The word Hindu is a derivative of the Indo-Aryan Sanskrit name for Indus River, which is known as Sindhu. Historically, the term was from the geographical area of river Indus, where people lived around the 6th century, between 550 BCE to 486 BCE. However, the religious aspect of the religion came in around the 7th century CE, in China, and around the 14th Century in the Persian context.
According to Thapar, the word Hindu is derived from the heptahindu in Avesta and hndstn according to the Sasanian, both from Northwestern South Asia. The name Hindu was used to refer to people across River Indus, which was however originally derived from the Persian meaning referring to all Indians. Therefore, as a result, the state of India got the alternative name of Hindustan, which meant the land of the Hindus.
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History of the Religion
Hinduism is believed to be the oldest religion in the world. As much as individuals founded most religions, Hinduism was never a religion in the first place; it was culture. Hinduism, therefore, does not have a founder (“ Founder of Hinduism”, n.d) . In fact, the modern Hinduism is a true reflection of this; it is a mixture of teachings from Vedas (Hindu scriptures) and teachings from the ancient Rishis and some regional customs.
The history of Hinduism is segmented into different times of development.
The first period: Vedic religion period
This time was also known as the ancient Hinduism, Vedic and Vedic Brahmanism. It was the period is was between 1900 BCE to 1400 BCE. It was known as the religion of the Indo-Aryans and mainly practiced by the Indians who were habiting in the north ( Reineman, 1949) . These Indo-Aryans were a branch of the Indo-European language family and originated from the Central Asian Steppes. Their culture was Kurgan. Their religion according to Anthony (2007) was a mixture of both the old Central Asian and new Indo-European elements. The doctrine was borrowed from the Bactria-Margiana Culture. The religion at this time was associated with cultural rituals such as soma sacrifice, sun charm, perushmedha, fire altar and artharvaveda (medicine based) among many others ( Reineman, 1949) .
The second period: “turning point between Vedic religion and Hindu religion,”
This period is the most important and formative years of the religion just like other religions such as Buddhism and Jainism. It was experienced between 200 BCE and 500 BCE also known as the “Epic and Early Puranic period.” Most religion philosophers believe that this was the classical era of the religion ( Reineman, 1949) . The induH Hindu religion was subdivided into six different sections at this time; Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaiisheshika, Mimamsa, and Vedanta.
Third period: The neo-classical era
This period lasted between 650 BCE and 1100 BCE. This is also referred to as the neo-Hinduism, the era of the abandonment of the traditional Hinduism. The traditional Hindu was seen by the British as the major stumbling block to colonization and also the Christian European rule. The British therefore used some Indians to impose neo-Hinduism on the Hindu people ( Morales, 2016) . The colonialists who brought about reforms such as Unitarianism and Theosophy (Klostermaier, 2007) influenced Hinduism.
However, it is important to say that during these times, the Hinduism had leaders who hailed from both Islam and Hindu leading to the now known Hinduism, the Bhakti movement ( Morales, 2016: Klostermaier, 2007).
Beliefs of Hinduism
Hindu religion is not a unitarily organized religion that follows a particular form of approach to teaching its core values and belief. Unlike Christianity, they do not follow some stipulated commandments. However; some common beliefs are shared the bigger population of the world, such as the existence of a Supreme Being and the concepts of truthfulness, dharma, and karma in life is believed by the Hindus as well.
Creed
Creed is also known as practice, and Hindus have a well define practice. One of the most important practices for the Hindus is a belief in the Supreme Being Brahman, something that unites very person in the whole world. Two is Dharma. Dharma is the sacred duties that all Hindus must adhere to as per the social group someone falls into. These groups include Brahmins, rulers, business people and the manual workers. The other is reincarnation which all Hindus are expected to believe in the cycle of life (“ 9 Basic Hindu Beliefs”, 2015) .
Beliefs on salvation
In the periods of the traditional Hinduism, salvation was derived from literature named, Epics and Purans. These were philosophical, religious sects of Hinduism. Both the sects describe salvation based on stories, Mahabharata and Ramayana respectively. From this time to now, salvation is still instilled in the Hindu followers. And to obtain salvation, one has to worship idols, visit sacred places and observe Hindu ceremonies. The idols, however, are both in forms of animal and human representations. This belief follows by respecting Brahman (the Supreme Being and the real God). Brahman represents all the realities in life, both seen and unseen in both the physical and the spiritual world (“ 9 Basic Hindu Beliefs”, 2015) .
Beliefs on Scriptures
Hindu believes and upholds their scriptures known as the Vedas. The Vedas are used to guide the people through their stay in the world and how they should behave and live with other people. The Vedas represent infinity in the seemingly finite world and are believed to be everlasting, with their revelations being from the times of the ancient saints, to beyond the end of the universe. For example, dharma is a scripture, which tells people to pursue righteousness, holiness, and morality in this life. This is a belief, which Hinduism, as a religion maintains, is paramount to every individual (Bonnie, 2012: “ 9 Basic Hindu Beliefs”, 2015) .
Belief in Afterlife
Besides, the Hindus believe that their souls are immortal, and therefore, they cannot be destroyed nor were they created in the first place. Although the body is perishable, the soul of an individual remains and will reincarnate into another body after the death of the present life. Therefore, they believe that the sins of the soul in one’s body have to face the consequences of their transgressions even in the next life they live (“ 9 Basic Hindu Beliefs”, 2015) .
Demographics
Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world after Christianity and Islam. The religion has more than one billion believers, with more than 90 percent of this population living in India (Arvind, 2011). Up until 2006, Nepal was the only Hindu Kingdom in the World, after which it underwent democratization and became a secular state. The Hindu population present in other parts of the world is a result of the colonialism. Colonialism was a period when Indian servants, just like many other people across the world, were sent to foreign lands. Colonialism explains why extensive practice of Hinduism across the world, for example, in Mauritius, where more than half the population practice Hinduism.
There are also significant numbers of Hindus in South American and Caribbean countries. In Qatar, Hindus represent 12% of the population, while the United Arab Emirates consists of 20% Hindus. In the United States, significant numbers of Hindus are present, with most being Vaishnavas and the rest being Shaivas, the devotees of Shiva (Kurien, 2006).
Conclusion
Hinduism is the oldest religion that has been practiced since time in memorial. Predominantly in the state of India, the religion is believed to be more of a law that guides the followers during their lives. Although their concept of God is dependent on particular traditions, their common beliefs and practices have been seen to influence the world as a whole. One of their most popular belief is the concept of karma, which means the moral standing on the cause and effect relationship in life. This concept is not only limited to the Hindus today, but to other forms of beliefs. It has put into perspective the relationship between the human free will and ability to make choices, with our destiny (Frazier, 2011).
References
9 Basic Hindu Beliefs - Magazine Web Edition > April/May/June 2009 - Publications . (2015). Hinduismtoday.com . Retrieved 7 May 2017, from https://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=3106
Anthony, David W. (2007), the Horse the Wheel and Language. How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World, Princeton University Press
Arvind, S. (2011).Hinduism as a Missionary Religion, State University of New York Press, ISBN 978-1438432113, pages 5-12
Bonnie S., et al. (2012). Crossroads and Cultures, Combined Volume: A History of the World's
Peoples, Macmillan, ISBN 978-0312410179, pages 321-324
Founder of Hinduism . Hinduismfacts.org . Retrieved 7 May 2017, from http://hinduismfacts.org/founder-of-hinduism/
Frazier, J. (2011). The Continuum Companion to Hindu Studies. London: Continuum. pp. 1–15.
Klostermaier, K. (2007). A Survey of Hinduism (3rd Ed.). State University of New York Press.
pp. 46–52, 76–77.
Kurien, P. (2006). "Multiculturalism and American Religion: The Case of Hindu Indian Americans.” Social Forces. Johns Hopkins University Press. 85 (2):723–741.
Reineman, M. (1949). The Vedic Period in Hindu Philosophy . Theosociety.org . Retrieved 7 May 2017, from http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/forum/f27n02p99_the-vedic-period-in-hindu-philosophy.htm
