HISTORY OF HINDUISM

Ø Related question

Write an outline of the history of Hinduism

Ø INTRODUCTION

As a matter of fact, every phenomenon has a history, a systematical record of past events. In this write-up, the history of Hinduism, which entails its etymology, its emergence, its basic ideals, its influence and much more, would be systematically evaluated.

Ø THE HISTORY OF HINDUSIM

In a very compact and concise manner, the history of Hinduism would be methodically outlined according to its etymology, meaning and identity; its nature; its emergence; its civilization and basic ideals; its scriptures and; its influence on the Indian society.

Ø    The Etymology, Meaning And Identity

Etymologically, the world ‘Hinduism’ is simply derived from the world ‘Hindu’, which means ‘Indian’. The suffix ‘ism’ is merely a conceptual term. Hence, Hinduism is ‘the philosophy, religion and culture of the Indian people. In addition, the Indian people call ‘Hinduism’ which is their religion, ‘Sanatana Dharma’. This means the ‘universal law’ or ‘the eternal law’ that regulates and controls all things in the universe.

Ø    The Nature Of Hinduism (As A Religion)

Hinduism is an extremely liberal (free) religion which accommodates diverse views, beliefs and doctrines, which range from polytheism to pantheism, then monotheism (as can be seen in the progressive development of Hinduism). This is because; Hinduism had no founder but grew out of the culture of the Indian people. In this regard, it can be said to be similar to African indigenous religion which has no founder.

Ø    The Emergence Of Hinduism

The history of Hinduism is normally traced back to the ‘Aryan Invasion’ which occurred around 1500 B.C. The ‘Aryans’ are noble people who migrated from North-Eastern Europe to India. They invaded, then conquered India, and then established themselves in that territory.

The light-skinned Indians of today are as a result of the intermarriages with the Aryan people, who were light skinned. Originally, the Indians are dark skinned. However, some Indian families did not allow intermarriages, as they wanted to retain their dark skinned complexion. 

Ø    THE CIVILIZATION AND BASIC IDEALS OF HINDUISM

Some sources claim that Indian civilization came with the Aryan Invasion. However, there is evidence that this is not the case, as the Indian people were already experiencing a rich civilization existing around what is known as the ‘Indus Valley’.

The Indian people had their own religion and culture which emphasized ‘asceticism’ – the strict avoidance of worldly wealth and living a rigorous life. Also, the Aryan people imported their own religious practices which emphasized ‘ritualism’ – hymns, prayers and sacrifices to goods. Therefore, these two cultures were combined to form a well organized religion, Hinduism – which now entailed ‘asceticism’ and ‘ritualism’ 

Ø    THE SCRIPTURES OF HINDUISM

Hinduism as a liberal religion has two types of sacred (holy) scriptures namely ‘sruti’ and ‘smriti’.

A.    Sruti (hearing)

The ‘sruti’ mainly contains the traditions and cultural practices of the ‘aryans’ which emphasized ritualism. ‘Sruti’ consists of a collection of sacred writings known as ‘Veda’ – knowledge and the source of all sacred knowledge. Hence, ‘Veda’ became, and is the basic scripture of Hinduism. Accordingly, it (Veda) consists of four collections which are:

i.       The Vedas (Rig-Veda, Sama-Veda, Yajur-Veda, Atharva-Veda)

ii.      The Brahmanas

iii.     The Aranyakas

iv.     The Upanishads (Vedanta)

B.     Smriti (Memory)

The ‘smriti’ consists of what is known as ‘sutras’, meaning ‘aphorisms’ – a collection of short, wise sayings. In ‘sutras’, the code of ‘manu’ and the code of ‘puranas’ can be found; as well as the two epics which are ‘Mahabhdrate’ and ‘Ramayana’.

Ø    THE INFLUENCE OF HINDUISM ON THE INDIAN SOCIETY

When Hinduism became an established religion; with time, the society became stratified rigorously into four major classes (maybe five). This stratification came about in the ‘Brahmanic period’, which is the second period in the development of Hinduism. These classes are highlighted below:-

i.       The Brahmins -  Which are the topmost class in the Indian society. They were the priests and rulers and were very much influential.

ii.      The Kshatriyas – Were next to the Brahmins. They were the nobles (wealthy aristocrats) and the warriors.

iii.     The Vaishyas – They were the masses (commoners), traders and peasants (farmers).

iv.     The Shudras – These were the servants and slaves.

        Below these four classes were the ‘outcasts’ or the ‘untouchables’ whom were despised and isolated, as they were not regarded as part of the society (similar to the ‘osu’ of the Ibos in Nigeria).

Ø    CONCLUSION

Accordingly the history of ‘a’ people is very important in understanding the traditional lifestyle of these people, as well as, the influential reasons for their beliefs. However, as for the Indian people, it is quite obvious that most parts of their way of life were influenced by the ‘Aryans’.

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