JaneSmith105
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Here is the first ever correct definition of Hinduism, being written down for the first time after 4200 years.
What is Hinduism?
Answer: Hinduism is the worship of deities present in or associated with Vedic Samhitas
When asked to define what Hinduism is, Hindu scholars tend to tie themselves in knots. Explanations given range as follows:
“It is very difficult to define what Hinduism is. It is a conglomeration of cultural practices.”
“Actually, Hinduism is not a religion. It is a way of life.”
“Hinduism does not have a founder. It is mystical religion that simply grew out of the teachings of ancient sages.”
None of these definitions are true. We need to understand the socio-economic and cultural context in which Hinduism evolved, to understand what Hinduism is.
Once upon a time, India used to face frequent immigration of foreign tribes. Scores of tribes came in and frequently mingled with the natives. These new incoming tribes brought in new deities and religions with them – the atmosphere became highly polytheistic because of this. In order to arrest this excessive polytheism, an institution of seven sages called Saptarshis was formed. They formed a compendium of hymns called Vedas. And they declared that just about any god cannot be worshipped. For a deity to be worshippable or be considered as a Hindu god, he or she must be present in Vedas or be associated with one of the deities present in Vedas. So, if a new tribe immigrates into India and wants its deity to be considered as a Hindu God, the deity must be declared as a manifestation of one of the deities present in Vedas. Other options were also available apart from manifestation - the new deity could be declared as the son or wife or daughter or husband of the deity present in the Vedas. This was the restriction enforced by the Saptarshis. Please note that when I talk about Vedas here, I am talking only about Vedas proper and not appendages to Vedas, such as Upanishads. Often, a Hindu scholar quotes from Upanishad attached to a Veda and claims that his quote is from the Veda. However, the original definition of Hinduism did not include Upanishads, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, or any other appendages to Vedas. The definition included only the hymns of Vedic Samhitas, not the appendages. A deity could be considered a worshippable Hindu deity only if –
1) a deity has a dedicated hymn in the Vedic Samhitas. Ex - Purusha, Rudra, Sri, Indra, Agni, Vayu, etc.
2) a deity is associated as the incarnation or manifestation of another deity having a dedicated hymn in Vedic Samhitas. Ex- Ram and Krishna could be considered Hindu deities only because they got associated with Purusha of the Vedas, as his incarnations.
3) a deity is associated as the son or daughter or wife or husband or father or mother of another deity having a dedicated hymn in the Vedic Samhitas. Ex- Ganesha and Parvati do not have much of Vedic presence – they became Hindu deities only because they got associated as the son and wife of Rudra of the Vedas.
4) a deity draws his or her divinity as a blessing from another deity having a dedicated hymn in Vedic Samhitas. Ex- Hanuman, Raghavendra, Jalaram etc.
Apart from these, there was another restriction that was placed on these deities. A structure can only be as strong as its foundation. Similarly, a deity cannot be considered superior to the Vedic deity that he or she got associated with. That sort of a thing defeated the very purpose of enforcing these restrictions, and was therefore not allowed. So it is not allowed that Krishna be considered superior to Narayana, or that Ganesha or Parvati be considered superior to Rudra.
These restrictions were strictly enforced by Saptarshis for thousands of years. At the time of the three-century drought of 2200 BC, millions died of hunger. Unable to bear the brunt of nature’s fury, a large number of Indians left for foreign shores. In the resulting societal turbulence of the time, the institution of Saptarshis got destroyed, and atheistic cults like Buddhism and Jainism took over Indian civilization. Later, when Hinduism started making a comeback under the supervision of Sankaracharya from 5th century BC onwards, there were no Saptarshis to enforce the earlier restrictions. New interpretations of the religion emerged. Sankaracharya’s six form theology, where six deities - Vishnu, Ganesha, Rudra, Skanda, Sakti, Surya – could be considered as equals of each other, broke the sanctity of the earlier definition of Hinduism, paving way for considering Ganesha or Parvati to be superior to Rudra if the devotee so desired. Others followed the example of Sankaracharya. Krishna’s devotees started considering him to be superior to Narayana, as encapsulated in ISKCON’s philosophy today. Not just this, more and more deities not associated with Vedas started being incorporated into Hinduism in the last two millennia, especially so in the last few decades.
However, at the heart of Hinduism, Hinduism still follows the old definition of the time of Saptarshis. One of the reasons for this is because all the ancient worship spots of Hindus – 3 mukti sthalas, 12 jyotirlingas, 4 kumbhamela spots, 7 holy cities, 4 must visit spots, 108 Divya Desams, 56 Shakti Peeths – and all the important festivals - all of these are closely associated with the old definition of Hinduism. So, by and large, Hinduism still follows the old definition, which is as follows, being written down for the first time after 4200 years – kindly make a note of it:
Hinduism is the worship of deities present in or associated with Vedic Samhitas
Via : Prithvi
What is Hinduism?
Answer: Hinduism is the worship of deities present in or associated with Vedic Samhitas
When asked to define what Hinduism is, Hindu scholars tend to tie themselves in knots. Explanations given range as follows:
“It is very difficult to define what Hinduism is. It is a conglomeration of cultural practices.”
“Actually, Hinduism is not a religion. It is a way of life.”
“Hinduism does not have a founder. It is mystical religion that simply grew out of the teachings of ancient sages.”
None of these definitions are true. We need to understand the socio-economic and cultural context in which Hinduism evolved, to understand what Hinduism is.
Once upon a time, India used to face frequent immigration of foreign tribes. Scores of tribes came in and frequently mingled with the natives. These new incoming tribes brought in new deities and religions with them – the atmosphere became highly polytheistic because of this. In order to arrest this excessive polytheism, an institution of seven sages called Saptarshis was formed. They formed a compendium of hymns called Vedas. And they declared that just about any god cannot be worshipped. For a deity to be worshippable or be considered as a Hindu god, he or she must be present in Vedas or be associated with one of the deities present in Vedas. So, if a new tribe immigrates into India and wants its deity to be considered as a Hindu God, the deity must be declared as a manifestation of one of the deities present in Vedas. Other options were also available apart from manifestation - the new deity could be declared as the son or wife or daughter or husband of the deity present in the Vedas. This was the restriction enforced by the Saptarshis. Please note that when I talk about Vedas here, I am talking only about Vedas proper and not appendages to Vedas, such as Upanishads. Often, a Hindu scholar quotes from Upanishad attached to a Veda and claims that his quote is from the Veda. However, the original definition of Hinduism did not include Upanishads, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, or any other appendages to Vedas. The definition included only the hymns of Vedic Samhitas, not the appendages. A deity could be considered a worshippable Hindu deity only if –
1) a deity has a dedicated hymn in the Vedic Samhitas. Ex - Purusha, Rudra, Sri, Indra, Agni, Vayu, etc.
2) a deity is associated as the incarnation or manifestation of another deity having a dedicated hymn in Vedic Samhitas. Ex- Ram and Krishna could be considered Hindu deities only because they got associated with Purusha of the Vedas, as his incarnations.
3) a deity is associated as the son or daughter or wife or husband or father or mother of another deity having a dedicated hymn in the Vedic Samhitas. Ex- Ganesha and Parvati do not have much of Vedic presence – they became Hindu deities only because they got associated as the son and wife of Rudra of the Vedas.
4) a deity draws his or her divinity as a blessing from another deity having a dedicated hymn in Vedic Samhitas. Ex- Hanuman, Raghavendra, Jalaram etc.
Apart from these, there was another restriction that was placed on these deities. A structure can only be as strong as its foundation. Similarly, a deity cannot be considered superior to the Vedic deity that he or she got associated with. That sort of a thing defeated the very purpose of enforcing these restrictions, and was therefore not allowed. So it is not allowed that Krishna be considered superior to Narayana, or that Ganesha or Parvati be considered superior to Rudra.
These restrictions were strictly enforced by Saptarshis for thousands of years. At the time of the three-century drought of 2200 BC, millions died of hunger. Unable to bear the brunt of nature’s fury, a large number of Indians left for foreign shores. In the resulting societal turbulence of the time, the institution of Saptarshis got destroyed, and atheistic cults like Buddhism and Jainism took over Indian civilization. Later, when Hinduism started making a comeback under the supervision of Sankaracharya from 5th century BC onwards, there were no Saptarshis to enforce the earlier restrictions. New interpretations of the religion emerged. Sankaracharya’s six form theology, where six deities - Vishnu, Ganesha, Rudra, Skanda, Sakti, Surya – could be considered as equals of each other, broke the sanctity of the earlier definition of Hinduism, paving way for considering Ganesha or Parvati to be superior to Rudra if the devotee so desired. Others followed the example of Sankaracharya. Krishna’s devotees started considering him to be superior to Narayana, as encapsulated in ISKCON’s philosophy today. Not just this, more and more deities not associated with Vedas started being incorporated into Hinduism in the last two millennia, especially so in the last few decades.
However, at the heart of Hinduism, Hinduism still follows the old definition of the time of Saptarshis. One of the reasons for this is because all the ancient worship spots of Hindus – 3 mukti sthalas, 12 jyotirlingas, 4 kumbhamela spots, 7 holy cities, 4 must visit spots, 108 Divya Desams, 56 Shakti Peeths – and all the important festivals - all of these are closely associated with the old definition of Hinduism. So, by and large, Hinduism still follows the old definition, which is as follows, being written down for the first time after 4200 years – kindly make a note of it:
Hinduism is the worship of deities present in or associated with Vedic Samhitas
Via : Prithvi
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