Basic information about Hinduism -Mira Moltio -Andrelyn Compelio -Yanni Torafing -Arian

1. HINDUISM
-a presentation by

2. What is Hinduism?
• Etymology
Hinduism, from the Persian hindu
literally "river." Means "of the Indus
Valley" or simply "Indian." Hindus call
their religion sanatama dharma or "eternal
truth."

3. What is Hinduism?
• is the predominant religion of the
Indian subcontinent.
• is a mass of miscellaneous things of
religious, philosophical, and cultural
ideas and practices.

4. Hinduism differs from
monotheistic religions
because it does NOT have:
• a single founder,
• a single concept of deity,
• a single holy text,
• a central religious authority,
• the concept of a prophet.

5. Is it Polytheistic?
Some say Hinduism is polytheistic
because of the large number of
representations of the divine - devas and
devis (gods and goddesses). The Vedas say
330 million. For Hindus the number is not
important since ‘all gods lead to God as all
rivers lead to the sea’. What is important is
that people discover the divine in ways that
are appropriate to them.

6. The Vedas
• These are the most ancient religious texts which
define truth for Hindus.
• They got their present form between 1200-200
BCE and were introduced to India by the Aryans.
• 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, maybe even
thousands of years, the texts were passed on
orally.

7. WHO STARTED IT?
It was believed to be Brahman but others say
that there is no single founder of Hinduism as
Hinduism was not founded as a religion. It was a
culture basically flourished in India, which later took
the form of a great religion. It would be easy to
understand who is the founder of Hinduism if you
know what Hinduism actually is.

8. H
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N
D
U
I
S
M

9. • Hinduism had its roots over 3,500
years (1500 B.C) ago in a wave of
migration that brought Aryan
people down from the northwest
into the Indus Valley, now located
mainly in India and Pakistan.

10. OM (AUM)
• The sacred symbol and sound representing the
ultimate.
• The Sanskrit letters for Om are widely used as a
symbol by Hindus in homes and mandirs. It is
spoken or chanted with great reverence and is an
important part of prayer and meditation.

11. THREE PATHS
• karmamarga - path of • jnanamarga - path of
works and action knowledge or philosophy
• bhaktimarga - path of
devotion to God

12. Four aims of LIFE:
KAMA
(PLEASURE)
DHARMA
(MORAL DUTY)
ARTHA
(PROSPERITY)
MOKSHA
(ENLIGHTENMENT)

13. SOME COMMON
CELEBRATIONS

14. Diwali
• it is the beginning of a new year (new beginnings,
making a fresh start, anticipation)
• It is concerned with the triumph of light over
darkness, of good actions over evil ones, of
knowledge over ignorance, based around the story
of the return of Rama and Sita from exile, the story
of which is told in the Ramayana. It is also known
as the ‘festival of lights’.

15. Holi
• A very exuberant festival, with dancing,
singing, and throwing of paint.
• Bonfires are lit during Holi, and food
offerings are roasted.
• The festival is officially celebrated on the day
after full moon during the month of
Phalunga, which falls in February-March.

16. Raksha Bandhan
• This festival strengthens family ties, especially
those between sisters and brothers.
• Raksha means ‘protection’ and brandhan is a verb
meaning ‘to tie’.
• is celebrated on Purnima or full moon day in the
month of Shravan (popularly known as Saawan)

17. Karma and Samsara

18. KARMA
• Karma is a Sanskrit word whose literal
meaning is 'action'.
• It refers to the law that every action has an
equal reaction either immediately or at
some point in the future.

19. SAMSARA
• The process of reincarnation is called samsara, a
continuous cycle in which the soul is reborn over
and over again according to the law of action and
reaction.

21. TEN COMMITMENTS
1. Ahimsa - Do no harm anyone.
2. Satya - Do not lie.
3. Asteya - Do not steal.
4. Brahmacharya - Do not overindulge.
5. Aparigraha - Do not be greedy.
6. Saucha - Be clean.
7. Santosha - Be content.
8. Tapas - Be self-disciplined.
9. Svadhyaya – Study.
10. Ishvara Pranidhana - Surrender to God.

22. Hindu
Dieties

23. HINDU TRINITY
• BRAHMA, the Creator
• VISHNU, the Protector
• SHIVA, the Destroyer

24. The Hindu God Ganesh
• refers to the "lord of the hosts,"
• is the first born son of Shiva and Parvati,
• Ganesh is worshipped as the lord of new
beginnings, they believe he can take
problems away.
• considered the master of intellect and
wisdom.

25. What do Hindus believe about
God?
• Many Hindus believe in a ‘universal spirit’ or
‘God’ called Brahman.
• Brahman takes on many forms as different
devis and devas (gods and goddesses).

26. Estimated No. of Followers
• 950 MILLION- making it the third largest
religion after Christianity and Islam.
• We can find most of the followers in India
and Nepal.

27. THIS PRESENTATION IS presented TO
YOU BY:
Bernardez, Arianne Cariza
Compelio, Andrelyn Heidi
Moltio, Miraclene
Torafing, Yanni