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Founder: Aryan people - little is known about these people other than their migration into the Indus Valley and Iran.
Religious Texts: The Vedas , The Upanishads , Puranas , Bhagavad Gita , Brahmanas
View of God: A Hindu may be a polytheist, pantheist, monotheist, agnostic, or an atheist.
Name(s) of God: Brahma - creator god, Brahman - universal all or ultimate reality: Other deities include the Vedic deities: Dyaus Pitar, Pritivi Mater, Varuna, Indra, Mitra, Rita, Vishnu, Rudra, Agni, Soma, Brahmanaspati.
Teachings:
- A Hindu must regard the Vedas as divinely inspired and authoritative.
- A Hindu must accept the caste system.
- A Hindu must respect the veneration of the various levels of deities and spirits.
Over time, Hindu practice has followed what is called the "Three Ways". First is the way of works. Second, the way of knowledge, and third, the way of devotion. Please refer to the chart below.
Three Ways Chart (taken from "Neighboring Faiths", page 190)
| Way |
Origin |
Scriptures |
Practice |
| Works |
c. 1500 B.C. |
Vedas, Sutras, Brahmanas, Code of Manu |
Detailed observance of laws and rituals, governed by priests |
| Knowledge |
c. 500 B.C. |
Upanishads (Vedanta) |
Mystical recognition of Atman-Brahman identity, withdrawal |
| Devotion (Bhakti) |
c. 200 B.C. to A.D. 800 |
Bhagavad Gita, Tamil poetry, Puranas |
Attachment to one god or goddess; three main schools |
- The Way of Works refers to that phase of Hinduism that stresses ritual observance and legal requirements. They emphasize the importance of a priesthood (the Brahmins) in the administering of ritual and legal observance.
- The Way of Knowledge rejected the professional (Brahmin) priesthood. Rather than focusing on ritual observance carried out by one class of people, they focused on mystical experience. The mystical beliefs were recorded in the Upanishads. It is the way of knowledge that emphasizes their being only one true reality; that of Brahman.
- The Way of Devotion was known as Bhakti, or the "loving attachment" school of Hinduism. The emphasis here is not on rituals or on mystical knowledge. Rather it is on devotion to your personal god or goddess that is important. This form of Hinduism believes that salvation is attained by means of total devotion to your god or goddess.
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