About Hinduism- A Short Intro And Fact Sheet

Hinduism or more accurately Sanathana Dharma came into existence in India, and gradually expanded to some other countries. Hinduism has to be considered more as a way of ethical life rather than an organized religion. That is why many people are of the view that “Sanatana Dharma” is the right term for Hinduism.

A unique feature of Hinduism is worthy of special mention: flexibility. The religion, in its purest form, has not imposed rigid restrictions on adherents of following only one path. Almost all the ancient scriptures of the Hindus are unanimous in maintaining that truth is something that can be reached by diverse paths. No one specific path should be called the best one! People are free to choose the way that best appeals to them.

Hinduism – Quick Fact Sheet :
Now that we are through with the short intro on Hinduism, it will be worthwhile to focus on a fact sheet on Hinduism. This sheet includes some of the most significant aspects of the “Sanatana Dharma.”

• Among all the contemporary religions of the globe, the most ancient one is Hinduism. Some of its scriptures date back few thousand years than other religions.

• One of the most striking features of Hinduism is that no single person can be called its founder. Sanathana dharma means eternal truth.

• In the same way, we cannot pinpoint a single book/ scripture and say that that has the standard injunctions for all Hindus.

• In this respect, we have to mention that Hinduism actually is a collection of philosophies, procedures including meditation, deep breathing, fasting and self-controls that have multiple approaches to elevate a human being.

• It’s estimated that approximately 80% of the population of India is Hindu. Likewise, it is seen that Hindus constitute about 15% of the Worldwide population.

• The oldest source of wisdom for Hinduism are the Vedas, this is the primary authority which has inspired many other sources of wisdom.

• There are four Vedas – things such as connection with the divine, dharma, religious duties, sadhana, and ethical precepts are covered in the vedas which are collections of hymns or verses

• As per Sanathana dharma, every human life has four goals: right conduct (dharma), money (artha), desire (kama), and salvation (moksha).

• Hinduism believes that the supreme cosmic source (Paramatma/ Bhagwan) is just one.

• But the religion states that the “ultimate cosmic energy” can manifest itself in any form, depending on the situation. These manifestations can either be as a God or a Goddess. “Avatar” is the term that is used to describe these divine incarnations.

• Hindu dharma attaches tremendous significance to the concept of aatman (soul) and its connection with the divine source.

• Numerous scriptures of Hinduism have differently and yet beautifully explained the aatma-paramatma (Bhagwan or God) connection.

• One more interesting thing about Hinduism is that there is no single individual who is given the ultimate authority to decide on religious matters.

• Once a scholarly person with proper sadhana writes a commentary of the dasa Upanishads, Bhagwad Gita and Brahmasutra – they become eligible to create a new denomination. In Hinduism, there are several denominations – many of them founded centuries back and a few even a millineum or two back.

• While the Vedas are always applicable – the Hindu philosophy believes that based on region, time, role the relevant portions of dharma applicable to that situation should be emphasized so it is relevant to the situation.

• Elevating a human being, making them more civilized and make entire society better / viable is the focus of Hindu dharma. Based on the mindset of the people, various approaches are made available so that people can use the most appropriate method to elevate themselves.

Hinduism is such a vast, all-encompassing religion that all its key points can’t be included in just one small fact sheet. Yet, a sincere attempt has been made to cover the aspects of utmost importance.

Read our Dharma Related Articles including Samanya Dharma, Apad Dharma, Vishesha Dharma and Sanathan Dharma.