Hinduism Sociology

Hinduism is one of the main religions in South Asia that focuses on one’s soul and eternity of themselves. This religion has shaped into a patriarchal society in India with a caste system that affected gender. In addition, Hinduism has impacted some of the aspects in United States politics. As the Aryans brought this religion to India around 1500 BC, its system and practices spread and evolved around the world into a primary belief. Hinduism has impacted the world socially, politically and even economically.

Imagine a religion so old that it is said to be timeless and has always been there, even before humans set foot on the Earth. It’s mindboggling to think that the knowledge of everything is floating in the space of the universe and the mind is just a way of reaching it. Hinduism is a very complex religion, yet it still sets one ultimate goal for the soul. To deeper understand Hinduism we must reveal its origin, doctrines, customs, and culture.

People are born into the caste of their parents and are not allowed to cross into another one. They are also expected to marry in the same caste. The unequal distribution of money, influence, pain and suffering are seen as a natural consequence for ones previous actions, both in this life and in previous lives. Hindus can be reborn at a higher level through pure acts, good thoughts and devotion. They can also be reborn at a lower level through bad deeds. It is even possible to be reborn as an animal. Arizona State University (2004) lists the five social castes. They are: Brahmins (priests and academics); Kshatriyas (military); Vaishyas (farmers and merchants); Sudras (peasants and servants); and Harijan (outcasts or untouchables).

     Since Buddhism and Hinduism have different believes they also have different holy days. Moreover, because Hindus worship variety of gods they have a variety of festivals. The three main festivals of Hinduism are: Holi, Divali, and Dasehra. Holi is the most popular festival. This holy day is celebrated each year during February-March to welcome spring. “Holi is dedicated to god Krishna and it was once a fertility ceremony (104).” Throughout the days of Holi, many of the casts and taboo restrictions are set aside and pleasure is emphasized. The second ceremony Divali, celebrated in November, is a festival to welcome a new year. Finally the third festival, the Dasehra, celebrated up to nine days in October, in honor of Durga, a consort of Shiva. On the other hand Buddhism is divided in many ways according to philosophy and geography. The major festivals that are celebrated by most Buddhists are New Year, Buddha’s birthday, the festival of souls, and robe offering. In

Since the beginning of civilization many religions and cultures have come and gone. One of the few that has stood the test of time is Hinduism. Hinduisms base flourishes from the practical view of human life, belief in eternal truth and it’s ability to make small adaptations to it without compromising its core values. Hinduism is the oldest known religion in the world and also the third largest in the world. Most of its one billion followers live in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Even with its immense amount of followers and lengthy existence, many non followers are unaware of its history, beliefs, and practices.

The caste system itself is a system of social stratification, based on two concepts, varna and jati. Varna

Hindu is the oldest religion on earth. Hinduism doesn’t have a single founder, a single holy text, or a central religious authority. Most forms of Hinduism view other Gods and Goddesses as manifestations or aspects of that supreme God or Goddess. About 14% of the world’s population is Hindu. According to the yearbook of “American and Canadian churches” they were about 1.5 million Hindus in the US during 1999.

Hinduism’s history is complex and the early history, especially is a subject of much debate for several reasons. Hinduism is not one single religion and also seemingly has no definite starting point as the traditions that flow into the religion trace back thousands of years(“Religion: Hinduism.”). This and some practitioners claim that the Hindu revelation is eternal(“Religion: Hinduism.”). Although there is an emphasis on personal spirituality, Hinduism's history has been closely linked with various political and social developments, such as the rise and fall of various empires and kingdoms(“Religion: Hinduism.”). The early history of Hinduism is difficult to organize and date so Hindus often

Imagine a place entirely made of Turkish Limestone and Italian marble, a place of worship and serenity. BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is the full name of the Hindu Mandir I visited, it is located in Stafford also known as Houston, Texas. I visited BAPS because of the beautiful land mark it created. BAPS is a place of worship for people who practice and believe in Hinduism. Hinduism is approximately 5,000 to 10,000 years old. It is a religion that grows by enfolding new traditions. There are several field of Hinduism, but everyone picks only one. In Hinduism, the fallowers believe in the four gods and five goddesses, each one has an individual meaning and story. Causing each human individual to have a different connection with each of the gods.

Hinduism is not restricted to the belief of just one god, in fact, Hinduism has millions of gods, although some believe one god is behind them all. Some religious reasons in Hinduism call for strict vegetarian diets, while others will eat meat on special occasions, or even sacrifice animals at Hindu temples. Hindus pursue a hidden spiritual reality by controlling their bodies behind all physical things,

I did not know much about Hinduism, apart from the fact that they worship multiple gods and believe in reincarnation. Three concepts that helped me grasp who the Hindu people are would be, the four acceptable aims of life, the caste system, and the idea of karma. These three ideas helped me identify how the Hindu’s are supposed to live in their daily life and why they live a certain way. One bump I found in Hinduism is number of gods they have and worship.

In the Book of Manu, the caste system is broken down into 5 levels. The first level or top level is the Brahmins, the priest and scholars of the Hindu faith. The second level is the Kshatiyas, the warriors and rulers of the Hindu people. Vaishyas is the third level of people, these are the merchants and landowners. These top three levels in the caste system are people that are twice born. The term twice born means they are permitted to participant in the Hindu life, and all that it entitles. Members of this group can be recognized by the cord that is looped around their shoulder. The Shudra is the fourth level of the castle system; they make up the workers on behalf of the top three levels. Finally, the fifth group are the Dalits, these are the untouchables of the caste system. These people are intrinsically unclean and if the can find work, it is the the jobs that are thought to defiling. The caste system was set up as a way to ensure that people could focus on one job and not have to worry about other activities, such as if a person was a banker he would have to worry about making horse shoes for his horse. With all things that was intended for good, the caste system has turned out bad, by keep the two low levels from ever being able to improve their status. In the article “Untouchability and Social Exclusion in Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things” by

Since the dawn of religion, the perception of divine beings in human forms have been a prevalent belief. Most religions represent gods and goddesses as having human qualities and behaviors as well as humanoid forms. This is called anthropotheism, or the assigning of human qualities to deities. However, Hinduism is unusual in that followers identify their divine beings with physical qualities that are not humanoid. The major images of gods and goddess of Hinduism are studded with blue skin, animalistic features, multiple arms and eyes and elongated earlobes. While Hindus believe that Brahman, the principle god is formless, they accept that the majority of people cannot fathom a god without a form. As a result, intellectuals of the religion chose

Hinduism is considered to be more than a religion. It is a culture, a way of life and a code of behavior (Khan, 2016) Although modern day clothes are worn by Hindu women it is custom to wear tradition garments such as the sari in everyday life including the work place (HAF, 2016). Therefor the employer must accommodate the employee’s rights to wear the clothing which customary the Hindu religion (HAF, 2016). Hindus are vegetarian therefor if a staff meeting of any kind their diets of choice should be accommodated. It would be considered discrimination to provide a verity of food for the other employees and not have some vegetarian options ion for the Hindu employees (HAF, 2016)

Equally as varied are the meanings behind the festival itself. With the size of India itself, the festival has had multiple interpretations beyond the standard lights and sharing of gifts. Multiple gods are revered during this time and the festival itself is mentioned in several works, including the Padmas, Skanda Puranas, and the Vedas. Many believe the meaning of the Diwali is to celebrate the return of Lord Rama after he defeated Ravana. It is fabled that the people of Ayodhya celebrated Rama’s return by lighting clay lamps along the streets. Lord Rama’s triumph over Ravana was seen as a triumph of good over evil and is celebrated as such. The most important part of the festival, at least corresponding to the earlier mentioned works, are the lights. The name of the festival itself, Diwali means row of lights. Small oil lamps and lanterns are lit every year and light every inch of the festival, supposedly to aid souls in their journey to the ancestral world, as well as a possible symbol of the sun. Oil lamps are made by the hundreds and sold on every street, along with plenty of other gifts and trinkets families buy throughout the almost week-long