Hindu religion has got a lot more interesting facts that make it worth studying. An in-depth analysis of Hindu doctrine reveals that it was more like a result of cultural developments and something that manifests the evolution of human consciousness.
Let’s have a look at interesting facts about Hindu religion that make it so different in the world.
Followers of Hinduism
Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world, after Christianity and Islam. It has more than one billion followers, with 90% believers in India. According to Pew research, 0.7% of American adults also practice Hinduism.
One of Oldest Religions in the World
Hinduism is one of the oldest religion in the world. According to estimates, the religion is as old as 3000-4000 or at most 12000 years.
Not Really a Polytheistic Religion
It is believed that Hinduism is all about polytheism, as its followers believe in myriads of gods, and goddesses. But, according to Hindus, there is only Bhagwan Brahma and rest of the gods and deities are its reflections. So, Brahma manifests himself in Vishnu, Shiva, and many others. It is said that from Krishna to local level deities, there are approximate, 330 million gods, that Hindu follow.
Belief in Reincarnation
Believe in reincarnation and Karma is the significant component of Hindu religion. It implies the rebirth of a soul after death. In fact, the followers believe that Karma plays a vital role in present lives of the person. Good and bad behavior that a person’s past birth has adopted is reflecting on his/her present life. Once the soul achieves salvation or Moshka, the cycle of rebirths stops. Or maybe the belief implies that a soul needs to undergo different rebirths to eventually achieve purification.
4 Goals of Hinduism
Broadly, there are four goals of Hinduism which are Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha which mean righteousness, money, right desire, and salvation.
Scriptures of Hindu Religion
Sanskrit is the language of Hindu religion. Famous books on Hinduism are Vedas, Mahabharata, Ramayana, 18 Puranas and Bhagavad Gita. Vedas are said to be the oldest books in the world, which were preserved by memory. From all the four Vedas, Rig Veda is the oldest one which is said to be from 1500 BC to 2000 BC.
Diet in Hinduism
In Hindu religion, followers eat the vegetarian diet and abstain from eating meat and particularly beef, as the cow is considered sacred. But, not all the believers strictly follow the vegetarian diet, rather few of them observe abstinence from meat on specific days.
Yoga- A Hindu Practice
Hinduism is also offered the Yoga which is helpful in weight loss and aids in better focus and concentration. The practices like Yoga, meditation, Tantra, Pranayama, and Jyotshi are the practices that are come from Hindu religion and they are influencing culture and lifestyle in all over the world.
