Wikijunior:World Religions/Hinduism
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How many people follow Hinduism?
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Roughly 1.2 billion people follow some form of Hinduism today. That's about the same number of people who live in the United States, Indonesia, Nigeria, Brazil, and Bangladesh put together.
Where is Hinduism practiced?
[edit | edit source]Hinduism is mostly practiced in India, Nepal, and Mauritius. Immigrants from India commonly practice Hinduism as well.
What are the main beliefs of Hinduism?
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Hinduism is a set of diverse religious beliefs. Unlike Christianity, Buddhism, or Islam, Hinduism has no founder or single holy book. It teaches that there are several gods and goddesses, for example, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Durga. According to the Hindu holy books, many of these gods and goddesses have come to our world in different forms, which Hindus call "avatars". Rama and Krishna are two of the avatars of Vishnu, and they are characters of the Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.
Hindus believe that after your body dies, your soul is reincarnated, or born again in another body. What you are reborn as is determined by how you lived in the previous life.
What texts does Hinduism hold sacred?
[edit | edit source]Hinduism has many holy books. The Vedas are the holiest of all in Hinduism. It has four parts: Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, and Atharvaveda. However, the Vedas were passed from one generation to another by mouth rather than by any written book at first.
Other holy books are the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Puranas, and the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.
What are some main holidays and practices of Hinduism?
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Hinduism has many festivals. Holi and Diwali are two famous Hindu festivals celebrated by most Hindus. Holi is celebrated with colors, while Diwali is celebrated with lights and firecrackers.
Other festivals are Navaratri, Ganesh Chaturthi, Vasantpanchami, Makar Sankranti, Rama Navami, Kumbh Mela, and others.
What is the history of Hinduism?
[edit | edit source]Unlike Christianity, Buddhism, or Islam, Hinduism has no founder. The Rigveda is the earliest book on Hinduism, and it has been around since 1700 BCE. The mythology of the Vedas is like the Greek and Roman mythologies.
Who are some famous people who have practiced Hinduism?
[edit | edit source]- Adi Sankaracharya
- Ata (famous Indian mathematician)
- Annie Besant (Famous theosophist)
- Raja Ram Mohan Roy (famous Indian social reformer)
- Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
- Swami Vivekananda (well known Indian reformer , his thoughts are quite powerful)
- Mahatma Gandhi (famous for India's freedom movement - he is called in India as the 'Father of Our Nation')
- Rabindranath Tagore (1st Indian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature)
- Srinivasa Ramanujan (World famous Indian mathematician)
- Lakshmi Niwas Mittal (Indian chairman and CEO of the world's largest steel making company , ArcelorMittal
- Viswanathan Anand (One of the best Indian and world chess players)
- Sachin Tendulkar (Well known Indian cricketer who holds the record for the most number of runs in both(Test/ODI) formats of cricket)
- Narain Karthikeyan (First Indian F1 driver)
- Kalpana Chawla (First Indian woman to go to space)
- Julia Roberts (Famous American actor who practices Hinduism)
- Anna Hazare (Famous Indian activist)
- Bal Gangadhar Tilak (Famous freedom fighter for India)
- George Harrison (Famous singer and guitarist, who famously practiced Hinduism.)
What is a story from Hinduism?
[edit | edit source]Once there was a man who wanted to become a great Sage. He studied hard to learn the scriptures. He understood almost everything in the scriptures, except parts with the word "Maya". So he went into meditation to see God. He meditated for decades, and at last God came to him.
The Sage asked God, "What is Maya"? God replied "I can only show you the answer, but it will be a hard journey". The Sage pledged God, "I am your devotee, I will endure any hardship you ask of me. Please show me the answer".
God Reincarnated the sage, and he was born again. He was born in a family far far away. He had forgotten all about his previous life, including his meeting with God. He grew up with lots of friends. He married and had a loving family.
One day, as he was thinking about how good the lunch would taste, God appeared to him. The man was confused and asked, "Who are you?" God replied, "Remember... your previous life", and blessed him. And the Man remembered that he was a Sage and his quest for "Maya". God said, "This is Maya, the illusion that covers your true self. Maya is the curtain that blinds you from seeing the truth of the world".