Hinduism
Hinduism is considered by most scholars to be the oldest of the world's major religions. The religion started in the Indus Valley between 3500 and 5000 years ago. I has been the most influential religion on the culture of the people of India. Unlike other religions, Hinduism is not found upon the teachings of one man but is rather a culmination of several philosophies that came together over thousaqnds of years. Hindus are very disorganized in their belief system. They have several sacred writings which are- the Vedas, the Puranas, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Bhagavad-Gita, and the Manu Smiriti. The Vedas are the oldest of all the sccriptures. They contain four sets - the Rig Veda, the Sama-Veda, the Yajur-Veeda, and the Atharva-Veda. Each Veda has three parts- the Samhitas, Brhamanas, and the Uphanishads. The Brahmanas deal with ritual and theology. The Upanishads are works of philosophy that are written in the form of dialogues, the Puranas are long verse stories that contain many important Hindu myths, The Ramayana and the Mahabhrarata are lonf epics telling the story of prince Rama. The Bhagavad-Gita tells the story of the god Krishna and his conversation with the Pandava warrior Arjuna. The Manu Smriti is a basic source of religous and social law for the Hindus. Hinduism is bith polyhteistic and pantheistic. They believe in many gods and they believe that the whole universe is the composition of the body of Brahman- the most important of the transcendant Gods. Hindus believe that humans and animals are sentient beings that are trapped in moksha- the beginningless cycle of life, death amd rebirth. The goal for the Hindu is to achieve godhood by the adding up of good works over several lifetimes(karma). There are six major schools of philosophy in Hinduism.
1) Nyasa which deals with logic
2) vaisheska which concerns the nature of the world
3) sankhya which examines the origin and evolution of the universe
4) yoga which is a set of mental and physical exercises designed to free the soul from reliance on the body so that the soul can unite with Brahman
The final two are purva-mimamsa and vedanta which attempt to interpret the veda. Hindus believe the stages of life exists in eons which are divided up into four ages
1) the golden age
2) the silver age
3) the bronze age
4) the iron age
After the iron age the cycle starts all over again with a new eon. They also divide up into four castes.
1) Brahmans- the priests
2) Kshatriyas- princes and warriors
3) Vaisyas-the merchants and landowners
4) Sudras- farmers, laborers, and servants.
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