Hindu Beliefs
Hinduism is not a single, unified religion, but rather a collection of traditions,
beliefs and practices which can sometimes be quite diverse from one another.
Some 3500 years ago, light-skinned Aryan invaders subdued the darker skinned
peoples of north-west India and then central and southern India. Hindu religion
probably developed from a combining of Aryan beliefs and practices with those of
the earlier Dravidian population.
Brahman
The main form of Hinduism is pantheistic. Brahman is not god in the Western concept of
god. Brahman is the universal, cosmic soul. Brahman is everything and everything is Brahman.
It is not personal and is seen more as the great energy that pervades everything.
The Gods
There are many thousands of gods in Hinduism. Hindus, however, believe that the one godhead, Brahman,
appears in many forms. The Trimurti (the three gods) are all seen as manifestations of Brahman.
- Brahma - is seen as the creator.
- Vishnu - is the preserver who sustains life.
- Shiva - is the destroyer.
Vishnu
It is believed that Vishnu has had many incarnations as a human or animal-man here on earth.
These incarnations are called avatars and Hindus believe that there have been 10 of them,
including the more famous Rama, Krishna and Buddha.
Nature Gods
Some of the gods of the Aryan invaders included nature gods. There are also many animal gods:
- Agni
- the god of fire.
- Surya
- the sun god.
- Indra
- the powerful god of thunder and lightning.
- Ganesha
- the elphant-headed god, son of Shiva and Parvati.
- Nandi
- the white bull on which Shiva rides.
- Garuda
- the white bird-man which Vishnu rides.
- Hanuman
- the monkey god who helped Rama rescue Sita.
Reincarnation
Hindus believe that every soul is reincarnated many times here on earth. When one body dies, the soul
goes into a newly born body. How a person is reincarnated depends on his/her karma - the balance of
good and bad actions accumulated through life. The caste system provided a structure for such reincarnations.
Traditionally Hindu society is divided into four rigid classes or castes. These are the four Varnas:
- The Brahmins
- the priestly caste.
- The Kshatriyas
- the warriors or princely caste.
- The Vaishyas
- the merchants and farmers.
- The Shudras
- the manual workers.
People falling outside of the caste system traditionally did the most degrading of work. They were called
Outcastes or Untouchables. Those from higher castes would avoid all physical contact with
them, even not letting their shadow fall over them. Mahatma Gandhi called them Harijans, meaning
'children of god.'
