Basic Hindu Concepts

Author: NOVO

Last Updated November 17th, 2003

Updated June 15th, 2001

Some Basic Hindu Concepts

NOTE on Myth: Frawley, Rajaram and Jha's myths are based on false and falsified data. Many people are falling for their deceit believing that it is a NEW idea. You should go through the Indus Civilization links above. Do not base opinions on second hand false information on the Indus. I would recommend going to http://www.harappa.com/har/har0.html and if you have questions -- ask the people who are actually excavating and working on the civilization. There are many questions still remaining to be answered about the civilization and there has been little progress in diciphering of the Indus text (again I warn against self serving religiously motivated "decipherment").

Frawley's The Myth of Aryan Invasion tries to say that the Aryans were the native people of the Indus. Jha and Rajaram have put forward a decipherment of the Indus Script claiming that the language of Harappa was "late vedic" Sanskrit. Their work is based on false data. For example, Frawley claims there were horse bones in the Indus sites... which is false. The "altar" too was just a name of convenience and there is no altar. Jha and Rajaram computer enhanced seal images and made up their own seals based on their imagination. They invented data to fit their theory. -- NOVO

Introduction

The Name Hindu:

Technically Hindu is not the name of a religion but a people and the name that Western people use, which is Hinduism, is erroneous. A British had coined the term Hinduism to describe the diverse faith in India. That term does no justice to the spirituality of India.

The term Hindu comes from the name of the River Sindhu. In antiquity, when the Persians conquered North West India, they did not know what to call the people of the region and called them Hindu as a mispronunciation of Sindhu. Thus the people living around and on the East of Sindhu (the Indians) became Hindus.  Hindu is the name of a people not the name of a religion. Technically, every Muslim Indian is a Hindu... every Pakistani and every Bangladeshi is a Hindu. The best translation of Hindu would be Indian (people of the subcontinent).

Hinduism is an erroneous term as the "ism" suffix indicates a specific set of fixed ideas. The concepts of spirituality in India is not fixed or a specific set. The Hindu ideas vary significantly and are constantly evolving and more over there are opposing ideologies within.

Another name for the religion in usage is Sanatan or Sonaton Dharma. Sanatan means ancient and always true. This is the main tradition of India and is the one that non-Indians believe is Hinduism. It is also advocated by a lot of Swamis and others.

Swami Harshananda says that India was called HinduDesh or HinduSthan by the Persians and that the religion of the people in India was called Hindu Dharma. He says all religions such as Buddhism, Sikhism etc that developed in India are different aspects of the "same" religion called Hindu Dharma. The Swami is either wrong or trying to mislead people. The usage of Hindu Dharma, Desh or Sthan comes about much later and there is NO ONE religion of which he can draw aspects. There are many religions lumped together in attempts to absorb other religions into the religion of the Brahmin Aryans.

Back to Outline

Is Hindu One Religion?

There are often totally opposite traditions in India. Opposing traditions of King Bali and Baman coexist. We might even distinguish several religions in India that are all lumped together into "Hinduism".

Many traditions exist in popular form in India that are not part of the Vedic tradition (Vedas are deemed to be the most authoritative of the Hindu sacred books.) Similarly many Gods and Goddesses are not part of the Vedic tradition. The Brahmin Hindus are not priests of these popular Gods and Goddesses either.

Trying to understand the diverse faith in India as one unified tradition is a mistake that Western people make and misunderstanding that many upper caste Hindus would like to propagate. Just as all Greek philosophers can not be classified as one unified group with one unified set of ideas... the Hindu cannot be regarded as one unified faith.

Lingayat, Varkari and many other traditions exist that could be justified as separate religions. Even the Upanishads have a totally different ideology from the Vedas as Max Muller, the famous Indologist has shown.

Often Gods, Goddesses and concepts of totally different unrelated religions were weaved together in genealogies and mythological stories. In this way the Brahmins priests co-opted religious icons and symbols of other religions and achieved power over those religions and their members. This is exactly parallel to the development of Christianity. Christian priests co-opted the existing pre-Christian ideas, icons and special days into their own religion to extend their domination and root out competition.

Since it is not one religion, there is no one founder of the religion. I must add something here before ending the section. It is about the Veda or Ved or Bed. The modern claims about the Beds and the time when they were written are aimed at wiping out the memory and contribution of the Indus Valley. The above Vedic religion is the religion of the Aryans and not necessarily truly Vedic. There are even vain pretences that the Upanishads are part of the Vedas. Be aware of this deceit even by Hindu Swamis and priests. Vedanta does NOT mean the end of the Vedas but rather means Post Vedic. That is, they came after the Beds. Even Swami Harshananda tries to propagate this myth.

Back to Outline

Major Traditions

If we consider Hindu to be one unified religion then there are some major groups within the Hindu Dharma (the eternal faith). They are Shaiva (worships Shiva), Vaishnava (worships Vishnu), Shakteya (worships Shaktis who are the consorts of the Trimurti, see below),  Smartaism (those that do not follow any particular school but worship all Gods) and there are Agam(a) followers (follows the Agam(a) scriptures, see below), Smriti followers (follows the Smriti scriptures, see below).

The above is also not a very satisfactory but it is the "accepted" one. For students in the West, I would suggest to stick to the above. There are many different religions in India derived from diverse sources, modified, mixed, or kept as original such as the native tribal religions, Indus Valley Civilization, and the different Aryan tribal religions.

Back to Outline

Preliminary Understanding

To Understand Hinduism... here is an oversimplified introduction:

First remember Hinduism is not strictly a religion or a correct term but let us consider it for the moment to be the religion, as it will make this part easier. Here is a repeat of a concept that I shall personalize and expand. Beware I use lumping here and this is just to illustrate a point and not factual:

Consider the religion Jordanism and let us compare it with Hinduism... Never heard of Jordanism?

Hinduism would be a religion akin to the religion Jordanism, where both names emerge from the name of a river and both evolve to become a variety of faiths. That is the only proper use of the term Hinduism. Note no one religion called Jordanism exists... the same applies to Hinduism. If you consider Jordanism to be a religion, then Hinduism is a religion.

Back to Outline

Roots of Hindu

The above is a general understanding and now we are ready to go in-depth into the roots of Hindu. There is another small navigation palette for this section for easy navigation. For most students the above is probably enough.

The religion of India (Hindu) has its roots from the blend of spiritual beliefs of the Ancient Indians (Dravirs) of the Indus civilization (Mohenjodaro, Harappa), and the new comers, the Aryans. The nomadic Aryan tribes lived in central Asia and after 2000 BC, they started migrating. Some went westwards and some came to India around 1800 BC - 1500 BC (Western dating), coinciding with the end of the Indus civilization. The Indus or Sindhu civilization was the largest of the four ancient civilizations and had cities comparable to 17th century cities. Vedic references hint that the Indus Valley Civilization was destroyed by the warlike Aryans. (I will add the religion of native tribes here since today's Indian faiths have roots in the faiths of the native tribes.)

Aryan Religion

The religion of the Indian Aryan tribes was very much the same as the Mitra followers of Persia (ancient Iran). The Persian and the Indian Aryans quite possibly have the same origin. The Indo-Persians (Aryan) were polytheists and worshipped war Gods and the different tribes were constantly waging war against each other.

They worshipped Varuna (Varun or Borun), Mitra (Mithra or Mitro) and a host of super-man Gods. Mitra (Sun) and Varun (Wind) were twin concepts and both Indian and Persian Aryans worshipped Mitra and Varuna, but with varying degree of importance. The Persians worshipped Mitra, called Ahura Mithra, as the chief deity (relegated later by Zoroaster) and Varuna (and Indrah) was the chief deity of the Indian Aryans. Other Aryan tribes even further west, as the Mittani, also worshipped Indrah, Varuna and Mitra.

The Aryan religion involved the practice of Yajna (Joggo or sacrifices). Horse were very important to these charioteering  nomadic people and naturally they sacrificed horses. They also sacrificed humans.

They also worshipped fire (like Persians) and nature and told great tales (like Jews). A host of incantation and spells and stories from the Aryan religion are recorded in the earliest part of the first Veda, the Rig Veda which is probably the oldest literature and called the most sacred Hindu scripture. These incantations and spells were beautiful lyrical expressions of devotion and still continue to inspire humanity but some glorify war and destruction.

The Aryans cremated their dead in funeral pyres like the Vikings.

Back to the Roots Navigation Palette

Dravir Concepts

Shiva is a Dravir God, whose resume has been much edited, was later adopted by the Aryans and today is the main deity along with Vishnu and Brahmah (Brahman). Indra, Varuna and other Aryan Gods was at some point relegated to accept the Dravir God. Other Dravidian concepts that are important parts of today's religion are Yoga (Jog), Karma (Kormo), Dharma (Dhormo), Samsara (Shongsar, transmigration of the soul). According to Hasna Jasimuddin Moudud, these and other concepts related to Shiva seem to have been present in Bengal (North East India) long before the region was aryanized.

In the Rig Ved, the Aryans actually despise Shiva and worship of Shiv-Lingam. In Rig Ved (vii) Ch 21-5 it is clearly seen as a sin: "Let those whose deity is the Phallus (Shiv-Lingam) not penetrate our Sanctuary" Gradually later Veds accept Shiv. By the time of Yajur Ved, Shiv is the main deity. (It is similar to the seafaring. Originally the Aryans saw sea-faring as a sin and considered one to lose religion if they went across the oceans.) These elements of the Hindu therefore come from the ancient Indian civilization as well as much of her culture.

King Bali was a Dravidian king of Kerala who was demonized by the Aryans and killed by Ram (Sugrib did the actual killing), an Avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu. His tradition is the Dravidian tradition and from here many traditions survive. (Some sources say that Danav, another Avatar, while others say that Baman, another Avatar killed Bali)

Back to the Roots Navigation Palette

Indus Valley Concepts and Practices

Not much is known about the Indus valley religion or practices but it can be assumed from archaeology that their religion was extremely pacifist, in contrast to the warrior religion of the Aryans. Weapons were hardly found in the valley.

The Dravidian God Shiva (or Proto-Shiva, Pashu-poti) was probably a/the God or a significant personage of the ancient Indus people . From seals found there we can also say that Yoga and meditation also originated in the Indus civilization. Some archaeological finds also show that the Indian dance (the most complex and beautiful), that can even be found as far as Bali in Indonesia (Does the island bear the name of King Bali?), originated in this ancient civilization. Yoga, meditation, dancing are primarily associated with Shiva which again points to their origin in the Indus. Apparently the Dravidian concepts and practices stem from the Indus.

The people of the Indus Valley burried their dead instead of burning as is the most popular Hindu practice today.

The third eye concept also might have originated there. A statue, dubbed Priest King, found at the Indus valley civilization, has a circular space on the forehead where a little gold disc (also unearthed there) fits snugly. (images from Harappa.com)I

The Indus people buried their dead instead of cremating.

Back to the Roots Navigation Palette

Godless Civilization?

Archaeology has not, however, produced any idols, from the ruins of the first Indian civilization, which might be considered deities. Some small statues (dolls) have been found which some claimed to be of religious significance. The claims might be baseless. There is no reason to think that these dolls were sacred. Rather since they were found as part of thrown away items, it is more likely that they were not religious but rather toys. If they had religious significance, Shib (Shiva) might have been an important personage later deified and the small figurines often called mother goddesses might have served a purpose as they still do in Bengal. In Bengal village girls will buy cheap terra cotta figurines and leave them at temples (where they rot). Possibly the statues represent the girls and they leave them in the care of Gods for fertility prayers: wishing for a good husband.

Closely associated with this practice is the Tara Broto of older girls. They count the stars and make wishes for a good husband and life. They draw Alponas for this broto. The Alponas (pattern painting on the floor) are probably also a derivation from Indus customs where the floors were painted with patterns (endless knot). Was the whole Tara Broto custom derived from the Indus?

It must be noted that the Indus people might have been atheists with no place for Gods, much like original Buddhism (Bouddho). Buddha had not brought God(s) to his teachings and so it is significant that he had a Dravir Guru, who might have instilled in him the irrelevancy of God(s). However, just like Buddhism later evolved to include Gods and Goddesses, the Indus people might have also gradually started worshipping Shib (Shiva). The possibility of a Godless civilization is strong for the Indus Valley Civilization.

Back to the Roots Navigation Palette

Birth of Hindu

The Aryans  gradually subjugated the whole of India by violent means in which probably millions were killed and many more were enslaved. The Dravidians were suppressed. They were not allowed to learn and their traditions were suppressed. The stories of this conquest and subjugation are the tales of the Vedas, Mahabharat and Ramayan (epics). However, the native belief systems resurfaced and mingled with the Aryan belief systems to form the nucleus of Sanatana Dharma and Jain. More accurately, it appears that the Aryans not only adopted the culture of the Dravirs but most of their religion. The Aryans settled down to agriculture and even built cities (around 500 BC) probably using Dravidian slaves.

The Aryan religion goes mostly into decline. The caste system , however, an Aryan contribution grew tighter.  cremation of the dead, which is another Aryan custom survived and spread. The Aryans accepted Shiva but Shiva was named Destroyer in the Trimurti and was reduced to a sexual God. This formed the nucleus of today's Hindu and it evolved and developed in the North East over millennia to modern Sanatana/Jain with its great diversity and depth. 

The first empire of India after the destruction of the Indus civilization, that we know of, was the Kosala empire of northern India, whose antiquity might push back the antiquity of the Indus civilization. From history of the Jain religion, it seems that their religion has roots in this great empire with many of their emperors as their Tirthankaras (one who has successfully crossed life's stream of rebirths and is able to show the way to others). Their religion was more ascetic like the Shaiva (followers of Shiva). Interestingly the first Tirthankar(a) or Toerthankar of the Jains is Risabh whose symbol was the bull. Shib is called Brishodhwoj -- one whose symbol or flag is the bull. The third Tirthankar is Sambhaba, which is another name of Shib. There might be a stronger link between the two traditions than is visible at first glance.

Another group that retained more of the Aryan religion, it seems evolved into the Sanatana Dharma. More litterature and mythology enriched the Sanatana and the two groups diverged. The Sanatana Dharma was much enriched by philosophy (Hindu philosophy and science) of the new Aryan-Dravir people.

The Upanishads, some of the greatest works of ancient times came into being around this time. Then Buddha and Mahaveera (the last Tirthankar of the Jain) also preached their teachings which were much akin to the Dravir religion. It is interesting to note that much of these later works denied the authority of the Vedas (most sacred Hindu texts) and questioned the existence of God(s). Moreover, we know some of the technical writings as the HastyayurVed was written by Dravirs in Sanskrit and many of the later writings show a Dravir undertone. Was it a revival of the older Dravir ideas?

After the fall of Kosala, Jains probably suffered a set back and their religion went into decline and the Sanatana Dharma (and Buddhism patronised by Magadha and other later empires) became more popular. Together, the diverse beliefs of Jain, Sanatana, Buddhism and later additions (like Sikh) constitute the religion of India, Hindu. But due to Western classification and some egocentrism, Sanatana Dharma alone is considered Hindu. If Sanatana Dharma alone is Hindu, then the others are definitely separate religions.

(For the later part, the religion will be refered to as Hindu even though it is incorrect but not Hinduism... which is a term I do not favour)

Back to the Roots Navigation Palette

Back to Outline

Aryan and Dravir

Back to Outline

Roots of World Religions

Back to Outline

Requirements:

There are over 700 million Hindus in the world today following the Sanatana Dharma and other religions, mostly in India and Nepal. There used to be about 40% Hindus in Bangladesh but after the heinous division of India, the percentage has steadily fallen due to persecution in a land that is gradually becoming a radical Islamic nation. It has been suggested and heavily denied that Bangladesh is becoming one of the most important training bases for terrorists.

There are no strict rules to follow to be a Hindu by religion. Basic rules that apply loosely are that one must believe in Karma and must strive to fulfill Dharma and believe in the transmigration of the soul. A Hindu will see the existence of God in all things. Unlike members of other faiths a Hindu can question the holy scriptures and even Gods.

Back to Outline

Important Issues

Caste (Varna):

The Caste system is actually opposed to the Vedanta (post Veda) and an Aryan contribution. Early references show the existence of caste system in the Aryan India and their attempts to introduce it to non-Aryans who did not have the system. It is a deplorable racist social custom that breeds contempt, hate and discrimination even today.

The Hindu society is divided into various castes in hierarchical order. There are four major castes:

There is even another group who are called the untouchables, who Mahatma Gandhi called Harijans. The Mlechchhas were considered untouchable and are probably the descendants of the Indus Valley people.

There are two parts to the division. The first was determined by economic roles: This divided society into two groups (four castes), the Brahman/Kshaitrya (appropriators) combine and the Vaishya/Shudra(producer) combine. This is usually what is understood by Caste and is called the Chotur(four)-Varna or the four castes. The second division is within the Vaishya-Shudra caste, and is a horizontal classification. This was done based on the occupational specialization and each group was called a Jati.

The Varna system is first mentioned in the Rig Veda (the earliest text). This is not the same as the modern caste system. There were only two Varna at that time. They were the light and the dark Varna basically distinguishing between light skinned Aryans and the dark skinned local population (Dravirs). Varna means colour in India and the caste system's roots lie in pure racism -- hatred for the dark skin. The native people of India were called people of Krishnam Bacham (black skin). Racism against darker skinned people did not start with the era when Africans were enslaved.

To prevent Intermarriages and maintain Aryan racial purity the higher caste (Aryans) banned all intermarriages. This might be one of the first racially discriminatory rules. Its a rule that still survives even today in India and in many hearts around the world.

Possibly:

The following might be what the Hindu apologists say -- hence I am using the may be's.

May be, the caste system started out as a poetic vision of the society as an organic being in harmony with each caste (organ) performing vital roles. Maybe in its earliest form it was not a rigid system as it later became -- not hereditary either as is today. Today a Brahmon's son is a Brahmon and a Shudra's son is a Shudra, and there is strict discrimination between the upper castes and the lower. In the original form caste may have been just an identity attributed to a person based upon one's role in society AND not role based on caste. A teacher or priest was a Brahmon and could have been the son of a Shudra farmer. This custom first found rigid roots because of a natural system. Usually sons followed into their fathers' ocupation, especially in crafts and agriculture. This gradually was forced into law making the system hereditary to prevent the natives from rising up.

That is possible but the term Shudra (kshudra) means little or small. I would assume if the above is true then that this term was not used at first but included when the system became racist and rigid and since it is a derogatory term. (Much like Theravada Buddhism was spitefully called the Hinayana (low or small vehicle) Buddhism by the Mahayana (great vehicle, which actually a Zoroastrianized Buddhism) Buddhists.)

The conquerors (Aryans) placed themselves higher and the local (subjugated Dravirs) people lower in the caste system, the socialized slavery system. Discrimination came along with the caste system. Especially after the fall of the Buddhist Mauryan empire, harsh feudalism seeped into society. The upper castes ruled and the lower castes worked. (The Mauryan empire, the greatest ancient Indian empire, was ruled by a Shudra (lower caste) dynasty. The name Maurya comes from Mura, the name of the mother of the dynasty, who was a Shudra.)

The establishment of the caste system was led by Brahmon (Brahmin is not a good spelling) Hindus. After the fall of the Mauryans, they gradually became more powerful as Buddhism started receding all across India. Most of India except Bengal (Bangla) remained the centre of Buddhism and spread Buddhism to Tibet, Indonesia and the east) became rigid and was ruled by Brahmans and Kshatryas and the caste system.

The caste system became firmly established in Bengal during the Gupta period (this was somewhat interrupted only during the Pal era). The Gupta period is called the golden era of India but it also saw many ugly casteist practices firmly rooted in society in the name of religion. By the end of the Gupta period, the caste system with all its discriminatory elements had penetrated every strata of life.

Some say that untouchability was not an issue in the Epic period. They quote from Ramayana that Lord Ram or Rama (Avatar of God Vishnu) ate half eaten fruits from a lower caste woman. However, this story of Ram is contradicted by another:

Rama killed Tataka, the queen of the Malad-Kurush matricentric tribe. Vishwamitra tells Rama, who hesitates in the decision to kill Tataka, that "It not proper to feel squeamish about killing a woman. A raja's duty is to struggle for the advancement of chaturvarnya (Caste System)" (cited in Sharad Patil, Das Shudra Gulamgiri, 1986, p.2).
(Taken from Bharat Patankar's "Hindu or Sindhu?")
 

The Hindu priests and rulers created the rigidity that survives through ignorance in the hearts of many Hindus. They propagate untouchability and preach that members of differnt castes will go to different Gods after death, while the "untouchables" have no future after death. Unfortunately many Hindus still propagate wrong notions due to ignorance.

Vedanta (post Vedic) Gurus, Buddha, Hindu scholars like Raja Ram Mohan Rai, Swami Vivekananda, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and many others have all taken a stand against the rigid caste system. Veer Savarkar actually built a temple and appointed an "untouchable" as the priest. But the idea of caste still remains deeply seeded, especially in rural areas. Laws can be made to counter it but more important is education to eradicate caste from the hearts of Hindus. Hopefully, it will further diminish.

Read: The Caste Problem

Read: Dr. Ambedkar - Smriti by Sudheer Birodkar

Read: Glorious Contribution by "Backward Classes" To Hinduism & India

Back to Outline

Sati Daha (Burning of widows)

When a Hindu dies, the body is cremated not buried. This custom is different from that of the Indus civilization, where they buried their dead (Some Hindus don't do either. They float the dead in a nearby river.) The Sati Daha custom is a scary social custom practiced in portions of India in different times. The practice was more prevalent among the upper caste -- the Brahmon/Kshatrya caste. It is the practice of cremating the widow along with the her husband. This has been a stigma about Indian culture for the longest time and the British think of themselves as heroes for stopping this gruesome practice, even though it was through the work of Hindus, especially Raja Ram Mohan Roy (considered Maker of Modern India, born 1772 AD, Bengal; founded the Brahmo Samaj, a reformation movement in Hindu), that this practice had been curbed.

The British made the issue bigger than it was, painting a picture that Sati Daho was practiced universally. They did this to justify their occupation of India, by viewing themselves as a positive force. This was also abused by the Christian missionaries in their attempt to prove the piety of their religion. (Read Rajaswari Sunder Rajan's "Real and Imagined Women" Routledge 1993 and also read about witch burning by the church). With tremendous propaganda, the Sati Daha custom was brought up to the world as a great evil of the Hindu religion.

According to some historians like Sudheer Birodhkar, this custom is not really part of the Hindu tradition of the Sanatana Dharma, but over time it has become so integrated in society that it is hard to distinguish it from religion, especially since it had been validated in the name of religion. This custom was not really practiced until the later part of first millennium. However, its roots can be traced to ancient mythology. According to the mythology, Sati, the wife of Dhakhsha, overwhelmed with grief at her husband's funeral jumped into the funeral fire and burned to death. This was an idealized representation of a wife's devotion to her husband and the custom bears the name of Dhaksha's wife, Sati. This reference in the ancient mythology lead some to erroneously think of it as an age old custom. Even several encyclopedias claim so! However, it was never a widespread custom and only occurred as an exception and was thought as heroic. (In later periods it was more widespread in Bengal where there had been cases of forced Sati Daha.)

After the fall of the great empires of India, towards the end of the first millennium, there were various smaller kingdoms all over India ruled by a new class called the Rajput (whose origins are debated). This was an age of "chivalry" and the beginning of the end of Indian sovereignty for a millennium. The Rajputs were warring princes who lived their lives according to rules of chivalry ... roughly pride/honour. Their wives were also very chivalrous. When a Rajput prince would die... the wife would also choose to be cremated because of what was believed to be the honourable thing. They viewed this being in accordance to ancient tales.

There were possibly other reasons that contributed for the custom to take root. In medieval Hindu society, a widow was not looked upon favourably. She was at times considered a burden (this was more so in the British period), and there was fear for her purity, especially if she was young. They feared that she might partake in sexual activity. Men were, however, exempt from this if they were widowers.

The custom became popular in Bengal and some other areas during the British occupation. For many widows this meant becoming a burden, and many "chose" to die, as in Bengal. At times this also lead to forced Sati Daha, which is not justifiable at any level.

After a thousand years of foreign domination, India regained her independence. The Sati Daha custom had diminished, mainly due to the work of several great Hindu leaders and also because the situation in India is not as dire as it was during the occupied times. In 1987 a law was passed making Sati Daha illegal, after a case of Sati Daha was reported. In the last 50 years there has been about 40 cases of Sati Daha (Rajan). (The number is not meant to make small the suffering of the individuals but to point out the myth that the British and the Christian missionaries created.) Today's Sati shrines are more of souvenir shops to make money and they propagate the myth.

Back to Outline

Jauhor

The custom became more popular at the advent of the Muslims. The Muslim invaders started entering around 800 --1000 A.D. in the west, what is now Pakistan and Afganistan and reached the far East (Bangla) around 1300 A.D. Of course, the far North West India, what is now, Eastern Iran, Afganistan, and Ujbekistan was first attacked as early as the seventh century and some of the earliest genocides of India took place there.

The Muslim invaders and later rulers of India were tyrannical and forced Hindu women to be their wives or sex slaves. They would even take the wives of recently dead husbands... often those that they may have killed themselves. They would even wage war if the girl was a princess or a queen. In such cases, the women preferred to be cremated than be taken by the killers of their husbands. A new type of mass immolation started during this time called Jauhor. Jauhor is very often confused with Sati Daha. Jauhor was a practice during the Muslim invasions. Women of the soldiers and princes who went to battle, commited mass immolation as a means of protecting themselves from the hands of the marauding invaders. Rani Padmini of Chittor is one of the famous women who partook in Jauhor.

Back to Outline

The Cow:

The cow is a sacred animal to the Hindus. Of course all animals and living beings are sacred to the Hindu because God is seen present in all. But the cow definitely stands out (and they stand in the middle the streets in India). It has a special place in the hearts of Hindus. The cow is the most generous animal of all, from its flesh, skin, to milk and other dairy products... and as if that is not enough, it helps in farming (much as the horse did in the old days in the west). AND its excrement is also valuable as fertilizer and as fuel. So it has always been special to the Hindus who give special recognition and respect to nature's perfect giver... maybe there is much we can learn from the cow.

Most Hindus do not eat the cow. Even those who are meat eaters will generally avoid beef. Hindus always spared the cow because of being sacred but in the early part of the first millennium, the Hindus recognized its vital role in their agricultural economy. Eating all the cows would ruin their economy, so the kings also favoured the cows and in the name of religion they opposed beef eating. So today very few Hindus eat beef.  (Many in Kerala, Bengal, and others still eat beef.)

The veneration of the cow is different from that of the Indus civilization. In the Indus civilization the bull apparently held importance instead of the cow. The bull is sacred in many ancient cultures like the Minoans etc.

Back to Outline

Homosexuality

The Hindu stance on the issue of homosexuality is not clear. There is conflict in the scriptures. The Manusmriti does not accept homosexuality. Homosexuality was punishable by monetary fines, whipping and even loss of caste. In certain cases, a woman could have her head shaved, two fingers cut and be paraded on a donkey. Kama Sutra writer, Vatsayana (VotsoJan), says that it was accepted and allowed by the dhamma shastras. Moreover, homosexuality was supposedly practiced by upper caste Hindus and Muslim rulers during the Muslim period in India.

The Indian law (Indian Pennal Code Section 377) bans it. This law is a remnant from the British days. The law does not allow sodomy.

In general, homosexuality is not talked about openly. Of course, even the topic of sex has become taboo over the centuries. At one time, however, the artwork on temples depicted sexual acts openly. As a result of the taboo, it is hard to make any assumption about the ideas of the grassroots Hindu -- the best that can be said is: homosexuality is not viewed as correct but tolerated. The main intolerance may come from the British educated middle class or maybe "rightwing Hindus". Some people feel that a large group of Hindus may be indifferent to the issue and tolerant. But this might be wrong as was portrayed by the negative reaction to a recent movie that depicted lesbianism. However, the new generation growing up with MTV in India is adopting a lot of western ideas for good or for bad -- and many of the new generation are more tolerant towards homosexuality.

Back to Outline

Concepts

Purusharthas: The four four fold goal of life

The Hindu religion is not obsessed with any one area of life but emphasizes on a well rounded view. For example, Hindu yogis (those who do yoga, in search of Brahma) may not have sex, but sex is not viewed as a bad thing but one of the wonderful things in life. Here are the goals of life:

Back to Outline

Paths to Moksha

Back to Outline

Ashrams (Stages of Life)

Back to Outline

Ripu

The western religions look at certain activities as sin, while Hindus look see Ripu. This is a reason why Ripu is often mistakenly translated as sin. There are six Ripus called the Shara-Ripu. These are our instincts which can be used for good or bad and by themselves they are neutral.

Back to Outline

Back to Outline

Ahimsa:

This is a very important concept in the Hindu religion. It asks not to harm any living being. For this reason many Hindus are vegetarians. It is one of the Hindu morals.

Back to Outline

Karma and Dharma

Swami Harshananda of RamKrishna Mission, finds a Sanskrit root "Dhri" for Dharma, which means to hold and erroneously says that Dharma means one which holds the world -- meaning God. He . His meaning is wrong since the word Dharma is Pre-Aryan and not Sanskrit at all. According to the Majlish Guru the religion of the Indus Valley people was Prem Dharma (Love Dharma) -- and that is probably the root of the word.

Back to Outline

Re-incarnation (Samsara):

Re-incarnation is a crude name for the concept of transmigration of the soul (Atman). Re-incarnation literally means to re-enter flesh. Hindus do not follow the linear theology that is popular in the west in which one is born, lives and dies and goes to heaven (or hell). Hindus believe in a cycle of life where the soul leaves an old body and enters a new body born anew on earth. Based on Karma the place of birth is decided. If one has bad Karma, one goes down the ladder of life and may be born as an animal... but if one has good Karma, one will go higher and higher on the ladder of life.

Back to Outline

The Red Dot (the third eye):

Back to Outline

OM

Om is now a much used word associated with meditation. It is not a Hum as many Hindus use it and the Om is not actually even pronounced as Om. This kind of use has developed later.

There are many philosophical descriptions of Om. It is the master sound, which encompasses and includes all sound in perfect harmony. It is supposed to be the master word, the word that encompasses all. And if you like, some people spell it out like AUM and believe:

My understanding is definitely different. The word is Ouuuu.... pronounced nasally without any m at the end and not Om or Aum. The main curved letter is Ouuu. It is pronounced nasally, which in Bangla is denoted by a letter Chandrabindu, the crecent moonlike symbol on its upper right corner. To pronounce it Om is limiting and abrupt and wrong and to call it Aum is downright ...(DELETED). The word is Ouuu (nasally). I consider all the philosophy on Ouuu, to be irrelevant now but for a beginner it is very useful.

The Ouuu is a state. During Stwab, the highest meditation (concentration), mantras or amols may be used but if done right, a point comes when the words are lost and a feeling remains... which is resonant with the sensation rising up from the navel area in an inverted cone (commonly called Kundolini or by later Chinese as Chi). The feeling or sensation or state is undefinable, words fail. The best way to describe it is through the word Ouuuu (nasally). That is the significance of Ouuu and the philosophies were created later.

Back to Outline

MANTRA:

Back to Outline

Tantra

Tantriks practice Tantra and follow the TantraShastra (Book of Tantra). They worship Shib and Shakti. There are 192 Tantras (Tantra Books) of which 64 are from Gaur (ancient Bengal), 64 are from Mithila (ancient Bengal) and Nepal and the other 64 are from other places. They were collected by KrishnaNanda. Only a hundred thousand sloks (stanzas) survive today. There are many minor Tantras too. The Tantras deal with the ancient music and dance of India to spirituality. This probably is a totally different stream from the main stream Hindu and its roots might stretch back to the Indus Valley Civilization.

Tantriks are said to meditate using drugs or sex which are normally not allowed. There are stories of Tantriks meditating in the nude on dead human bodies. They are even said to eat human flesh. These stories might have been invented to make the Tantriks unacceptable. Their crime? Shib worship.

Back to Outline

Dakini

Dakinis or Dainis were female Yogis. They are followers of Shib and Durga (Kali). However, they were so demonized through ill-intentioned stories that today their name invokes fear and hate. Dakinis are thought malevolent and are associated with malevolent spirits. Their crime was probably their allegiance to Shib. Their history is like that of the witches. The witches have been so demonized by the Christian Churches that people (including some "modern" witches) believe that witches worship the Devil.  Dakinis are also called MayaBini (one of Maya -- spellbinding), and Kuhokini

Back to Outline

Kundolini:

During deep meditation (concentration) a sensation rises up from the navel area in an inverted cone (commonly called Kundolini or by later Chinese as Chi). The feeling or sensation or state is undefinable, words fail. The best way to describe it is through the word Ouuuu (nasally and goes to infinity).

Back to Outline

Back to Outline

Mandal

TriBhanga

TriBhanga or TeBhanga   An asthetically pleasing posture in which a person bends her neck and waist in opposite directions in an "S" shape.

Back to Outline

Maya (Illusion):

Philosophical meaning:
The world, as is apparent, is an interpretation of the impulses that are received in our brain from our senses... and gives the appearance of diversity. This could be only in our heads and just an illusion, a veil that hides the real world.  That illusion -- the apparent world is Maya. The innermost self, Atman, and Brahma, the ultimate reality are real. The purpose is to find the underlying ultimate reality-- which is not diverse but one --> Brahma.

Usage in everyday language: It is a composite word. Maya is a combination of illusion, loving care, attraction, something that pulls and entrances, spellbinding and etc. The feeling generated by all those words are represented by Maya.

Maya is what draws one towards earth and the familiar when one is dead. The love of a mother is also Maya. Maya is also often used in place of mercy, as in taking mercy on someone.

Why I love the word so much: Maya is an indescribable thing that exists in some extremely rare girls' eyes (for a girl it might be in a guy's). It is an innocent, mysterious and peaceful light emanating but also entrancing. It pulls and draws us into the girl's eyes like a magnet -- in an unending journey and we would not want to break away -- like Cliff Richard's "I am under your spell and I don't want to break away".

Back to Outline

Practices

Chita

Hindus do not burry their dead. They mostly burn them in a funeral pyre like the Vikings. This probably is associated with Agni and probably originated from a tribe who venerated Agni as their chief deity. Wood (Mahogany and Segun are choice wood but might be out of price range for the average Hindu) is piled and soaked in Kerosene and Ghee (Clarified Butter). The body washed and clothed with new clothes is placed on top of it. In villages where the amount of wood is limited, often the pile is about 4 feet by 3 feet which is too small. In such cases the body is broken and folded. More wood is piled on the body and again the whole thing is soaked with oil. Someone who is directly and closest related (gyati goshthi), usually the eldest son parambulates the pyre seven times with burning kerosene coconut leaves. Each time around he puts the fire in the mouth of the dead body. If the son is not available or if there is no son, then the task falls on the closest relative. Then the closest family (gyati goshthi) gives Pindo. Pindo is Moog Dal and Atop Chal cooked (Moog pulses and a type of rice) which is given up in the name of the dead (utsorgo) and thrown in water.

Tulsi Plant   Finally the forehead bone and some of the ash is burried. This is called Samadhi. Generally no cement work is done on the Samadhi or Somadhi in a year. The Tulsi Plant is often planted on a Somadhi. A tomb with a Somadhi is called a Moth. (hard "th") The Moth on the right is of Ram Chondo, and probably 700 years old.

Moth (Tomb of Ashes)

Sacrifice

Sacrifices (Yajna or Joggo) were prevalent in all old religions like Judaism and is still part of Islam. Hindu is no exception. It is not known if the Indus people carried out sacrifice but it was an important part the Aryan belief system. Recently there was a lot of commotion regarding the excavation of an "altar" in the Indus Valley. When asked, the person who was in charge of the excavation said that it was just a name of convenience and the item in question was not really an altar.

The horse which was centrally important to the Aryans was sacrificed (Ashwamedh(a) Yajna) as offerings to the Gods. In the early period, it was horse sacrifice that was probably most important. The horse was roasted in fire and eaten. Even Ghee, Milk and clothes are burned as sacrifice. Deer, goat, sheep, buffalo, pig, tortoise, rhino, porcupine, rabbit and probably the monitor (goshap). The sacrifice has become mostly symbolic these days with replica animals burned. However, many believe that real animal sacrifice is still alive.

Some believe that the sacrificed animal is actually eaten by God. This is the belief of Swami Harshananda, a follower of Sri RamKrishna and Swami Bibekanananda. This is funny since an omnipotent, self-sustained God that the followers of Sri RamKrishna believe in should not need to eat at all. (Here, interestingly, the Quran of Islam goes far enough to say that the Islamic God, Allah, does not lust after blood and flesh of the sacrificed animal.)

There were also human sacrifices (Purushamedh(a) Yajna). These sacrifice victims were probably members of defeated tribes -- Mlechchhas. This was institutional and carried out by priests. Whether it existed later is unknown but the word, Boli, also meaning sacrifice, exists till today.  Boli does not only mean sacrifice of animals but a fearful sacrifice of humans. In this sacrifice a sharp instrument is used to severe the head from the body.

One of the unique peoples of Andaman and Nicobar Islands is extremely hostile to foreigners. They would even not allow Indians to land on their island. Does this mean that there is some horrifying history hidden there? The traditions and myths of these people may answer a lot.

Back to Outline

Yoga: Coming up shortly.

It is funny to see how Re-incarnation and Yoga have become popular in the west through the media.(Well now its the end of 2003 and its been coming since 2001 -- sorry for the slight delay.)

Yoga is a system of physical and mental exercises to hone the body and mind that comes from the Indus Valley Civilization. These can be used for meditation. There are many sitting positions ideal for meditation, called Ashon and there are many hand positions called Mudras which aid in the meditation. The most well known Ashon is the Podmashon or the Lotus position. There is a Half Lotus position and my favourite is the Bojrashon or Vajrashon. The Podmashon or Padmashon is not recommendable for young and growing boys since it affects sexual development (possibly sperm count is lowered or sexual prowess is lowered.)

Hat(a) Yoga or Jog is said to be a precursor of Karate. The exercises of Hat Jog are used even in the west as free hand exercises. Hat means hand. (Karate comes from  Kelaripayat of Kerala. This was learned by Buddhists and exported to China by BodhiDharma also called Potitama.

Back to Outline

Mudra

During meditation, certain hand and finger positions or mudra are used. Mudras are also used in dance. Dances emerged as a form of worship and so there is overlapping. Mudras are also used eslewhere. These can help during meditation. There are many hard positions even a complex one that Majlish Guru used sometimes which can help in a certain meditation (no elaboration on this at the moment).

Back to Outline

Vegetarianism (Niramish):

It is thought that the vibrations of the Ripus remain in the meat that is consumed and enter one's body. Priests are not advised to take meat while soldiers are recommended to eat it. Meat is not advisable for those doing Yoga. About 30% of Hindus are vegetarians and most Hindus will eat not beef. But being a Hindu does not mean that one has to be a vegetarian. Ancient Hindus even ate beef and many still do in Bengal and Kerala, for example. Ancient scriptures (Vedas, Mahabharat etc.) show that Hindus used to eat beef in ancient times.

"The prohibition of eating beef was applied in later stages in Hindu society. Mahatma Gandhi could not accept slaughtering of cows and he insisted the Hindus on sacrificing their lives to protect cow. This had so much influence on people that even the secular leader like Nehru could not remove the prohibitory order of non-killing of bullocks from the Hindu society." -- Avijit Roy.

Swami Bibekanondo (Vivekananda)	Sri Ramkrishna	Wife of Sri Ramkrishna

Back to Outline

Puja

Back to Outline

Darshan:

Devotional viewing a divine object. During Pujas, the image of a God or Goddess is viewed.

Back to Outline

Coming shortly: Bibaho (Marriage), Shraddha or Shraddho, Tirtha

God and Religion

God:

In Hindu religion there are multitudes of Gods... one figure that is usually quoted is 330 million. So one might call Hindu polytheist (belief in two or more Gods), but it is also monotheist (belief in one God) and even monist and even almost atheist. Simply speaking Hindu is a henotheist religion (and that is not the worship of hens). Henotheists believe in one supreme God but do not deny the existence of other Gods.

However, that is the case if Hindu is considered one fixed exclusive faith as the other Jordanic religions. When one realizes that there isn't one single faith which can be called Hindu Dharma, then it will be easy to understand this variation. Hindu is not an exclusive religion. There are animists who worship nature. There are those who worship many Gods in the form of idols. Then there is the concept of one God with three aspects, the Trimurti (three Gods lumped together as one with three cosmic roles). Each aspect is given physical representation. Then there is Nirguna Brahman (see below).

Beware that there is an ancient propaganda that is still carried on  by Swamis and well known Hindus that Hindu Gods and Goddesses are just different aspects of the same one and only God. This is an utter lie. I hope the page will be able to convey this.

Back to Outline

Hindu Trimurti

Back to Outline

Brahma

Brahma is one of the members of the TriMurti. He is the creator but not worshipped. He is probably an Aryan replacement of Shiva. Brahma is the eternal God whose essence is omnipresent. Brahma is also the supreme deity. These are borrowed Shiva qualities.

According to later mythology, Brahma is pre-cosmic self-sustained entity. He created the Goddess ShataRupa (One with a hundred forms) and wanted her. But she was illusive and as she assumed different forms, Brahma assumed the corresponding male forms. His different forms such as the bull etc. gave rise to the different living creatures.

Brahma assumed five heads once to see ShataRupa at all times. Shiva got angry and tore off one of the heads. Finally this brought him back to his senses and finally Brahma took Swarasvati as his consort.

Saguna Brahma is the God who is considered the personal almighty God, one that is loving and just. But then there is the highest concept of Brahma, the Nirguna Brahma. Nirguna Brahma is the concept of the ultimate reality or the ParamAtman (the ultimate soul). No qualities are attributed to this God. It is even questioned whether Nirguna Brahma is a God to be worshipped at all. It is the ultimate reality, may be an impersonal God but it also might not be a God. This concept is almost atheistic... Is Hindu then ultimately an atheist religion?

Back to Outline

Atheism (Nastikata)

Atheism is not a modern western development and atheism in India was not limited only to the Upanishadic Nirguna Brahma concept or Buddha's concept. Atheism and rational thinking goes way back in ancient India. This is called Nastibad or Nastikata and there are many bits and pieces of rational thought scattered in ancient India. It was developed as a philosophy by Dishan who existed before Buddha. Buddha is believed to have lived in the 6-5th century B.C. He said that death was the end and perception was the only reality. (In truth it is the only reality we have.) See table below.

The major atheist school of India was the Charvaka or Lokayat Darshan (Darshan = philosophy).  Brihospoti who wrote a major part of the Rig Veda, probably the world's first rational atheist, is considered the spiritual Guru of the school. The school developed around the 6th century B.C. The Brahmins could not defeat the logic of the Charvaka school and ended with personal attacks. They demonized the rationalists in their attempt to contain the free-thinking which was becoming popular among the common people. The Brahmins even gave the name of the school (Charvaka) from an immoral monster called Charvaka in the Mahabharat hoping that the common people would come to hate it

And just like some modern western schemes, the Bishnu (Vishnu) Puran and Moitri Upanishad said that the "monstrous" ideology was spread "intentionally" among the Asurs (Oshurs) to delude them and lower their moral character so that it would be easy for the Gods to defeat them in war. The much celebrated ShankarAcharja (Shankaracharya) and some other known ideologists were not above such petty mentality. They said that the philosophy was called Lokayat (folk) since it was of the Itor Lok (vulgar people). Other ideologists like  Krishnamisra, Kumaril Vatta, Haribhadran Suri, Gunaratna, Jayrashi Vatta, Madhabacharja, Patanjali, Arjadeva, Vashakaracharja, Chandrakirti all attacked the Charbakas. They were, however, unable to refute the logic and also ended up with name calling. Manu, the strict conservative authoritarian, and often very cruel, hated these rationals (despicable Haitukas) said that those who reject the Vedas and Smriti for logic (Hetu Shastra) would be driven out and banned believers from speaking to them. 

Brahmin Pandyas incensed by the popularity of the Lokayat eventually destroyed their books. However, their influence could not be wiped out. Some believe that their influence exists in different sects. Rational thought existed in Bengal and a sect which calls themselves Vaissnavas (they do not worship Vishnu or his incarnations) believe that the body is all that should be taken care of and are concerned with the union of a man and a woman. They are also called Sahajia (which is the name of a sect of Buddhism which developed in the last four centuries of their existence in India).

The beliefs and rejection of the Charvakas:

Taken from Rationalism, Freethinking and Prospects of Mukto-mona. [Part - I] by : Avijit Roy

Back to Outline

 Vishnu

Vishnu or Bishnu is the preserver in the Trimurti. This God is mentioned in the Vedas as a minor God often associated with Indra. He probably rose in rank with his Avatars who were probably local heroes elevated to Godly status. God Vishnu comes to earth from time to time as Avatars. He has come once in each Joogs or Yugas (ages). His Consort is Laxmi, Goddess of Prosperity..

Back to Outline

Avatar:

There are countless Avatars but ten are important. But not all agree on the ten important Avatars; the set varies. Here is one set (12 on this list):

Learn more on Avatar.

Back to Outline

Shiva or Shib

The Shib worshippers were despised vehemently and if one travelled to the land of the Shib worshippers, there would be penances. The Aryan scriptures lead many (even Hindus) to see Shib (Shiva) as the God of destruction (see above). Moreover, Shib was reduced to a sexual image by these scriptures. The symbol of Shib called the Shib-lingam was called the male sex organ, the penis, by the Aryans. Thus today it is known to the world as such. These ideas were politically and racially motivated. The Dravir God was reduced to a sex symbol and a cruel demon God by Aryan propaganda media (their literature) just as today the world's media can make and unmake great men much to Einstein's disapproval. Later however, the Aryans adopted the modified Shiva concept as part of their belief system.

Shib means God of Love (not sexual). Shiblingam means the symbol of the God of Love. There was no image of Shib and the concept was more abstract and so the symbol was a non-descript cylindrical stone.

The dictionary meaning of the word Shib is Good (Shubh or Shubho), Welfare (Mongol), benevolent.

Read Dr. P. V. Vartak's article on Shiva Linga

Back to Outline

Shiva (Shib) Names

Shib represents the most ancient religion of India and there are over a thousand names and epithets of Shib. In the table below are 82 names of the God Shib with meanings and notes. Many names were later attributed to Shib afterwards by the Aryans as well as a lot of mythological stories. Many of Shib's names were also given to Brahma and other Gods. Shib was the Trimurti (Hindu Trinity) by himself originally before the introduction of Brahma and Vishnu. At present I will not be able to distinguish the names.

In North India, Shib bears the Trishul  (Trident) and is adorned by the snake and in South India he bears the axe and is accompanied by an antelope. He is carried by a bull (Nandi).

Back to Outline

 Indra (or Indrah or Indro)

He was possibly the leader/commander of the barbarian masses that drove the Indus Valley Civilization to ruins, scattering and killing the inhabitants. This was probably one of the earliest genocides of India. For this he was elevated to ancestor Godhood. When Varun and Mitra are mentioned, he is mentioned too and his name comes first: Indra, Varun, Mitra.

He is a part of the second Aryan Trimurti: Indra, Agni and Surjya. This trinity was replaced later by Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva showing a radical shift in religion. After Indra's invasion there were waves of other Aryan tribes invading and conquering the Aryans who had come immediately earlier. The shift in religion might reflect the beliefs of the newer Aryan tribes and the gradual seeping of the Indus culture.

Indra is also called Devadiraj, the king of Gods and SwargoRaj, King of heaven. He is the son of Diyaus (Zeus) and Prithivi (Earth Goddess). He killed his father and this pleased Prithivi and he became her consort.

Here are some Rg Vedic References  to Indra. Indra's titles and events that portray his "greatness" are in blue (Some are not direct). He rides on an elephant, obviously a later addition.

Back to Outline

Devi (Goddess)

Devi or Debi literally means Goddess. (Dev or Deb or Devata or Debota means God.) Devi is considered The Great Goddess. All the different female deities are classified as aspects of Devi. This does not necessarily mean that they all come from the same root or that they really are aspects of one Goddess. It is a way for integrating the religion -- saying "your God is also my God" but think "but mine is the true form", as the "broad-minded" would like to say. (However, I must admit that there are true broad-minded people who don't think about supremacy of form.)

Back to Outline

Back to Outline

Back to Outline

Back to Outline

Back to Outline

SoptoJihba

There are four lists of SoptoJihba or Seven Tongues of Agni. List 1 and 2 are basically the same with the last two different. The last two lists are from Sattwiks. List 3 is for Sattwiks' Jagkommo and list 4 is for Sattwiks' Kammokomme. They are all feminine.

Back to Outline

Back to Outline

Hindu Scriptures:

For news that news giants feel you should not hear.

Basic Hindu Concepts by NOVO

Written in May, 2000

Updated August 3rd, 2000

Updated June 15th, 2001

Updated November 6th, 2003

Updated November 8th, 2003

Updated November 8th, 2003

 

Dhaka, Bangladesh:

Sign Guestbook

View Guestbook

If you spot errors or want to send in your comments, questions, requests or condemnation, send an E-mail to NOVO

NOVO's Library