A Description of Hinduism, Part Two

Occasions such as birth, death and marriage involve an elaborate set of customs. Pilgrimages are not mandatory but many do undertake them. There are several Indian cities that are viewed as holy cities - Allahabad, Haridwar, Varanasi and Vrindavan. Hinduism has many festivals which are celebrated which typically celebrate events from Hindu mythology.

Hindu scriptures were transmitted orally in verse form, many centuries before they were written down. Sages refined these teachings and expanded the canon, most scriptures are not interpreted literally instead more importance is attached to the ethics and the metaphorical meanings derived from them. Most scared texts are written in Sanskrit and are divided into two classes - Shruti and Smritis. Modern Hinduism grew out of the Vedas, which centre on worship of deities and date from 1,700 BCE. The major Sanskrit epics Ramayana and Mahabarata were compiled over many centuries, they contain mythological stories about the rulers and wars of ancient India and are full of religious and philosophical tracts. The later Puranas tell tales of the Devas, their interactions with humans and their battles with demons.

Hinduism has no central doctrinal authority and many Hindus do not claim to belong to any particular denomination. There are four major denominations - Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism and Smartism; differing primarily in the God worshipped as the Supreme Being and the rituals to worship that God. The life of a Hindu is traditionally divided into four ashramas which are stages or phases. First is Brahmacharya - student stage is spent in a celibate, controlled and sober environment in pure contemplation under the guidance of a Guru who builds up the mind for spiritual knowledge.

Russell Shortt is a travel consultant with Exploring Ireland, the leading specialists in customised, private escorted tours, escorted coach tours and independent self drive tours of Ireland. Article source Russell Shortt,

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Ann Masters