Monday 24 June 2013

HINDUISM A CLASSIFIED VIEW :

meaning of name:
Hinduism, from the Persian hindu (Sanskrit sindhu), literally "river." Means "of the Indus Valley" or simply "Indian." Hindus call their religion sanatama dharma,"eternal religion" or "eternal truth."

date founded:
Earliest forms date to 1500 BC or earlier

place founded:
India

founder:
none

adherents:
900 million

size rank:
third largest in the world

main location:
India, also United Kingdom and United States

major sects:
Saivism, Vaisnavism, Saktism

sacred texts:
Vedas, Upanishads, Sutras, Bhagavad Gita

original language:
Sanskrit

spiritual leader:
guru or sage

place of worship:
temple or home shrine

theism:
pantheism with polytheistic elements (see Is Hinduism Polytheistic?)

ultimate reality:
Brahman

human nature:
in bondage to ignorance and illusion, but able to escape

purpose of life:
to attain liberation (moksa) from the cycle of reincarnation

how to live:
order life according to the dharma

afterlife:
if karma unresolved, soul is born into a new body; if karma resolved, attain moksa (liberation)

major holidays:
Mahashivarati (mid-February)
Holi (Spring)
Ramnavami (late March)
Dusserah (early November)
Diwali (mid-November)

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