Hinduism

The world’s oldest religion

The sacred “Om”

 Where in the world?
• Worshipped in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and
Bali
 Date of origin (beginning)?
• 3000-1500 B.C.E (we are not quite sure, but
we know it is at least three thousand years
old).
• Formed on diverse traditions with no single
founder; we don't know precisely how it
began.
3000 BCE 0 1500 CE 2012 CE

Hinduism Christ is DaVinci Mrs. Zuehl’s

begins Born paints Mona class studies
Lisa 1500 CE history
 Sacred Texts
• Vedas
• Upanishads
• These texts provide guidance on the practice
of dharma or correct living. They are written in
Sanskrit.
 Clergy (religious “staff”)
• Brahmin – perform religious duties, kind of like. The
Brahmins interpret the Hindu texts (Vedas and
Upanishads). They perform religious ceremonies such
as weddings.
• Sadhus - holy men who have given up worldly
pleasures. Some wear yellow robes and practice
meditation and yoga. Siddhartha (aka Buddha) was a
sadhu.
 Place of Worship
• Temples – can be very large or small. Temples
have many statues of gods, bells and flowers.
• Household shrines – every home has some sort
of shrine that they can worship.
• The Ganges river is the most sacred Hindu site.
Believed to have flowed down from heaven, it
supposedly has healing powers. Bathing in the
Ganges (especially at dawn) purifies one’s soul,
washes away the effect of bad actions.
The Ganges, a river in India
 Holy Days, holidays, festivals
• Holi – a spring festival. It recalls the pranks that Krishna (the
8th avatar of Vishnu) played as a young man. People light
bonfires, play tricks, and throw colored water on each other.
• Diwali, a festival in the fall between October 15 and
November 15, when the sky is at its darkest before a new
moon. There is no school, kids receive presents and eat
delicious food. Families light lamps called diyas to welcome
Prince Rama (the 7th avatar of Vishnu) and his wife home
after their defeat of the evil demon Ravana. (We will read
about this defeat in the epic poem The Ramayana)
 Rituals
1. Thread ceremony – at adolescence, males learn about
Hinduism then wear a thread around their chests to show their
devotion
2. Weddings – traditionally, Hindu couple’s parents arrange their
marriage so that the bride and groom come from the same
area, belong to the same caste and speak the same language.
They also check with the Horoscopes. The bride wears special
jewelry and a red sari. Her hands and feet are decorated with
henna.
3. Funerals – each family has a burial site – a fire is built, body is
placed on logs, songs and prayers happen, and the body is
burned.
Hindu Wedding
 Sacred Symbols
“Om” Lotus flower
 Main Beliefs
• Hindus strive to follow dharma. Dharma is the
“right” path in life: good deeds, duty towards
God, society, family and themselves.
• Karma – what goes around comes around
• Eventually, after living many lives, Hindus
finally break free from the cycle of
reincarnation when they have done enough
good deeds.
 Karma
• Good and bad points earned through one’s
behavior, that accrue throughout their life and
affect what caste they are born into in the
next life.
 Reincarnation
• Hindus believe the soul does not die with the body. 
Instead, the soul casts off the body like old clothes
and is reborn into another life.  The law of karma
rules this process of reincarnation.  If a person does
good deeds, he will be reborn as a person in a better
position.  If he does bad, he might be reborn as an
animal or insect. Eventually, after hundreds or
thousands of lives, the individual soul can break free
and be reunited with the supreme spirit Brahma. 
This release from reincarnation is called moksha.
 Nirvana
• Once a Hindu has attained his best self he is
freed from the cycle of reincarnation and has
reached Nirvana. This freeing is called
moksha.
 Castes
• Indian society is divided
into levels. Priests are at
the top, Sudras (laborers)
are at the bottom. Below
that – the absolute
bottom of society – are
untouchables.
UNTOUCHABLES
outcasts
 Brahma
The Creator of everything
The piece of Brahma in all of
us (our eternal soul) is called
atman

Brahma is everywhere and in

everything.

He sits on a sacred lotus

flower, has four arms and four
heads – to watch the four
corners of the universe.
 Vishnu
The Preserver
• Blue like the sky
because he is
everywhere. He
appears on earth
in avatars, and has
so far appeared in
9 different
identities
 Vishnu’s avatars (earthly forms)
1. Fish
2. Tortoise
3. Boar (pig)
4. Half man/half lion
5. Dwarf
6. Rama the man, with an ax
7. Prince Rama (as told in the epic poem Ramayana)
8. Krishna (celebrated at Holi)
9. Prince Siddhartha (do you know who this is?)
10. Yet to come; Hindus are waiting for Kalki to arrive on a white
horse, an event that will mark the end of time (apocalypse)
 Shiva
The Destroyer