Origin and History of Hinduism - 5 MINUTES

Hinduism is the world's oldest religion, dating back over 4,000 years. Its early origins are ambiguous, with no single founder or definite starting point. In fact, many Hindus believe the religion is eternal, as old as time itself. Hinduism prescribes honesty, refraining from injuring living beings, patience, self-restraint, virtue and compassion, among others. Hindu practices include rituals such as worship, recitations and meditation. Its earliest known origins are found in the Indus Valley civilization, with which it shares some religious practices including ritual bathing, sacrifices and goddess worship. The Vedic period is so named for the composition of the four Vedas, considered timeless divine revelations composed in Sanskrit, the primary language of Hinduism. The Rig Veda is the oldest, largest and arguably most important Veda, composed of more than a thousand poetic hints and focused significantly on the pantheon of gods. The Vedas speculated upon an interconnected universe, with a single unifying force behind an otherwise diverse cosmos, termed Brahman. Although most Hindus believe that Brahman is the ultimate source of everything, it is not worshipped like a god and is not understood as a single deity. Instead, all male deities are thought to individually reflect the multiple aspects of Brahman. A Rig Veda hymn dedicated to the creator god termed Brahma, is thought to be the origin of the caste system, as it introduced the four social classes of Hinduism. These four classes were believed to have originated from distinct body parts of Brahma. Priests from the mouth, nobles from the arms, commoners from the thighs and servants from the feet. According to the Vedas, to make life meaningful, Hindus should pursue four goals simultaneously. Generating and distributing wealth, indulging in pleasure and seeking emotional fulfillment, pursuing liberation and release by not being overly attached to anything, and being socially responsible by following a code of ethics and duties, which is the Dharma. Widely regarded as the most authoritative book on Hindu law, the Manusmriti elaborates on the Dharma and prescribes them to each of the four varnas or castes, justifying therefore the caste system as the basis of social order. Related to the Dharma is the fundamental concept of karma, according to which virtuous actions always receive good consequences and vice versa. Reincarnation is key to Hinduism, and karma is thought to operate not only in this lifetime, but also across lifetimes, meaning that one's future lives and the caste in which they may be will be conditioned by actions performed during one's present life, which itself has been conditioned by the actions performed in previous lives. Important texts of Hinduism also include the two very long epic poems Ramayana and Mahabharata. They elaborated on the deities and doctrines introduced in the Vedas and were partially based on historical events that took place in the ancient Hindu kingdoms. The first official Hindu temples were built during this Puranic period and were dedicated to significant Hindu deities such as Vishnu the protector and Shiva the destroyer of the universe. 5th century India was a time of significant religious and philosophical reform. In response to what was perceived as the failure of Hinduism to address the needs of people, many schools of thought developed, including Buddhism led by Siddhartha Gautama who had been a Hindu prince. Although it is often referred to as an offshoot of Hinduism, Buddhism rejects the Hindu caste system and abandons its rituals, priesthood and gods. Whereas Gupta emperors used Hinduism as a unifying religion, the collapse of their empire resulted in the formation of regional kingdoms dedicated to specific deities. However, Hinduism in general remained the most popular as it encompassed all Hindu folklore and scripture. After centuries of invasion, Muslims became the dominant political force in India. While some Islamic leaders were lenient to Hindu practices, Muslims especially after 1500 prohibited the worship of Hindu deities and destroyed many sacred temples. In 1757, British victory meant the end of Muslim dominance. Initially, the British allowed Hindus to practice their religion freely, but eventually Western missionaries sought to convert Hindus to Christianity. This was a time of internal reform and rebellion with Hindu missionaries rallying to rid the religion of the so-called Christian superstition. The British Raj also furthered the development of the caste system, making it more rigid and formulating it into the British system of governance. Upper and lower castes were segregated, priests would not accept food or drink from the servants, and one could only marry within their own caste. British colonialism and Christian missionaries undoubtedly served as a catalyst for a growing Indian nationalism, with Indian-ness increasingly tied with the emerging concept of Hinduness. Gandhi himself drew upon established Hindu traditions, namely pacifism and non-violence, in his rally for Indian independence. After the end of colonial rule, India was split into the independent nations of Hindu-majority India and the predominantly Muslim Pakistan. Independent Indian constitution prohibited discrimination based on caste, though some social traditions of marrying only from one's own caste are still sometimes followed. Today, the third largest religion in the world has undoubtedly had a profound impact upon Western culture, from the Beatles' fascination with transcendental meditation in the 1960s to modern-day yoga practice.