Hinduism
Beliefs
Hinduism is the oldest of the world religions whose name is derived from the River Indus. Hinduism is not based on the teachings of a single individual, but rather has come about as the the result of the mixing of many early faiths.
Hindus generally believe in one divine power who has many manifestations. God is symbolised by the word :AUM
AUM
- A= the power of God to create the universe manifested as Brahma and his consort Saraswati
- U= the power of God to preserve the universe manifested as Vishnu and the consort Lakshmi
- M= the power of God to destroy the universe manifested as Shiva and his consort Parvati
Hindus hold to 5 principles:
- Parmeshwar (God)
- Prarthana (prayer - which takes place twice daily)
- Punarjanma (the cycle of rebirth which can only be
escaped by carrying out actions with a holy sense of
duty and dedication. Liberation from this cycle is known as Moksha) - Purushartha (the law of action)
- Prani Daya (compassion for all living things)
The Caste System
Many Hindus hold to the caste system of society. There are 4 castes or positions:
- Brahman - priests
- Kshatriya - military
- Vaishya - businessmen
- Shudra - manual labourers
Members of different castes may be discouraged from marrying.
Hindus do not eat beef and many are vegetarian; tobacco and alcohol are forbidden. There can be a strong emphasis on astrology.
Some women choose to indicate their marital status by wearing a coloured circle on the forehead - black for singles; red for those who are married.
Common languages include Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali and Tamil, though the scriptures are written in Sanskrit. Holy scriptures are read during puja (daily worship which takes place infront of small home shrines after washing under running water) and are never placed on the floor where they would be near feet. Individual Hindus can exercise choice over which manifestation of God they have represented on their shrine.
