can unite with BrahmaSwarup . Both purva-mimamsa and vedanta interpret the Vedas. Hinduism in daily life Social divisions. India has an ancient system of social divisions called varna, which may have existed even before the references to it in the Vedas. The word varna in Hinduism signifies a social category. Originally society was divided into three categories: the white varna--Brahmins (priests and scholars); the red varna--Kshatriyas (rulers, administrators, soldiers); and the yellow varna--Vaisyas (peasant-farmers and merchants). But these divisions were not rigid. Later a fourth category was added: the black varna, which included Sudras. These were skilled artisans such as potters, weavers, and basket-makers, and servants. With the evolving of a more complex society, these social divisions became rigid, and a fifth category of people emerged, ranking below the Sudras. These people did the dirtiest jobs. The upper varnas treated them badly and even avoided touching them. These panchamas (fifths) or "untouchables" were the most oppressed people in society. Untouchability was abolished by law in India in 1950. The Indian leader and teacher Mahatma Gandhi named the untouchables Harijans (children of God), but they prefer to call themselves dalit (depressed). The countless castes of India probably began as occupational groups. They were gradually placed within the varna system, and ranked according to the dignity of work done. Originally each caste had specific duties, but today people from the different castes do jobs very different from their traditional occupations. In modern times, the caste system has weakened. Educated Hindus nowadays mix freely with people from different castes. But caste continues to be an influence on Indian life. See Caste. Food in Hinduism. In Hinduism the word "pollution" includes both physical, and spiritual or ritual impurity. This philosophy affects many aspects of social and religious practice, and especially food. In middle-class Hindu families of the three upper varna, the kitchen is the purest part of the home. Food is prepared there and the household shrine is situated there. The person doing the cooking must have a bath and wear clean clothes. Only the right hand is used in the preparation and eating of food. Different foods are served on separate plates. Cooked food which has been touched by a member of a lower caste is considered polluted. Food touched by another person's lips is considered polluted. Certain foods like meat, poultry, and fish, and alcoholic drinks also cause ritual pollution. Death in a family puts blood relatives of the deceased person in a state of ritual pollution. Food touched or cooked by them passes on their ritual pollution to others. Hindus use water for personal purification, both physical and ritual. Running water is "pure", but stagnant water or water touched by someone from a lower caste is considered polluted. Food cooked in water is kacha and becomes easily "polluted." Such cooked food is not accepted from a member of a lower caste. Food well fried in ghee (clarified butter) is pukka food. A Brahmin can accept such food from another person of a close caste but not, for example, from a Sudra. Fasting. Fasting, to a Hindu, does not always mean going without food. Food prepared from wheat, rice, millet, or pulses (beans) cannot be eaten during fasting, and "fasting food" is less tasty than the normal vegetarian diet. Special dishes are associated with some Hindu festivals, and food offerings are important in worship. Village Hinduism. The practice of Hinduism differs widely throughout India. Middle-class Hindus living in towns behave differently from Hindus living in villages. In India, many more Hindus live in villages than in towns and cities. Villages differ, yet some common features distinguish village Hinduism from urban Hinduism in India. A village population in India is usually made up of one or two Brahmin families, and some service castes such as barber, washerman, potter, and leather worker. The majority of villagers, though, are farmers, of land-owning castes. The village has a temple dedicated to the local guardian deity. Village deities are minor gods, but they are less remote than the major deities. The guardian deity is often female. The villagers call her Mata, Ma, Amba, Amma, or some other name meaning "mother". Villagers believe that local deities can answer prayers and solve problems. Villagers refer to BrahmaSwarup as "Bhagwan." In large villages, people celebrate the al festival of the guardian deity with a fair. Ritual offerings are made to the deity by the most important man in the village. Villagers make offerings of food, fruit, and sometimes chickens, to the mother deity to thank her for the rains, for curing a sick child or an animal, and for protecting the village. Hindu worship Hindus offer daily worship to family deities at the household shrine. They celebrate annual festivals dedicated to different deities, and they go on pilgrimages to distant shrines dedicated to Vishnu, Shiva, or the goddess Shakti. Broadly speaking, Hindus can be divided into three groups: those worshipping Vishnu in his various incarnations; those worshipping Shiva; and those worshipping Shakti. Hinduism has many sects, or groups, and each has its own form of worship.

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