Facts about Hindu
About 30 percent of today's Hindu population, especially in orthodox communities in south India, in certain northerly states like Gujarat, and in many Brahmin enclaves around the subcontinent, is vegetarian.
Hindutva ideology was enunciated first by Savarkar in his seminal work “Hindutva” (1922).
Smarta monists, seeing in multiple manifestations the one God or source of being, are often confused by non-Hindus as being polytheists.
Liberation from this material existence and cycle of birth and death, to join or reach the Universal spirit or God (depending on belief), is known as Moksha, which is the ultimate goal of Hindus.
The Vedas (literally Knowledge) are considered as shruti (revelation) by Hindus.
Sometimes though, the Hindu tendency to include others as Hindus when they regard themselves as Buddhists or Sikhs, for example, can be unwelcome.
One of the most widely read and important Hindu scriptures, the Bhagavad-Gita, is actually chapter 11 of the Mahabharata.
Many non-Hindus see a great amount of ancient wisdom in Hinduism’s foundational texts, the Vedas and Upanishads, which Hindus believe were “breathed out” by the gods and represent knowledge.
Roy could find no justification for image worship or for the veneration of many deities, and openly identified with Unitarian Christianity although his movement remained Hindu.
Hindu festivals are popular forms of devotion in which many Hindus participate, regardless of class.
A large section of Hindus embrace vegetarianism in a bid to respect higher forms of life, restricting their diet to plants and vegetables.
Hindutva ideology rose to importance in Indian politics in the 1980s and is chiefly associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh movement.
The Indonesian islands of Bali, Java, Sulawesi, Sumatra, and Borneo have significant native Hindu populations.
According to other variants, Poseidon was raised by the Telchines on Rhodes, just as Zeus was raised by the Korybantes on Crete.
The majority of Hindus identify with what is known as Smarta, which is said to be the most inclusive viewpoint.
Images (murtis) of the deities are believed to contain the “presence” of the gods, but they are not objects of worship for Hindus, who worship the reality behind the symbol.
to 1300 B.C.E., although Hindu estimates are considerably longer, given that they see the religion as expressing timeless truths.
Traditionally, Hindu was understood to refer to anyone born in India of Indian parents.
Many private high schools that provide secondary education are called "colleges" in Australia.
Bhakti Hindus may not see themselves as in need of Brahmins, but this does not mean that they do not respect the Brahmin's way of life.
Puja (worship), popularly often consisting of singing and sometimes dance, are offered in temples, but many Hindus visit the temple primarily to “see” the deity (known as darshan).
The four Hindu varnas (literally, “colors”) or classes are Brahmins (priests, learned men), Kshtriyas (warriors and royalty), Vysyas (merchants), and Sudras (workers).
According to Hindu thought, it was revealed by Brahma to the sage, Atreya.
Many non-profit charitable organizations solicit donations from the public to support their work; philanthropic foundations often oversee an endowment which they invest and use the proceeds to support aid organizations and other causes.
Some of the Hindu aspects of God include Devi, Vishnu, Ganesh, and Siva.
Many people believe that God was revealing God's-self through the ancient laws and ethical principles contained in Hindu scriptures, which speak of a cosmic struggle between order (dharma) and chaos (adharma).
Another accusation was that Hindus were polytheists, but most Hindus believe in one ultimate reality, which manifests itself plurally.
Just as Jews, Christians, and Muslims all believe in one God but differ in their conceptions of God, Hindus also all believe in one God but differ in their conceptions.
The six Astika or orthodox (accepting the authority of the Vedas) schools of Hindu philosophy are Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Samkhya, Yoga, Purva Mimamsa (also called just “Mimamsa”), and Uttara Mimamsa (also called “Vedanta”).
The overwhelming majority of Hindu sacred texts are composed in the Sanskrit language.
The Hindu saint, Ramakrishna (1836 – 1886), a monist, was a prominent advocate of this traditional Hindu view.
Many Hindus also avoid beef because they practice ahimsa (non-violence and a respect for all life).
Every Hindu does not expect to be able to complete all four stages during every birth-cycle but many aim to do so or to complete as much as possible, for example, reaching the retirement stage.
Some criticize this Western tendency to elevate an abstract, classical, 'Great Tradition' above the myriad 'small' (or local) traditions that inform the lives of most Hindus.
The government of the Republic of India still defines any Indian who does not claim membership of another faith as a Hindu.
Religion to the Hindu is the eternal search for the divine Brahman, the search to find the One truth that in actuality never was lost, only hidden.
Many Hindus practice rituals (Samskaras) based on their ancient texts marking the cycle of life events, including birth, marriage, death, and for the twice-born classes (which excludes Shudras) the sacred thread ceremony (Upanayana).
Of the total Hindu population of the world, about 94 percent (890 million) live in India.
set Hindu philosophy apart with its embrace of a single transcendent and yet immanent force that is native to each person's soul, seen by some as an identification of micro- and macrocosm as One.
Another says that a Hindu is someone who other Hindus recognize as Hindu, regardless of how different their belief or practice.
Traditionally, high caste Hindus were reluctant to travel outside India because they believed they would lose ritual purity.
Most Hindu thought today in some way relates to changes affected by Vedantic thought, which focused on meditation, morality, and focus on the one self rather than on rituals and societal distinctions like caste.
On their marriage day, all Hindus represent the ideal couple, Ram and his consort, Sita.
Many Hindus to this day, in a tradition that has continued unbroken for at least 3,000 years, perform morning ablutions at the bank of a sacred river (especially the Ganga/Ganges).
The majority of Hindus identify with what is known as Smarta, which is said to be the most inclusive viewpoint.
Another major aspect of Hindu religion that is common to practically all Hindus is that of purushartha, the "four goals of life."
The Trimurti concept (also called the Hindu trinity) of Smartism denotes the three aspects of God in God’s forms as Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer.
According to other variants, Poseidon was raised by the Telchines on Rhodes, just as Zeus was raised by the Korybantes on Crete.
Another modern Hindu movement, the Brahmo Samaj, was founded by Ram Mohum Roy (1774 – 1833), the first Brahmin to travel to England, where he died.
The overwhelming majority of Hindu sacred texts are composed in the Sanskrit language.
Hindus believe that there is one true god, the supreme spirit, called Brahman. Brahman has many forms, pervades the whole universe, and is symbolised by the sacred syllable Om (or Aum). Most Hindus believe that Brahman is present in every person as the eternal spirit or soul, called the atman.
(Sanātana Dharma) Hinduism is the world's third most popular religion, with around 750 million followers. The religion of Hinduism originated in Northern India, near the river Indus, about 4000 years ago and is the world's oldest existing religion.
Scholars regard Hinduism as a synthesis of various Indian cultures and traditions, with diverse roots and no single founder. The history of Hinduism is often divided into periods of development, with the first period being that of the historical Vedic religion dated from about 1900 BCE to 1400 BCE.
The countries with more than 500,000 Hindu residents and citizens include (in decreasing order) – India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia (especially in Bali- 84% Hindu), Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, United States, Myanmar, United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, Mauritius, the Caribbean (West Indies).
The vast majority of Hindus in India belong to Shaivite and Vaishnavite denominations. India is one of the three countries in the world (Nepal and Mauritius being the other two) where Hinduism is the majority.