INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS AND BELIEF SYSTEMS

Chapter 7

Hinduism

Welcome to the sixth module of the course “Introduction to World

Religions and Belief Systems.” For this lesson, we are going to study

Hinduism.

It is important for you to get acquainted with the founders of this

religion are, its sacred texts, its basic doctrines, its concept of God, its

sects, and issues concerning it.

Profile

What Is Hinduism?

The exact origin of Hinduism remains blurred and is still debated upon

by scholars. However, there are two prominent and complementary

theories on the origin of Hinduism.

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The first theory argues that Hindu tradition is connected with the

Harappan Civilization that emerged and flourished along the Indus

River from 3,500 to 1,500 BCE.

Proponents of this theory posit that physical evidence can be found in

many cultural sites within the Harrapan centers that show the early

development of Hindu religious thought.

Picture 1 The Pashupati Seal, Public Domain

One such evidence is the Pashupati Seal picturing a seated figure of

the Hindu god Shiva, which was found northeast of the Great Bath at

Mohenjo Daro – the most popular archaeological structure of the

ancient Harrapan civilization located at present day Sindh, Pakistan.

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Picture 2 The Great Bath at Mohenjo-Daro, Flickr Creative Commons

Another physical evidence of early Hindu religious thought in Harappa

is the terracotta figurines also found in the large public baths that

depicted venerated goddesses.

These early religious gestures later on culminated to the gods, temples,

sacred texts, and social structures that emerged in the later periods of

the Indus Valley civilization.

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Picture 3 A terracota figurine depicting an ancient Hindu goddess, Public Domain

The second theory explains how Hinduism’s sacred texts emerged at a

later period called the Vedas (1,500 BCE) and why present-day India

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house a northern Aryan language group and a southern Dravidian

language group.

According to this theory Hinduism evolved when a certain group of

nomadic tribes from Central Asia arrived in India at around 1,500

BCE. This group of white skinned people from Persia migrated to the

Indus Valley and drove the original inhabitants of the region, the

Dravidians, south. These invaders called themselves Aryans, which

meant landlords or noblemen. The Aryans spoke an Indo-European

language known as Sanskrit – the language used to write the ancient

Hindu texts.

Scholars believe that the Aryans were less culturally advanced than the

Dravidians and thus adapted most of their cultural practices including

their religious beliefs. Their arrival started a new era in India, the

Vedas, which is also the name of the first sacred texts of India.

So, if we take account both of these theories then we can conclude that

Hinduism originated from the Indus Valley civilization that dated as

far back as 3,500 BCE and which later on developed through the

writing of sacred texts initiated by the Aryans. The word “Hindu” is a

derivative of the Persian word “Hind” which refers to the northern

Indian region where the Indus River is located. In its most

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encompassing meaning Hinduism is the religion of the Indus River

region.

Required Reading

 For a historical and cultural backgrounder, please read:

“Hinduism” at World Religions (7th Ed.) by Warren Matthews

(pp. 72-107)

 For a profile that applies a cultural studies approach, please

read “Hinduism” at: http://rlp.hds.harvard.edu/files/hds-

rlp/files/hinduism.pdf?m=1446254328

Video

Watch:

 Religions of the World (Hinduism) at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kWT0Mv-w5g

Forum Discussion

1. What can you say about the polytheistic nature of Hinduism?

How did the ancient Hindus develop their worldview and belief

system?

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2. Reflect on the spiritual practices and beliefs of Hindus. How

are they different from the previous world religions?

3. Respond to at least one classmate’s answer.

Activity

Accomplish the corresponding Activity Sheet for this module.

Quiz

Take the Quiz for this chapter.

Issues: The Caste System

The caste system began after the Vedic era. So it’s important to

remember that it was not always there in the history of Hinduism.

There was a time when Indian society was not at all divided according

to these hereditary social groups called vanas.

The caste system draws its justification from the concept of karma

because according to the caste system a person is born in a particular

vana based on what he or she did in the past life. Karma is not bad, it

is neutral, it is the interpretation of it and its application into a new

structure that creates inequality and violence in society.

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It’s also important to remember that although there are originaly four

vanas there are however hundreds of castes. The caste system has

evolved and has become complicated after centuries of existence.

Through this evolution new social groups are conceived.

Today, the group at the very bottom of the structure is the dalit or

“untouchable.” The caste system put a lot of dalits into so much

economic and social disadvantage. It has also lead to discrimination

and even direct violence against the poorest and most marginalized

members of Indian society.

The question we need to explore here are the following:

Should the cultural violence perpetuated by the caste system be

blamed against Hinduism as a whole? In other words, is Hinduism

“bad” because of the caste system? How can we apply the concepts

we’ve studied at the beginning of this course to make sense of the

caste system and the atrocities related to it?

Please read the following reading, which talks about the relationship

between Hindu faith and the social structure of caste.

Also, please watch the short documentary linked below which features

evidences on the consequence of the caste system and solutions

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offered by the Institute of Indian Dalit Studies to counteract the effects

of the caste system.

Required Reading

“On the Relationship between Caste and Hinduism” by Declan

Quigley

Video

Discrimination by Caste: Evidence, Consequence and Remedy at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6HX5FvP5Io

Forum Discussion

1. [On the article] Now that you’ve read the article, can you

explain the relationship between Hinduism and Caste? Should

we blame Hinduism for the violence caused by Caste?

2. [On the film] What are your initial reactions after watchin the

documentary?

3. Please respond to at least one classmate.

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Lecture

Watch the accompanying video lecture to summarize this chapter.

Long Test

Take this chapter’s long test.

References

Haak Walter [Screen name]. (2015, August 18). National Geographic

- Religions of the World (Hinduism) – History channel – Documentary

[Video file]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kWT0Mv-w5g

Matthews, W. (2013). World religions (7th ed.). Belmont, CA:

Wardsworth.

Pluralism Project at Harvard University, Religious Literacy Project at

Harvard Divinity Shool. (2015). Hinduism. Retrieved from

http://rlp.hds.harvard.edu/files/hds-

rlp/files/hinduism.pdf?m=1446254328

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Quigley, D. (2003). On the Relationship between Caste and Hinduism.

In G. Flood (Ed.), The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism (pp.495-

508). UK: Blackwell Publishing.

Indian Institute of Dalit Studies [Screen name]. (2013). Discrimination

by Caste: Evidence, consequence and remedy [Video file]. Retrieved

from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6HX5FvP5Io

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