Hinduism
Ancient Hindu Practices
It is perhaps most crucial that we thank the Vedic Aryans for giving a body and spark for what today is called Hinduism. These Vedic practices included worship of a wide array of natural occurrences or ideas such as the sun or war, and ritual sacrifices by Brahmins (priests, and highest marks in the caste system) to reward and please divine powers, this being believed to have affected fertility (of both agricultural and birth). However, many followers were displeased with sacrifices and time consuming practices,(their meanings obtaining a chore-like appearance) and a shift began to occur. Vedic followers began to seclude themselves in the forests and jungles as hermits to ponder life and its many complexities, and the ideas of transmigration and reincarnation begin to adapt.
Eventually Dravidian values and beliefs began to merge with that of the Aryans (with all those Vedic shenanigans you’ve been reading about) and a few scriptures were produced depicting dialogues between disciples and their sages. The idea of the Brahman, an ultimate, universal soul that every being is a part of began to adapt, and the primary goal became to escape the cycle of reincarnation and join this soul. (Speaking of reincarnation, you only progressed in the cycle if you upheld a pure karma, which was basically doing your job and knowing your place no matter how much it sucked, all in the name of reaching moksha, or eternal liberation from the cycle to join the Brahman.) However, the priests made It painfully clear that it could take thousands of years to reach this, so as not to upset the social balance and lose their power. However, this does nearly happen anyway when Buddhism rivals Hinduism’s popularity, (mainly stating it in fact didn’t have to take thousands of years to reach Brahman) causing some major changes.
Modern Hindu Practices
These changes are still reflected today, in fact. Popular Hinduism was absolutely a reaction to Buddhism, after all, the temples were losing followers to an ideology founded by a starving hermit prince. Their retaliation for this to make rituals and increase freedom of the followers, making the task of following Hinduism a less time-consuming one. The Bhagavad Gita was also written, which was a brief poetic work, a dialogue between Vishnu (Hindu god of preservation) and a warrior. It stated in a nutshell that though sacrifice may be great, it’s best to do your job as well as you can, and you (along with everyone else) will be much better off. After all, you’re fulfilling your dharma and will move forward and be rewarded. The demands for this salvation lowered dramatically, and general duties and responsibilities were to be met in a detached fashion. It remained that a balance of karma, dharma, and artha (purpose or motive), would attain moksha. These factors helped Hinduism rise above Buddhism once more, all but wiping it from India today.
The reformation of Hinduism occurred in the 18th century when tensions among highly-educated Hindus began to rise. The Brahmins felt that the British disrespected and limited their practices, and saw Christianity as a threat. They also believed that Hindus and their practice had strayed from the true meaning of Hinduism. So in essence, this “Hindu Renaissance” was a reaction to British colonization and Christianity. Perhaps the most important factor in these series of events was the destroying of a sacred Hindu temple by an angry mob of followers due to pent-up controversy about the legitimacy of the site. They felt the Hinduism was an all-encompassing religion that should be reflected in every-day life, politics, and government, and that Jewish, Buddhist, and Christians were not to be allowed into Hindu grounds.
The Comparison
Hinduism in a religion that has been practices for thousands upon thousands of years. From it’s ancient Vedic roots sprang a complex array of branches, that all but stayed uniform throughout the years. As times change though, so much beliefs in order to stay afloat in their popularity. As time expands into the future more and more, our perception of what is right and wrong, modern and outdated, changes drastically. For Hinduism, problems with time arose when it felt threatened by another religion that was growing in followers and size. This caused it to defensively strike back so much like some exposed, hostile creature, and attempt to balance or shift the powers. That being said, several aspects of the Hindu religion have stayed untouched by time; social castes, the idea or reincarnation, and living a pure, untainted life being just a few. These factors make it extremely difficult, and it should not be thought that Hinduism in the modern era can be easily categorized or distinguished from its ancient beginnings.
It is perhaps most crucial that we thank the Vedic Aryans for giving a body and spark for what today is called Hinduism. These Vedic practices included worship of a wide array of natural occurrences or ideas such as the sun or war, and ritual sacrifices by Brahmins (priests, and highest marks in the caste system) to reward and please divine powers, this being believed to have affected fertility (of both agricultural and birth). However, many followers were displeased with sacrifices and time consuming practices,(their meanings obtaining a chore-like appearance) and a shift began to occur. Vedic followers began to seclude themselves in the forests and jungles as hermits to ponder life and its many complexities, and the ideas of transmigration and reincarnation begin to adapt.
Eventually Dravidian values and beliefs began to merge with that of the Aryans (with all those Vedic shenanigans you’ve been reading about) and a few scriptures were produced depicting dialogues between disciples and their sages. The idea of the Brahman, an ultimate, universal soul that every being is a part of began to adapt, and the primary goal became to escape the cycle of reincarnation and join this soul. (Speaking of reincarnation, you only progressed in the cycle if you upheld a pure karma, which was basically doing your job and knowing your place no matter how much it sucked, all in the name of reaching moksha, or eternal liberation from the cycle to join the Brahman.) However, the priests made It painfully clear that it could take thousands of years to reach this, so as not to upset the social balance and lose their power. However, this does nearly happen anyway when Buddhism rivals Hinduism’s popularity, (mainly stating it in fact didn’t have to take thousands of years to reach Brahman) causing some major changes.
Modern Hindu Practices
These changes are still reflected today, in fact. Popular Hinduism was absolutely a reaction to Buddhism, after all, the temples were losing followers to an ideology founded by a starving hermit prince. Their retaliation for this to make rituals and increase freedom of the followers, making the task of following Hinduism a less time-consuming one. The Bhagavad Gita was also written, which was a brief poetic work, a dialogue between Vishnu (Hindu god of preservation) and a warrior. It stated in a nutshell that though sacrifice may be great, it’s best to do your job as well as you can, and you (along with everyone else) will be much better off. After all, you’re fulfilling your dharma and will move forward and be rewarded. The demands for this salvation lowered dramatically, and general duties and responsibilities were to be met in a detached fashion. It remained that a balance of karma, dharma, and artha (purpose or motive), would attain moksha. These factors helped Hinduism rise above Buddhism once more, all but wiping it from India today.
The reformation of Hinduism occurred in the 18th century when tensions among highly-educated Hindus began to rise. The Brahmins felt that the British disrespected and limited their practices, and saw Christianity as a threat. They also believed that Hindus and their practice had strayed from the true meaning of Hinduism. So in essence, this “Hindu Renaissance” was a reaction to British colonization and Christianity. Perhaps the most important factor in these series of events was the destroying of a sacred Hindu temple by an angry mob of followers due to pent-up controversy about the legitimacy of the site. They felt the Hinduism was an all-encompassing religion that should be reflected in every-day life, politics, and government, and that Jewish, Buddhist, and Christians were not to be allowed into Hindu grounds.
The Comparison
Hinduism in a religion that has been practices for thousands upon thousands of years. From it’s ancient Vedic roots sprang a complex array of branches, that all but stayed uniform throughout the years. As times change though, so much beliefs in order to stay afloat in their popularity. As time expands into the future more and more, our perception of what is right and wrong, modern and outdated, changes drastically. For Hinduism, problems with time arose when it felt threatened by another religion that was growing in followers and size. This caused it to defensively strike back so much like some exposed, hostile creature, and attempt to balance or shift the powers. That being said, several aspects of the Hindu religion have stayed untouched by time; social castes, the idea or reincarnation, and living a pure, untainted life being just a few. These factors make it extremely difficult, and it should not be thought that Hinduism in the modern era can be easily categorized or distinguished from its ancient beginnings.