Education

1. Hinduism
Aamir Ali
B.ED(1.5 Year)
The Islamia University Of Bahawalpur.

2. • One of the oldest religions of humanity
• The religion of the Indian people
• Gave birth to Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism
• Tolerance and diversity : “Truth is one, paths are many”
• Many deities but a single, impersonal Ultimate Reality
• A philosophy and a way of life - focused both on this
world and beyond
• Hinduism is polytheistic and worships both gods and
goddesses

3. • No particular founder
• Indus River Valley Civilization >5000 years
ago
• Aryans enter 4000 - 3500 years ago
• Vedic Tradition : 3500 – 2500 years ago
(i) rituals and many gods (polytheism)
(ii) sacred texts (Vedas )
(iii) social stratification (caste system )

4. • Over 108 Hindu Gods
• They can take the shape of humans and animals
• Most powerful of Hindu gods are:
• Brahma, the creator
• Vishnu, the preserver
• Shiva, the destroyer

5. • Brahma is believed to have been born of a golden egg
• He created earth and everything on it
• Vishnu protects and guides humans on earth
• Sometimes he visits earth to help people through
providing advice and guidance
• Shiva, is the creator and destroyer of life and earth
• He is the most powerful and important of Hindu gods
• Not concerned with human matters or concerns
• He is married to Shakti who intervenes in human matters

6. Dharma
 All Hindu’s must obey their “dharma”
 Dharma was a person’s religious duties
 Dharma is the moral balance of all things
 Dharma is played out in all aspects of life:
religious, social, family

7. Karma
Karma is the belief that a person experiences
the effects of his or her actions—that every act
or thought has consequences.
Karma is the sum of all a person has done and will
do.

8. Samsara
Reincarnation “Samsara” – represents the cycle of life,
death and rebirth in which a person carries his or her
own karma
A person may experience effects of past lives and a
worldly status depends upon actions in a past life.
Good thoughts and actions can liberate a person.

9. Moksha
Like heaven for the Christian, Hindus strive to reach moksha
or a state of changeless bliss. This is achieved by living a life
of religious devotion or moral integrity. The ultimate reward is
a release from samsara and union with God.

10. Four major castes
 Brahmin : priests
 Kshatriya: warriors and administrators
 Vaistrya: farmers, merchants, teachers, artisans
 Sudras: servants,laborers

11.  no set day of the week is holy-each days has its possibilities
 Religious festivals may be solar or lunar-lunar is preferred
 In order to keep festivals consistent, an additional lunar
month is added to the calendar about every three years.
 Some numbered days of the month are more important
than others. There are 125 special days in the Hindu year.

12. Divali: “Row of lights”
• Takes place in Oct. or Nov.
• It is a series of five festivals
• Lights are floated on small rafts
• If the candle remains lit, good luck will follow.

13. Falling from Its source of Vishnu’s feet onto Shiva’s head and
out from his hair, the water of the Ganges is sacred enough to
purify all sins.

14.  Pilgrims come from all over to bathe in the Ganges.
 Countless Hindus come to Banaras to die.
 It has 1500 temples, most of them devoted to Shiva.
 It is a gathering place for the religiously learned and their
disciples.

15. Rig Veda: Hinduism’s oldest text- nearly 4000 years
Bhagavad Gita: Hinduism’s most popular sacred text