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• Hinduism is a religion of the
Dharma, which is the timeless
order of all life.
• Dharma, according to Hindu
belief and practice, is what holds
the universe together, and
means “duty”, “correct practice,”
and “truth.”
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• Hindus consider the Dharma to be
so central that they consider it a
privilege to be able to uphold its
teachings and apply them in their
everyday life.
• The Dharma is all-encompassing: it
covers cosmic, personal, and social
orders of one’s life.
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• Adherence to the Dharma
means that one
recognizes different
aptitudes, capabilities,
and roles that people play
in maintaining the social
and cosmic balance of
the universe.
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• The emphasis on the Dharma makes
Hinduism more a religion of action rather
than a religion of belief. A significant
portion of the Hindu scriptures called the
Vedas, emphasize the cultivation of
virtues according to the person’s
standing in society.
• There is a lot of emphasis on
compassion, non-violence, purity,
restraint, and self control in one’s
dealings with others.
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Like any religious system,
Hinduism was able to preserve
important teachings in sacred
writings that contain
foundational elements of
doctrine, morality, and worship.
These sacred writings are called
the Vedas, for which reason
Hinduism is also referred to as
Vaidika Dharma or “Religion of
the Vedas”.
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The term “veda” in Sanskrit
means “knowledge”, and
have already been
committed to memory by
sages and passed on to
disciples before they were
recorded in writing.
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● The earliest Vedic literature is a
collection of hymns to the gods, while
later chapters and volumes include
dialogues, stories, and sagely advice
from ascetics and religious masters.
● There are two types of scriptures in the
Hindu tradition: the Shruti and the
Smriti scriptures.
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● The Shruti scripture (meaning “that
which is heard”) contains fundamental
elements of Hindu philosophy and
morality.
● The Shruti scriptures, which are
primarily the four Vedas, are
considered to be of divine origin as
revealed to sages (called rishis) who
received these truths through deep
meditation.
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• Each of the four Vedas are further
subdivided into four types of
religious literature:
(a) Samhitas, hymns dedicated to
gods and goddesses
(b) Brahmanas, explications of the
samhitas and other ritual acts
performed by priests
(c) Aranyakas, philosophical
interpretations of ritual acts
(d) Upanishads, explanations of
general philosophical knowledge
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• The Smriti (meaning “that which is
remembered”) are considered
“secondary scriptures” and mostly
contain stories and advice from sages.
• Unlike Śruti, the Smriti are considered to
be of human origin, although they are
important because they expound on the
Vedas.
• It also gives ordinary people access to
the teachings of the Vedas, as the latter
are only accessible to males of higher
castes and the Brahmins.
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• The Smriti scriptures include the
following:
(a) Mahabharata is an epic poem
that is fifteen times longer than the
Bible. It narrates the story of an
ongoing war among family
members. It highlights the
importance of virtues and devotion
to the gods, particularly to Krishna.
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(b) Ramayana is a shorter epic poem
about kingship and royal virtues. It tells the
story of the battles that Rama had to fight
in order to save his wife Sita from the
demon Ravana. It is one of the epics that
depict the battle between good and evil.
(c) Dharma Shastras are legal treatises that
emphasize the importance of practicing
virtue.
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(b) Ramayana is a shorter epic poem
about kingship and royal virtues. It tells the
story of the battles that Rama had to fight
in order to save his wife Sita from the
demon Ravana. It is one of the epics that
depict the battle between good and evil.
(c) Dharma Shastras are legal treatises that
emphasize the importance of practicing
virtue.
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(d) Bhagavad Gita, meaning “Song of the
Lord”, is actually one of the books in
Mahabharata. It is considered by many
Hindus as an important religious text that
extols the power and benevolence of
Krishna and his instructions to Arjuna.
(e) Puranas are stories that depict the
sectarian divisions within Hinduism. There
are multiple creation stories, legends, and
war stories by the different Hindu sects.
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● Ganesha – portrayed as an elephant
● Shiva – portrayed with more than two
arms
● Kali – holds a head severed from its
body while standing on corpses
KALI GANESHA
SHIVA
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Karma
● Simply means action,
consequences of one’s
action
● Person’s actions in the
present will have
consequences, and thus will
shape the person’s future
https://youtu.be/VHkfslAynlg
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Reincarnation
● Hinduism believes that when
a person dies, a person is
reborn as another being in
the future
● The determining factor that
decides the state of the
person’s rebirth is his/her
actions
