QUEZON MEMORIAL ACADEMY

Progreso St. Poblacion West Umingan, Pangasinan

World Religion and
Belief System HUMMS 12
I. Title. WEEK 9

Lesson 8: DHARMIC RELIGIONS:HINDUISM

II. Objectives
After going through this module, you are expected to:

 Differentiate Dharmic religions;

 Distinguish the beliefs of Hinduism; and
 Identify the personifications or attributes of their gods and goddesses.

III. Anticipatory Guide.

We ended the previous lesson by understanding the different Abrahamic religions such as Christianity, Judaism,
and Islam. In this chapter, we can distinguish the commonality of Abrahamic from Dharmic religions. And we will
enlighten why Hinduism is considered a diverse and complex religion and also know how do the Hindus manifest their
spirituality amidst the variety of their traditions and freedom of beliefs.

IV. Lesson Content.

Dharmic religions are a family of religions from India, encompassing Hinduism and the three
related religions that have spawned from it. These Dharmic religions are very closely interrelated. The main Dharmic
religions are: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism.
Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots and customs dating back more
than 4,000 years. Today, with about 900 million followers, Hinduism is the third-largest religion behind Christianity
and Islam. Roughly 95 percent of the world’s Hindus live in India. Because the religion has no specific founder, it’s
difficult to trace its origins and history. Hinduism is unique in that it’s not a single religion but a compilation of many
traditions and philosophies.
The word Hindu is an exonym. This word Hindu is derived from the Indo-Aryan and Sanskrit word Sindhu,
which means "a large body of water", covering "river, ocean". It was used as the name of the Indus River and also
referred to its tributaries.
 Hinduism is also known as “Arya Dharma “ or the “Aryan Way”
Aryan brought with them their set of beliefs based on oral texts known as Vedas
 Aryan is a designation originally meaning “civilized”, “noble”, or “free” without reference to any ethnicity. It
was first applied as a self-identifying term by a migratory group of people from Central Asia later known as
Indo-Iranians (who settled on the Iranian Plateau) and, later, applied to Indo-Aryans (who traveled south to
settle northern India).
Sacred Writings of the Hindus
1. SHRUTI - The sacred texts of Hinduism fall into one of two categories: sruti ("heard")
or smruti ("remembered"). Sruti scriptures are considered divinely inspired and fully authoritative for belief and
practice, while smruti are recognized as the products of the minds of the great sages.
2. Vedas - The most sacred scriptures of Hinduism are the Vedas ("Books of Knowledge"), a collection of texts
written in Sanskrit from about 1200 BCE to 100 CE.
3. There are four Indo-Aryan Vedas: the Rig Veda contains hymns about their mythology; the Sama Veda consists
mainly of hymns about religious rituals; the Yajur Veda contains instructions for religious rituals; and the
Atharva Veda consists of spells against enemies, sorcerers, and diseases.
Gods and Goddesses and their personifications and attributes

Indra Leader of Devas or gods; the lord of heaven in Hinduism; god of rain and thunderstorms
Agri God of fire, messenger of gods
Adityas Sun-god
Mitra Deity for honesty, friendship, contrast and meeting
Varuna God of water, god of law of underwater world
Ushas Deity of dawns
Savitr Solar deity
Rudra Deity of wind or storm
Pushan Solar deity, god of meeting
Brihaspati Deity and religion
Dyaus Pita Sky god, father sky
Prithvi Mother earth
Surya Chief solar deity
Vayu Lord of the winds
Apas Water
Parjanya Thunder and rain

 Upanishads are wisdom teachings that explore the deeper, internal meaning of sacrifice. The Upanishads
are Vedanta (the “end of the Vedas”). Each of the Vedic samhitas has Brahmanas (ritual texts), Arayakas (forest
books) and Upanishads affiliated with it.
 Smriti, literally "that which is remembered" are a body of Hindu texts usually attributed to an author, traditionally
written down, in contrast to Śrutis considered authorless, that were transmitted verbally across the generations and
fixed.
 Mahābhārata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the R ā mā yaṇ a. It narrates
the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kurukshetra War and the fates of the Kaurava and the Pā ṇ ḍ ava
princes and their successors.
 Ramayana is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Mahā bhā rata. Along with
the Mahā bhā rata, it forms the Hindu Itihasa. The epic, traditionally ascribed to the Maharishi Valmiki, narrates
the life of Rama, prince of the legendary kingdom of Kosala.
 Bhagavad Gita, often referred to as the Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic Mahabharata,
commonly dated to the second century BCE. The Gita is set in a narrative framework of a dialogue between
Pandava prince Arjuna and his guide and charioteer Krishna

V. Activity
Critical Thinking: (Explain with your own words)
1. What makes Hinduism’s beliefs, particularly its polytheistic nature, complex for other people?
2. What do you think Hinduism is mainly concentrated in India?
VI. Assignment:
VII. “Explain the beliefs and doctrines of the Hinduism.”
VIII. Reflection:
Write down your most essential lessons and reflection about the topic.

Prepared by:
LORIELE P. LANTION
(Subject Teacher)