THE OLDEST AND MOTHER OF ALL RELIGIONS

1. HINDUISM
ALLAN ESTRADA BASUGA

2. MOTIVATIONAL ACTIVITY
Hinduism is also known for its belief in
different gods and goddesses. Draw a Hindu
god or goddess. Write a four-sentence
description of your chosen Hindu god or
goddess and explain why you selected that
god or goddess. Present your work to the
class.

3. HINDUISM
1. Which Hindu god/goddess did you draw?
2. What traits do you possess that made you
identify with that particular Hindu
god/goddess you drew?
3. Did you find this activity enjoyable and
worthwhile? Why or Why not?

4. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
1. Why is Hinduism considered a diverse and
complex religion?
2. How do the Hindus manifest their
spirituality amidst the variety of their
traditions and freedom of beliefs?

5. CONCEPT MAP
HINDUISM
SACRED
SCRIPTURE
WORSHIPS
AND
OBSERVANCE
BELIEFS
AND
DOCTRINES
SUBDIVISIONS

6. HINDUISM AT A GLANCE
Hinduism is the religion of the majority of
people in India and Nepal. It also exists among
significant populations outside of the sub-
continent and has over 900 million adherents.
In some ways, Hinduism is the oldest living
religion in the world, and it is closely
associated with other Indian religions, such as
Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism.

7. HINDUISM AT A GLANCE
Unlike most other religions, Hinduism has no single
founder, no single scripture, and no commonly
agreed set of teachings. Throughout its extensive
history, there have been many key figures teaching
different philosophies and writing numerous holy
books. For these reasons, writers and religious
scholars often refer to Hinduism as a “way of life” or
a “family of religions” rather than a single religion.

8. SYMBOL: AUM OR OM
This symbol is a sacred
syllable representing
Brahman, the impersonal
absolute of Hinduism-
omnipotent, omnipresent,
and the source of all
manifest existence.

9. BASIC FACTS:
FOUNDERS ARYANS (1500 B.C.)
SACRED TEXTS VEDAS, UPANISHADS, AND BHAGAVAD-
GITA
DOCTRINES DHARMA, KARMA, ARTHA, MOKSHA,
BRAHMAN, ATMAN, THE FOUR YOGAS
GODS 33 MILLION GODS AND GODDESSES
SACRED SPACE TEMPLE
ISSUES GENDER INEQUALITY, CASTE SYSTEM,
POVERTY

10. HINDU SCRIPTURES: THE VEDAS
These are the most ancient
religious texts which define
truth for Hindus. They got their
present form between 1200-
200 B.C.E. and were introduced
to India by the Aryans-the
early settlers of India.

11. HINDU SCRIPTURES: THE VEDAS
Hindus believe that the texts were
received by scholars direct from
God and passed on to the next
generations by word of mouth.
Vedic texts are sometimes called
‘shruti’, which means ‘hearing’. For
hundreds, or maybe even
thousands of years, the texts were
passed on orally.

12. CONTENTS OF THE VEDAS
The Vedas are made up of four
compositions, and each Veda in turn has
four parts which are arranged
chronologically.

13. CONTENTS OF THE VEDAS
1. The Samhitas are the most ancient parts of the
Vedas, consisting of hymns or praise to God.
2. The Brahmanas are rituals and prayers to guide
the priests in their duties.
3. The Aranyakas contain worship and meditation.
4. The Upanishads consists of the mystical and
philosophical teachings of Hinduism.

14. THE SAMHITAS
1. The Rig-Veda Samhita is the oldest of the four Vedas
and consists of 1028 hymns praising the ancient gods.
2. The Yajur-Veda Samhita is used as a handbook by
priests performing the Vedic scriptures.
3. The Sama-Veda Samhita consists of hymns and
tunes for singing at the sacrifices.
4. The Athava-Veda Samhita preserves many traditions
which predate the Aryan influence and consists of
spells, charms and magical formulate.

15. THE UPANISHADS
The name Upanishad is composed
of the terms upa (near), ni (down)
and shad (to sit), meaning
something like “sitting down near”.
The name is inspired by the action
of sitting at the feet of an
illuminated teacher to engage in a
session of spiritual instructions, as
aspirants still do in India today.

16. THE UPANISHADS
These texts developed from the
Vedic tradition, but largely
reshaped Hinduism by providing
believers with philosophical
knowledge. Central to Upanishads
is the concept of Brahman- the
sacred power which informs reality.

17. THE BHAGAVAD-GITA
Bhagavad Gita means “the song of the
Lord”. It takes the form of a dialogue
between Arjuna (the warrior prince) and
Krishna (an avatar(incarnation) of the
god Vishnu). Arjuna was about to join his
brothers in a war between two branches
of the royal family which would involve
killing many of his friends and relatives.

18. THE BHAGAVAD-GITA
This made Arjuna quite reluctant to
join the war and he planned to
withdraw from the battle. But
Krishna, reminded him that he must
fulfill his duty in accordance with his
class, arguing that death does not
destroy the soul.

19. THE MAHABHARATA
Mahabharata, (Sanskrit: “Great Epic of the
Bharata Dynasty”) one of the two Sanskrit
epic poems of ancient India (the other being
the Ramayana). The Mahabharata is an
important source of information on the
development of Hinduism between
400 BCE and 200 CE and is regarded by
Hindus as both a text about dharma (Hindu
moral law) and a history (Itihasa, literally
“that’s what happened”).

20. THE MAHABHARATA
Mahabharata is the world’s longest
poem. It consists of a mass of
mythological and didactic material
arranged around a central heroic
narrative that tells of the struggle for
sovereignty between two groups of
cousins, the Kauravas (sons
of Dhritarashtra, the descendant of Kuru)
and the Pandavas (sons of Pandu).

21. RAMAYANA
Ramayana is one of India’s best
known tales. It tells the story of
Prince Rama who was sent into exile
into the forest with his wife, Sita,
and his brother Lakshamana. Sita
was abducted by the demon
Ravana but ultimately rescued by
Prince Rama with the help of the
monkey god, Hanuman.

22. RAMAYANA
The story is written in 24,000
couplets. The symbolism of the
story has been widely
interpreted but basically it is the
story of good overcoming evil.
Many Hindus believe that
Ramayana is a story about
dharma or duty.

23. THE STORY OF CREATION BASED ON HINDU
TRADITION
There is no single Hindu creation story. Numerous
cosmogonies (a theory regarding the origin of the
universe) can be found in almost all of the
important Hindu Scriptures. One of the most
sublime accounts of creation occurs in the Rig Veda
10:129. It ponders on the mystery of origins and
offers more questions than answers.

24. THE STORY OF CREATION BASED ON HINDU TRADITION
(Rig Veda 10:129)
“Who really knows, and who can swear,
How creation came, when or where!
Even gods came after creation’s day,
Who really knows, who can truly say;
When and how did creation start?
Did He do it? Or Did He not?
Only He up there, knows maybe;
Or Perhaps not even He.”

25. BOOST YOUR MIND!!!!!!
Do the Hindus have a solid concept of a
creator? Explain your answer.

26. THE COSMIC EGG THEORY OF CREATION
The Creation Story in the Upanishads
The Chandogya Upanishads 3:19:1-4 relates how the world which
was then non-existent became existent and then became an egg.
After a year the egg broke open and silver part and a gold part
emerged. The silver part became the earth and the golden part
became the sky. The various parts of the egg became the features
of the heavens and the earth. The sun, which in this myth is
equated with Brahmin, was born from the egg along with all
beings who arose.

27. BOOST YOUR MIND!!!!!
Interpret the creation story you read. How
do you compare this theory of creation
with that of the “Big Bang” theory on the
origin of the universe?

28. MAJOR HINDU DEITIES
Although Hinduism believes in only one Supreme
Being, it is considered polytheistic because of its
concept of god: the one Supreme God manifests
Himself in different beings (human, animal and non-
material) which are also gods themselves. In fact on
their records, Hinduism has a total of 33 million
gods. However, among these gods, there are only
four considered by Hindus as major gods.

29. BRAHMAN
Central to Hinduism is the Brahman who is
the ultimate reality, one and undivided-the
Supreme God. The Brahman is often seen
in three forms or functions. Called the
Trimurti, these are creation, preservation,
and destruction. These functions are
expressed in god forms, namely, Brahma
(the creator); Vishnu (the preserver); and
Shiva (the destroyer).

30. CAN YOU RECOGNIZE?
How do you compare the Hindu concept of
“Trimurti” with the Christian doctrine of the
Holy Trinity?

31. BRAHMA
Brahma is the first god in the Hindu
Triumvirate called “Trimurti” or
“triune god.” Brahma’s job was
creation of the world and all
creatures. He is the creator god in
Hindu belief. However, his name
should not be confused with
Brahman (the Supreme God force
present with all things). Has 4 heads
and 8 hands.

32. BRAHMA
Brahma is the least
worshipped god in Hinduism
today. There are only two
temples in the whole India
devoted to him, compared
with the many thousands
devoted to the other two
gods.

33. CAN YOU RECOGNIZE?
Based on this figure
describe how Brahma
looks like?

34. VISHNU
Vishnu is the second god in the
Hindu Triumvirate or trimurti. He is
the preserver and the protector of
the universe. His role is to return to
the earth in troubled times and
restore the balance of good and
evil. So far, according to Hindu
belief, he has been incarnated nine
times, and that he will be incarnated
one last time close to the end of
this world.

35. CAN YOU RECOGNIZE?
Describe Vishnu
based on the picture.
Identify the four
elements associated
with him and describe
each element.

36. BOOST YOUR MIND!!!!!
Ponder on the underlined statement (he has
been incarnated nine times, and that he will
be incarnated one last time close to the end of
this world). How would you relate this Hindu
belief with the Christian belief on judgement
day or the second coming of Christ?

37. SHIVA
Shiva is the third god in the Hindu
triumvirate. Shiva’s role is to destroy
the universe in order to re-create it.
Hindus believe that his powers of
destruction and re-creation are used
even now to destroy the illusion and
imperfections of this world paving
the way for beneficial change.

38. SHIVA
According to Hindu belief,
this destruction is not
arbitrary but constructive,
and is regarded as the
one who combines many
contradictory elements.

39. CAN YOU RECOGNIZE?
Describe Shiva based on
the picture. Identify the
four elements associated
with him and describe
each element. Note the
marking on his forehead
and explain what this
means.

40. LAKSHMI
Lakshmi is the consort of the god
Vishnu. She is one of the most popular
goddess of wealth and purity. Lakshmi
is commonly portrayed as a beautiful
woman with four arms, standing on a
lotus flower. There is usually one, or
sometimes two elephants behind her,
anointing her with water. She is often
depicted sitting beneath Vishnu,
massaging his feet.

41. CAN YOU RECOGNIZE?
Describe Lakshmi based
on the picture. Identify the
two elements associated
with her and describe
each element.

42. KEYS CONCEPTS OF HINDUISM: ATMAN
Atman means “eternal self.” The atman refers to the
real self beyond ego or false self. It is often referred
to as “spirit” or “soul” and indicates the true self or
essence which underlies man’s existence. The
understanding of the self as eternal supports the
idea of reincarnation and that the same eternal
being can inhabit temporary bodies.

43. ATMAN
The concept of Atman includes the idea
of the self as a spiritual rather than
material being and thus there is a strong
dimension of Hinduism which emphasizes
detachment from material world and
promotes practices such as asceticism.

44. CONCEPT OF DHARMA
In Hinduism, dharma means ‘duty’, ‘virtue’, ‘morality’,
even ‘religion,’ and it refers to the power which upholds
the universe or society. Dharma is the power that
maintains society, makes the grass grow, the sun to
shine, and makes people moral or gives human the
opportunity to act virtuously. Additionally, dharma is
universal but is also particular and operates within
particular circumstances. Each person therefore has
his/her own dharma known as “sva-dharma.”

45. CONCEPT OF VARNA
An idea that developed in classical
Hinduism is that the dharma refers
specially to a person’s responsibility
regarding class (varna) and stage of life
(ashrama). This idea give birth to the
Hindu class system or “caste system”.

46. CASTE SYSTEM
Brahmans or Brahmins-
the intellectuals and the
priestly class who
perform religious rituals.

47. CASTE SYSTEM
Kshatriya is the class
of nobles or warriors
who traditionally had
power

48. CASTE SYSTEM
Vaishyas are the
ordinary commoners
and merchants who
trade and produce
commodities, tend
the farms and earn a
living.

49. CASTE SYSTEM
Shudras are the
workers who
traditionally served
the higher classes,
including laborers,
artists, musicians
and clerks.

50. CONCEPT OF KARMA
Karma is a Sanskrit word which means “action”. It refers to
the law that every action has an equal reaction either
immediately or at some point in the future. Good or
virtual actions (actions in harmony with dharma) will have
good reactions or responses. While bad actions (actions
against dharma) will bring negative effects. In Hinduism,
karma operates not only in this lifetime but across
lifetimes- the results of an action might only be
experienced after the present life in a new life.

51. BOOST YOUR MIND!!!!
You probably heard or used it yourself so
many times the expression: “Na karma
siya!” How do you interpret it now that
you already know the Hindu concept of
karma?

52. CONCEPT OF SAMSARA
Samsara in Hinduism is the process of rebirth
or reincarnation. It is a continuous cycle in
which the soul is reborn over and over again
according to the law of karma. At death many
Hindus believe, the soul is carried by a subtle
body which can be a human or non-human
form (an animal or divine being).

53. BOOST YOUR MIND!!!!
1. Do you believe in reincarnation?
2. If given a chance to be reincarnated,
what form of life would you choose?
Explain your answer?

54. CONCEPT OF MOKSHA
Moksha is the ultimate goal of Hindu believers.
This is the goal of liberation or freedom from
the cycle of action and reaction and from
rebirth. This concept is related to the idea of
atman- that in this world, a spiritual being (the
atman) has a human experience, rather a
human being having a spiritual experience.

55. CONCEPT OF MOKSHA
The attainment of moksha for a Hindu is for
the atman to be completely detached from
the material world and identify itself with the
Supreme Spirit (Brahman). This state of
liberation, Hinduism explains, can be attained
by going through the process of the Four
Yogas.

56. THE FOUR YOGAS
Yoga literally means “union”. This union can be
understood on different levels: philosophically, as that of
the relative, limited self with the absolute Self; religiously,
as that of the individual soul with the Infinite Spirit;
psychologically, as the integration of the personality – a
state wherein a person no longer lives at cross-purposes
with himself; emotionally, as the stilling of the waves of
likes and dislikes, permitting one to remain in all
circumstances complete in himself.

57. JNANA YOGA
Jnana Yoga is the path of
knowledge, wisdom,
introspection and
contemplation. It involves deep
exploration of the nature of our
being by systematically
exploring and setting aside false
identities.

58. JNANA YOGA
Jnana yoga is the yoga of
knowledge, the most
difficult of paths. It
requires great will power
and intellect. The Jnana
yogi is a philosopher.

59. BHAKTI YOGA
Bhakti Yoga is the path of
devotion, emotion, love,
compassion and service
to God and others. All
actions are done in the
context of remembering
the divine.

60. BHAKTI YOGA
Bhakti yoga is the yoga of
devotion; it is the path chosen
by those of an emotional
nature. Through prayer,
worship, chanting and singing
the yogi surrenders completely
to a higher energy. The love of
a bhakti yogi is unconditional
and unreserved.

61. KARMA YOGA
Karma Yoga is the path of
action, service to others,
mindfulness and remembering
the levels of our being while
fulfilling our actions or karma
in the world.

62. KARMA YOGA
A Karma yogi practices selflessness,
dedicating all actions to others and
expecting no results. Karma yoga
transforms the individual ego and
purifies our karmas. In Karma yoga, it
is not the action itself the counts, it is
the attitude that we carry whilst we
perform our tasks that matter. What is
our real motive? Are we truly acting
selflessly? That is the goal.

63. RAJA YOGA
Raja Yoga is the
comprehensive method that
emphasizes meditation while
encompassing the whole of
Yoga. It directly deals with
the encountering and
transcending thoughts of the
mind.

64. RAJA YOGA
Raja Yoga is the yoga of the mind and
is considered the king of all yogas.
Raja yoga is the path of meditation
and management of the mind, usually
chosen by those of a psychic nature.
Raja yoga is sometimes called
ashtanga yoga, the yoga of eight
limbs. The limbs are steps which
purify the body and mind, ultimately
leading the yogi into enlightenment.

65. RAJA YOGA
The eight limbs are: Yamas, Niyamas,
Asanas, Pranayama, Pratyahara,
Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi.
1. Yamas: Practices of self-restraint
to discipline the senses and purify
the mind.
2. Niyamas: Observances to increase
our willpower and strengthen the
mind.

66. RAJA YOGA
3. Asanas: Postures to purify the
body and make it steady for
meditation.
4. Pranayama: Breath control to
balance the vital and mental
energies.
5. Pratyahara: Abstraction of the
senses to withdraw the mind from
the senses.

67. RAJA YOGA
6. Dharana: Unwavering concentration
to attain the state of one-pointedness
7. Dhyana: Meditation - This is not a
practice, but a state achieved by the
practice of the first six limbs.
8. Samadhi: Super-Consciousness -
This is not a practice but a state which
arises when Dhyana is perfected.

68. DOCTRINE OF PARUSHARTA
Hinduism developed a doctrine that life has
different goals according to a person’s stage
of life and position. These goals became
codified in the “goals of a person” or “human
goals” which are called “parusharthas.”

69. DOCTRINE OF PARUSHARTA
These are dharma (appropriate behavior),
artha (the pursuit of legitimate worldly
success), kama (the pursuit of legitimate
pleasure), and moksha (release from
rebirth).

70. DOCTRINE OF PARUSHARTA
By faithfully performing duties in social
and family life, this involves one person
pursuing artha or appropriate worldly
prosperity and material well-being.
A person must also rightfully satisfy the
demand for enjoyment and pleasure or kama.

71. DOCTRINE OF PARUSHARTA
In all goals, one must be guided by
righteousness or dharma toward
achieving moksha. A person who achieves
moksha while in life is a free soul.

72. SUBDIVISONS
There are four principal denominations
within the Hindu faith. These are Shaivism,
Shaktism, Vaishavism, and Smartism.
It is important to note, however, that
while these gods have different names, Hindus
all worship one supreme being.

73. SUBDIVISIONS: SHAIVISM
Lord Shiva, the Compassionate One, is
God for the Saivites. Followers of
Shaivism value self-discipline and
philosophy. They worship in temples and
practice yoga.

74. SUBDIVISIONS: SHAKTISM
The Goddess Shakti is supreme for
Shaktas. She is the divine mother and
assumes many forms, be it a gentle one
or a fierce deity. Believers use chants,
magic, and yoga to summon cosmic
forces.

75. SUBDIVISIONS: VAISHNAVISM
Lord Vishnu is God for the Vaishnavites,
especially in his incarnations Krishna and
Rama. Adherents have multitudes of
saints, temples, and sacred texts.

76. SUBDIVISIONS:SMARTISM
For the Smartas, devotees are left to
choose their own deity in one of six
manifestations, namely, Ganesha, Siva,
Shakti, Vishnu, Surya, and Skanda.
Smartas are known as liberals as they
embrace all major Hindu gods.

77. ASSESSMENT TASK
1. Recite the creation story in Rig Veda
2. Identify the names of the major Hindu deities as well as
their corresponding functions or powers
3. Explain the core teaching of Hinduism as the attainment
of liberation in the identification of Atman and Brahman
through the Four Yogas
4. Simulate a particular yoga and write a reflection paper or
insights on Hinduism