Hinduism is among the largest religions in the world with around a billion followers, most of whom are from the Indian subcontinent or of Indian origin. Let’s look at a few aspects of Hinduism.
The subcontinent of India was traditionally known as Bharatvarsha, and also as Hindustan. The word “Hindu” comes from the word “Sindhu”, the traditional name of the river Indus, which lies in modern-day India and Pakistan today. So Hinduism was a geographic identity originally, and has only lately come to be seen as a religion.
Another one of the astonishing facts about Hinduism is its vast pantheon of gods. No pantheon in any modern religion is as vast, and even the ancient Greeks, Romans or Babylonians had as many gods to choose from as a Hindu. Estimates vary, with some saying there are 330,000 gods and others saying 33 million! Either way, the Hindu pantheon is as diverse as life itself.
The Hindus have a cyclic view of time, with four ages or yugas, repeating over a period of many thousands of years. During these four, human consciousness is said to deteriorate from highest and most subtle, to the lowest and most gross. Human consciousness is at its peak during the Satya Yuga. The next yuga is the Treta Yuga, then the Dwapara Yuga and finally the Kali Yuga. According to the scriptures, we are currently in the Kali Yuga, the lowest of the four.
Hinduism was also never a proselytizing religion. And according to several teachers, it was never a rigid set of rules as is commonly understood. In fact, one the famous teacher and philosopher, Swami Vivekananda’s quotes states: “To devote your life to the good of all and to the happiness of all is religion. Whatever you do for your own sake is not religion.” In Hinduism, traditionally, one was always given the choice of who to worship. Or if one wished, they need not have worshipped any god.
Hinduism’s sacred texts are also not limited to the Bhagavad Gita, as is commonly thought. There are several ancient texts, including the Upanishads, Vedas, and Brahmanas. The texts are generally divided in shrutis and smritis, which are said to be of divine origin and received from the sages respectively. And the third category is itihas, which translates to history, and includes texts and poems such as the famed Ramayana and Mahabharata, among the two longest poems in history.
