Om (pronounced Aum)

Om (or Aum, ॐ) is the sacred sound symbol that represents Universe; the ultimate reality (Brahman). It
is prefixed and sometimes suffixed to all Vedic mantras and prayers. Aum is often said to represent God
in the three aspects of Brahman (A), Vishnu (U) and Shiva (M).

Hinduism is not an organized religion and has no single, systematic approach to teaching its value
system. Nor do Hindus have a simple set of rules to follow like the Ten Commandments. Local, regional,
caste, and community-driven practices influence the interpretation and practice of beliefs throughout
the Hindu world.

Yet a common thread among all these variations is belief in a Supreme Being and adherence to certain
concepts such as Truth, dharma, and karma. And belief in the authority of the Vedas (sacred scriptures)
serves, to a large extent, as the very definition of a Hindu, even though how the Vedas are interpreted
may vary greatly.

Here are some of the key beliefs shared among Hindus:

Truth is eternal.

Hindus pursue knowledge and understanding of the Truth: the very essence of the universe and the only
Reality. According to the Vedas, Truth is One, but the wise express it in a variety of ways.

Brahman is Truth and Reality.

Hindus believe in Brahman as the one true God who is formless, limitless, all-inclusive, and eternal.
Brahman is not an abstract concept; it is a real entity that encompasses everything (seen and unseen) in
the universe.

The Vedas are the ultimate authority.

The Vedas are Hindu scriptures that contain revelations received by ancient saints and sages. Hindus
believe that the Vedas are without beginning and without end; when everything else in the universe is
destroyed (at the end of a cycle of time), the Vedas remain.

Everyone should strive to achieve dharma.

Understanding the concept of dharma helps you understand the Hindu faith. Unfortunately, no single
English word adequately covers its meaning. Dharma can be described as right conduct, righteousness,
moral law, and duty. Anyone who makes dharma central to one’s life strives to do the right thing,
according to one’s duty and abilities, at all times.

Individual souls are immortal.

A Hindu believes that the individual soul (atman) is neither created nor destroyed; it has been, it is, and
it will be. Actions of the soul while residing in a body require that it reap the consequences of those
actions in the next life — the same soul in a different body.
The process of movement of the atman from one body to another is known as transmigration. The kind
of body the soul inhabits next is determined by karma (actions accumulated in previous lives). Learn
more about Hindu funeral customs.

The goal of the individual soul is moksha.

Moksha is liberation: the soul’s release from the cycle of death and rebirth. It occurs when the soul
unites with Brahman by realizing its true nature. Several paths can lead to this realization and unity: the
path of duty, the path of knowledge, and the path of devotion (unconditional surrender to God).

 Truth is eternal.

Hindus pursue knowledge and understanding of the Truth: the very essence of the universe and the only
Reality. According to the Vedas, Truth is One, but the wise express it in a variety of ways.

 Brahman is Truth and Reality.

Hindus believe in Brahman as the one true God who is formless, limitless, all-inclusive, and eternal.
Brahman is not an abstract concept; it is a real entity that encompasses everything (seen and unseen) in
the universe.

 The Vedas are the ultimate authority.

The Vedas are Hindu scriptures that contain revelations received by ancient saints and sages. Hindus
believe that the Vedas are without beginning and without end; when everything else in the universe is
destroyed (at the end of a cycle of time), the Vedas remain.

 Everyone should strive to achieve dharma.

Understanding the concept of dharma helps you understand the Hindu faith. Unfortunately, no single
English word adequately covers its meaning. Dharma can be described as right conduct, righteousness,
moral law, and duty. Anyone who makes dharma central to one’s life strives to do the right thing,
according to one’s duty and abilities, at all times.

 Individual souls are immortal.

A Hindu believes that the individual soul (atman) is neither created nor destroyed; it has been, it is, and
it will be. Actions of the soul while residing in a body require that it reap the consequences of those
actions in the next life — the same soul in a different body.

The process of movement of the atman from one body to another is known as transmigration. The kind
of body the soul inhabits next is determined by karma (actions accumulated in previous lives). Learn
more about Hindu funeral customs.

The goal of the individual soul is moksha.

Moksha is liberation: the soul’s release from the cycle of death and rebirth. It occurs when the soul
unites with Brahman by realizing its true nature. Several paths can lead to this realization and unity: the
path of duty, the path of knowledge, and the path of devotion (unconditional surrender to God).

Samsara, Karma, Dharma

For most Hindus though, Moksha - reunion with Brahman - is a distant aim.

They think it is more realistic just to try for a better life next time by gaining good karma.

To that end, human life is better than life as an animal, and animal life is better than being reborn as a
plant.

To gain good karma and, thus, a better life, a Hindu believes that each living thing must fulfil the duties
expected of it – its Dharma.

Accomplishment of duties in life

 Unlike other religions, Hinduism has no one founder but is instead a fusion of various beliefs.
Around 1500 B.C., the Indo-Aryan people migrated to the Indus Valley, and their language and
culture blended with that of the indigenous people living in the region.
 Latest news
 A brewery has been urged to apologise over an “inappropriate” beer named for a Hindu goddess
and featuring her image on the label.
Members of the Hindu community criticised Tollgate Brewery over its Kalika IPA, which showed
a picture of the goddess Kalika, also known as Kali.
The goddess is “highly revered in Hinduism and is meant to be worshipped in temples or home
shrines, and not to be used in selling beer for mercantile greed”, according to Rajan Zed,
president of the Universal Society of Hinduism.
 Hindus do not consider the cow to be a god and they do not worship it. Hindus, however, are
vegetarians and they consider the cow to be a sacred symbol of life that should be protected
and revered. In the Vedas, the oldest of the Hindu scriptures, the cow is associated with Aditi,
the mother of all the gods. Therefore, the cow is considered a sacred animal, as it provides us
life sustaining milk.
 Millions of Hindus revere and worship cows. Hinduism is a religion that raises the status of
Mother to the level of Goddess. Therefore, the cow is considered a sacred animal, as it provides
us life sustaining milk. The cow is seen as a maternal figure, a care taker of her people. The cow
is a symbol of the divine bounty of earth.

 Lord Krishna, one of the most well known of the Hindu deities is often depicted playing his flute
amongst cows and dancing Gopis (milkmaids). He grew up as a cow herder. Krishna also goes by
the names Govinda and Gopala, which literally mean “friend and protector of cows.” It is
considered highly auspicious for a true devotee to feed a cow, even before eating breakfast
oneself.
 The followers of Hinduism are referred to as Hindus. According to the Constitution of India, the
term Hindu refers to anyone who follows any Indian religion, including Hinduism, Buddhism,
Sikhism or Jainism.
 Hinduism is a relatively new term as of 2014. It was coined in the 19th century by British writers,
but it refers to a variety of rituals, practices and beliefs. Hinduism is a major world religion and
believed by some scholars to be the world's oldest religious belief system. The word Hindu is
derived from the Sanskrit word "Sindhu," a historic name for the Indus River in the northwest of
the Indian subcontinent.
 Hinduism has over 1.1 or 1.08 billion adherents worldwide (15–16% of world's population).
Nepal (81.3%) and India (79.8%) are countries with Hindus being the majority of their respective
populations. -14 June 2019.