This presentation gives an overview of Hinduism, the oldest religion.

1. Hinduism
Viewpoints of a Hindu
“There is only one God, but endless are his aspects
and endless are his names. Call him by any name
and worship him in any aspect that pleases you, you
are sure to see him”
Shri Ramakrishna

3. An Introduction
• Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world, with almost a billion
adherents. Most of World’s Hindu population lives in India and
neighboring countries.
• It is also the oldest known religion in the world continuing even today.
• Hinduism was not founded by one person, it does not have a core
doctrine, there is no central authority, it does not require followers to
accept any one idea, and no one can agree on when or even where it
began.
• Hinduism is a way of life, a Dharma. Dharma does not mean religion; it
is the ideal way of undertaking all the actions by an individual.

4. The term “Hindu” is a Misnomer
The name Hindu is not found in any ancient Religious text of Hindus.
The word Hindu is derived from the Sanskrit word Sindhu which is the
local name for the Indus River that flows through the north-western
part of the Indian subcontinent. The word Hindu or Indu was used by
Greeks to denote the country and people living beyond the Indus river.
Megasthenes' 'Indica' epitomizes the name for India and Indians
around the 4th Century B.C.E.
Lateron any person of Indian origin who did not practice Abrahamic
religions came to be known as a Hindu, thereby encompassing a wide
range of religious beliefs and practices. The term Hinduism was used by
English writers to denote the culture and religion of the high-caste
Brahmans. The word Hinduism was soon adopted by the Hindus
themselves, as a term that encompassed their national, social and
cultural identity.
Many Hindu prefer “Hinduism” to be called as “Sanatan Dharma”, which
means The dharma without a beginning or an end.

5. "Hinduism allows absolute freedom to the rational mind of
man. It never demands any undue restraint upon the freedom
of human reason, the freedom of thought, feeling and will of
man. Hinduism is a religion of freedom, allowing the widest
margin of freedom in matters of faith and worship. It allows
absolute freedom of human reason and heart with regard to
such questions as to the nature of God, soul, form of worship,
creation, and the goal of life. It does not force anybody to
accept particular dogmas or forms of worship. It allows
everybody to reflect, investigate, enquire and cogitate.
Swami Sivananda
Hinduism: In a Nutshell

6. Religious Texts of Hindus
There is not one central, authoritative book in Hinduism but
Hinduism is rich in scriptures with a vast collection of ancient
religious writings. Hindus believe god revealed truths to wise men
who passed them on for thousands of years through a rich oral
tradition. Lateron these were written.
The scriptures the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Puranas and the
Bhagavad Gita (which is a part of the epic tale, Mahabharata), &
Ramayana form the core beliefs of Hindus. There are scores of
Holy scriptures on Hindu philosophy, studying & imbibing all of
these is not possible in a lifetime.
Vedas being the oldest scripture , form the very basis of Hinduism.

7. The Vedas
TheVedasaretheoldest booksin thelibrary
of man. Thetruthscontained in all religions
arederived from theVedasand are
ultimately traceableto theVedas. TheVedas
arethefountain-head of religion. TheVedas
aretheultimatesourceto which all religious
knowledgecan betraced. Religion isof
divineorigin. It wasrevealed by God to man
in theearliest times. It isembodied in the
Vedas.
Among thefour Vedas, TheRig Veda:
Hinduism’soldest scriptureisat least 4000
yearsold.
.

8. The Teachings of Bhagvad Gita –
Hinduism’s most popular sacred text
1. We should do our work without
worrying about it’s result.
2. Soul is immortal and our body is
perishable. Our soul never dies.
3. World is perishable and whoever
comes to this world surely has to
go one day.
4. We did not bring anything to this
world, neither are we going to
take anything.
5. Lust, anger and greed are the
three gates to self-destructive
hell.
6. Change is the law of the
universe. You can be a
millionaire, or a pauper in an
instant.

9. What is and Who is God
As per The
Vedas
"God is the efficient cause of all true knowledge and all that is
known through knowledge. God is existent, intelligent and
blissful. He is formless, omniscient, just, merciful, unborn,
endless, unchangeable, beginning-less, unequalled, the
support of all, the master of all, omnipresent, immanent, un-
aging, immortal, fearless, eternal and holy, and the maker of
all. He alone is worthy of being worshiped.“
Swami Dayanand Sarasati founder of Ayra Samaj
(Arya Samaj follows the Vedas as the main guide)

10. Beliefs of
Hindus

11. Spiritual Goal of Hindus
Moksha: “release or liberation”
United forever with the divine
Infinite bliss and awareness

12. Reincarnation
Samsara (the world) is the wheel of rebirth which means the
soul is reborn from one life form to another.
People may be reincarnated at a higher or lower level of
existence depending on their karma from their present life.
People may be reborn as plants or animals or they may be
elevated to a more spiritually aware human.
Death is not final for Hindus as they know they will continue
to be reborn till their Moksha.

13. Cycle of Birth & Death
Soul keeps on moving from one body to another, at
times even non-human forms like animals or plants

14. Karma & Dharma

15. The four purusharthas or goals of human life
1. Dharma (righteousness, duty and moral order)
2. Artha (material wealth and prosperityso that one is not
a burden on others)
3. Kama (wordly desires / pleasures )
4. Moksha (liberation)
The ancient hindus never neglected any aspect of
human life. The four goals or endeavors of human life
constitute the roadmap for a happy life on earth and
beyond. Let us try to understand each of the goals
briefly:
1. Dharma is the foundation and first of the four human
goals. Dharma refers to moral duties, obligations and
conduct, namely, vidhis(do's) and nishedhs (dont's).
Dharma is always given a highest importance.
2. Artha, is the second goal of life for the householder
for the attainment of wealth and material prosperity. The
efforts or means to realizing this goal must have a
righteous and moral basis. It must be based on dharma

16. The four purusharthas or goals of human life
------- Contd.
3. Kama, is the fulfillment of biological, physical and
material desires. The householder is instructed by the
shastras to legitimately fulfill his or her wordly desires in
accordance with the canons of dharma. Artha & Kama
are important goal for the growth and progress of
society.
4. Moksha means liberation form the web of maya,
freedom from the cycles of birth and death, and the
experiences of divine happiness. This is the ultimate
goal of human life. It is achieved through taking the
refuge of God or a God-realized guru. Through the
guru's grace one becomes free from the bondage or
maya, and is blessed with self-realization and God-
realization.

17. A man is expected to lead his life in 4 stages
according to the four ashrams (stages) of life
Stage One:
Brahmacharya -
The Student stage
This stage is the first one
and it begins at the age
start of schooling/
education and generally
extends up to 25 years.
In this stage, man leads
the life of student and
practices celibacy.
The motto of this phase
is to train man to
discipline himself.
Swami
Vivekananda
The Greatest
Modern times
Brahmachari

18. Stage Two: Grishastha –
The Householder
• At this point of time man needs
to pay heed to his social and
family life. This phase begins
from around 25 and lasts till 50
to 60 years.
• Grihastha is a crucial stage in
one's life where man has to
balance both his familial and
social duties. He is married and
manages his household and at
the same time looks after the
needs of the world outside.
• He has to discharge the duties of
a son, brother, husband, father
and a member of the
community.

19. Stage Three: Vaanprastha –
Detached from regular life
• This is the step to Partial
renunciation. This stage ushers
in the life of man at an age of
50 to 60 years and lasts till he
is around 75 years old.
• His children are grown up and
he slowly moves away for the
material ties.
• He is there to guide his
grownup children, but is
planning to pass on the baton.
• It is his age for retirement and
starts walking on a path that
will lead him to the Divine.

20. Stage Four: Sannyasa -
Wandering Ascetic
• The last stage in his life comes
when he completely snaps off
his worldly ties. This phase
begins at approx. 75 and lasts
till he dies.
• He is completely free from the
emotional attachments. He
becomes an ascetic.
• At present most of the Hindus
don’t go for Sanyaas Stage and
continue with second or third
stage till the end of their life

21. The binding principles generally accepted
by all Hindus
• 1) Reincarnation
• Based on the idea that every living being has an eternally existing spirit or Soul or
“Atma”.
• Reincarnation is the soul's cycle of birth and death until it attains Mok haṣ
(salvation) and is governed by action or deeds (Karma) undertaken by the soul.
• 2) Karma
• Karma rests on the idea of human free-will (not moved by God)
• One’s actions determine the course of one’s life cycle & rebirth
• One can't refine his soul overnight, however. It takes many lifetimes to achieve
moksha
• Everyone has the ability to choose life’s actions. This is the theory behind karma:
for every action a person sets in motion, there is a corresponding reaction. Hindus
believe they have to face the consequences of past actions. Each person creates
his or her destiny with deeds. The ultimate goal is to have karma that will free a
soul and gain moksha, or liberation from the cycle of rebirth.
Contd…….

22. contd…..
• Moksha
• When a soul finally escapes the karmic cycle, it
becomes one with Brahman when the last bodily
incarnation dies.
• As per Hindu belief, the Atma is not damned to
enternal suffering in Hell. However the Atma can
always attain Moksha and Vaikunta - Eternal
Paradise. At the end of every life, the person's
Karma is weighed and for a duration of time the
Atma suffers the punishments or enjoys the
pleasures of its Karma, before coming back to Earth
for another life. This cycle is repeated until the Atma
has attained such good karmas that it is finally
liberated from the cycle of life and death and
merges with the Paramatma in Vaikunta.

23. Idol Worship
The Saakar (with form) upasana (prayer) was accepted for common
person who can’t focus without a picture/idol of a deity. Nirakaar (formless)
upasana (prayer) is for people who are already on the path to
enlightenment. Arya Samaj denounces the Idol worship and stresses on the
teachings of Vedas only.
In reality, Hindus worship a reminder of God. No Hindu will say he or she is
worshipping an idol. Instead, Hindus believe that a physical representation of
God – in the form of an idol - helps them focus on an aspect of prayer or
meditation. For instance, a person who has just started a new project or
business may worship Ganesh, “the elephant god” who represents success.
The images of Gods and Goddesses, or idols (murtis), are used as focal
points to help aid in meditation and prayer.
Hinduism is a religion that has thousands of gods – each god has a specific
responsibility like Lakshmi to riches, Saraswati & Ganesha for knowledge, Hanuman
for power & Krishna for all round success.
Hindus are free to choose one single or a number of deities to worship as per
his/her wishes. Most of the present day Hindus pray to a number of deities.

24. Hindu – Trinity
Brahma – Vishnu - Mahesh
Brahma – The Creator
•Brahma is the God of Creation
•Brahma has with four heads and four faces
and four arms.
•Brahma was created by Lord Vishnu.
•He is the creator of the whole creation.

25. Vishnu - the Preserver
• Vishnu is the Preserver, he is most famously
identified with his human and animal
incarnations (AKA, Avatars)
• He manifested Himself as a living being in
ten avatars.
• For Vaishnavas (a prominent sect), he is the
Ultimate Reality or God “The Brahman”.

26. Mahesh / Shiva the
Destroyer•Even though he represents
destruction, Shiva is viewed
as a positive force
•Shiva is the supreme God in
Shaivism (a prominent
sect)

27. The Feminine form of God is Shakti
(for Shakt Sect, Shakti is the Prime Deity)
Kaali
Durga

28. Lakshmi –
Goddess of Wealth
Saraswati –
Goddess of the
Wisdom & Arts

29. Ganesha – God of
good fortune
Krishna – God of love
and Joy – an
incarnation of “Vishnu”

30. Rama – Led an Ideal life – an
incarnation of “Vishnu”
Hanuman The monkey
god, who lifted a
mountain to serve Lord
Rama

31. Hindu
Temples
Some Hindu
temples are
hundreds of
years old
and a
marvel of
architecture

32. YOGA is
for Everyone
Derived from
the Sanskrit
word yuj,
Yoga means
union of the
individual
consciousness
or soul with
the Universal
Consciousness
or Spirit

33. Ayurveda – The Ancient Healing
Science
Ayurveda is a holistic approach to health that is
designed to help people live long, healthy, and
well-balanced lives.
The term Ayurveda is taken from the ancient
Indian language, Sanskrit words Ayus,
meaning life or lifespan, and Veda meaning
knowledge literally means "Knowledge of Life".
Ayurveda is one of the world’s oldest thriving
medical systems. It originated in India. The
"contemporary" form of Ayurvedic medicine is
mostly derived from several sacred Indian texts
which were written in Sanskrit between 1500
BC and 400 AD.
Ayurveda forms the foundation of Naturopathy.

34. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is a Sanskrit phrase found
in Hindu texts such as the Maha Upanishad, which
means "the world is one family”.
As the Hindus consider the whole world as their family, there
is only affection for other members of the family, whether
they are in sync with you or not i.e. follow or not follow
practices similar to yours.
Hinduism allows every soul to seek Moksha (liberation) for
themselves in their own perceived way. Every one is
considered following his own chosen spiritual path.
As Hindus consider every human being as a soul
trying to find its way to Moksha, there is freedom
to find your own way that’s why there are hundreds
of Sects in Hinduism.
The World is One Family

35. Vegetarianism & Hinduism
• A large section of Hindus follow vegetarianism as a family
tradition in a bid to respect higher forms of life.
• While vegetarianism is not a requirement, it is recommended as a
purifying lifestyle.
• About 40% of today's Hindu population, especially in orthodox communities
are strict lacto-vegetarian (can use milk products).
• Among the remaining population most of the Hindu population practice
vegetarianism on certain days, especially on the assigned special days of
their deity of devotion or during i.e. “Shravaan” month of Hindu calendar,
which coincides with monsoon season (the breeding season of animals) in
India.
• India is among the lowest per capita meat consumer countries.
Note – Guess, if world’s all vegetarian Hindus become meat eaters, how much
load on the environment will be caused to fulfill their dietary needs.

36. Hinduism: In Harmony with
Environment
• Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled
and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things
necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one must not
accept other things, knowing well to Whom they belong.
Ref. - http://www.stephen-knapp.com/sri_isha_upanishad.htm
• Hinduism denounces materialistic approach of life, true Hindus are in sync
with nature, with minimalistic resource consumption.
• Conservation & reverence for Nature is deep rooted.
• The Sun, Moon, Earth, Air, Rivers, Water, Sea, Plants, several types of
Animals (snakes, rats, elephants, crows, cow, bull, peacock, owls, swan
etc.) etc. are all worshipped.
• Perhaps, due to its harmony with the Nature / Environment, Hinduism
survived & flourished for thousands of years without much damage to their
environment.

37. Sarvesham Svasti Bhavatu
Sarvesham Santir Bhavatu
Sarvesham Purnam Bhavatu
Sarvesham Mangalam Bhavatu
May auspiciousness be unto all;
May peace be unto all;
May fullness be unto all;
May prosperity be unto all.
Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah
Sarve Santu Niramayah
Sarve Bhadrani Pasyantu
Ma Kaschid-Duhkha-Bhag-Bhavet
May all be happy;
May all be free from disabilities;
May all behold what is auspicious;
May none suffer from sorrow.
…………………Contd.
The Prayer of Hindus for the Creation

38. Asato Ma Sadgamaya
Tamaso Ma Jyotir-Gamaya
Mrityor-Ma Amritam Gamaya
Om Santi Santi Santih!
Lead me from the unreal to the Real;
Lead me from darkness to the Light;
Lead me from mortality to Immortality.
Om Peace! Peace! Peace!
B hadāra yaka Upani adṛ ṇ ṣ

39. Acknowledgement
This presentation has been prepared as a
compilation of information available from the
multiple sources available on Internet for the
purpose of knowledge sharing on the topic.
All the images have been taken thankfully
from Internet.
As Hinduism is like an ocean with ever
evolving views, no single book can cover the
concepts fully. There will be deficiencies in
this presentation. It is a humble effort. There
is no intention to hurt anyone’s feeling
through this presentation.