Hinduism is the national Indian religion and one of the major world religions. Hinduism appeared on the Indian subcontinent, and more than 90 % of people, who practice this religion, live in the Republic of India. Apart from that, the communes of Hindu exist in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Republic of South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana. The current paper will research the main features of Hinduism, the role of women in Hindu families and goddesses in religion, and the influence of Hinduism on society.
Hinduism embraces a wide range of beliefs and rites. Its tolerance to the various religious forms is almost unique among the world religions. There is no church hierarchy, no supreme authority; Hinduism is a completely decentralized religion. In contrast to Christianity or Islam, Hinduism had no founder, whose study was disseminated by the followers. The greatest part of the fundamental regulations of Hinduism was formulated at the time of Christ, but its background is more ancient. Some of the gods, who are worshipped by the Hindus today, where the worship of their ancestors almost 5000 years ago. Hinduism was constantly developing, absorbing and interpreting religions and beliefs of different nations, with which it had contact.
The Main Features of Hinduism
“Hinduism is not a tradition but rather a blanket term invented to account for various traditions, e.g. Vedānta, Śaiva, Vaişņava, Śākta, etc”. It is a rank of different rites. However, there are some certain fundamental regulations on the basis of all these traditions.
The fate of the soul in every new life depends on its behavior in the former incarnations. By the law of karma, every sin will be punished, every virtue will be awarded. If a person did not get a deserved penalty or award in this life, he/she would get it in another one. The behavior of the individual determines whether the soul will achieve the higher or the lower status in the following incarnation; it depends on the person, whether he/she will be born as a human, a god, or a worthless insect in the future.
The fate of the soul in every new life depends on its behavior in the former incarnations. By the law of karma, every sin will be punished, every virtue will be awarded. If a person did not get a deserved penalty or award in this life, he/she would get it in another one. The behavior of the individual determines whether the soul will achieve the higher or the lower status in the following incarnation; it depends on the person, whether he/she will be born as a human, a god, or a worthless insect in the future.
For the majority of Hindus, the assembly of gods is an important component of religious beliefs. Hinduism numbers hundreds of deities from minor gods of local value to great gods, whose deeds are known in every Indian family. The most famous of them are Krishna or Rama, Brahma, the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva, the destroyer.
The Hindu scriptures play a significant role in all the varieties of Hinduism. ‘Philosophic Hinduism’ makes an account of such classic sacred texts as Vedas and Upanishads. Folk Hinduism, venerating both, Vedas and Upanishads, uses as Sanskrit texts the epic poems of Ramayana and the Mahabharata, often in translation from the Sanskrit to local languages. The part of the Mahabharata, Bhagavadgita, is known almost by every Hindu. Bhagavadgita is the closest one that can be referred to as the general Hindu scripture.
