Related
questions
·
Discuss the development of
Hinduism.
· What are the stages of
development in Hinduism? Identify the changes brought about by each period.
INTRODUCTION
Hinduism, according to History, has emerged progressively over
the ages. This progressive development has been divided into four stages or
periods, with each having its own unique pattern and activities. In this
write-up, this would be duly evaluated.
HINDUISM:
A brief historical analysis
Derived from the word ‘Hindu’s meaning ‘Indian’, Hinduism is
the philosophy, religion and culture of the Indian people. Due to the fact that
it had no founder, but evolved from the culture of the people, Hinduism became
an extremely liberal religion which accommodates diverse doctrines and beliefs.
Its history is usually traced back to the ‘Aryan Invasion’, from north-eastern
Europe to India
THE STAGES/PERIODSOF HINDUISM’S DEVELOPMENT
As earlier said, Hinduism’s progressive development is divided
into four periods, thus: -
i. The Vedic period
ii. The Brahmanic
period
iii. The upanishadic
period
In a progressive fashion, the changes brought about by these
periods are given thus:-
i. The Vedic Period
This represents the earliest period, as well as the initial
stage in Hinduism’s progressive development. The basic characteristic of this
period was that ‘polytheism’ – the belief in, and worship of many gods, was
dominant. Accordingly, these numerous gods represented natural phenomena.
Hence, every aspect of the universe, had its own specific gods in charge of it.
for example, we had ‘gods of the sky’, ‘gods of the earth’, ‘gods of the air’
and so on. At some particular point in time, things began to change, as the
various gods came to be seen as different parts/names, of a particular being –
the ultimate reality. Hence, Hinduism began a gradual transitionary process
from ‘polytheism’ to ‘pantheism’ – the belief that God is in everything.
ii. The Brahmanic Period
As the second period of Hinduism’s development, this period
was dominated by the Brahmins, whom were the custodians of the religion. They
derived their name from the sacred text. ‘Brahmanas’ – the second book
contained in the Veda. This holy book commands that the ritual, sacrifices and
official worship be presided by the priests – the ‘Brahmins’. The gods were
petitioned to comply with the demands of the people via a correctly performed
ritual ceremony by the Brahmins; so they were held in high esteem, high social
status and perceived as the dominant authority. Also, it was during this period
that the Indian caste system which stratified the society into four classes,
were developed. At the top, were the ‘Brahmin’s – the most priviledged
class. Next, were the ‘Kshatriyas’ – the warriors. Then, the ‘Vaisyas’
– the common people, and lastly, the ‘Sudras’ – the servants, labourers
and slaves.
iii. The Upanishadic Period
The third period of Hinduism’s development was the period in
which the ‘upanishads’ – the fourth book contained in the Veda, was written.
Also known as the ‘Vedanta’ – the concluding part of the Veda, the Upanishads
affirm the doctrine of ‘pantheistic monism’. Hence, the gradual movement of
polytheism to pantheism, which began in the Vedic period reached its climax in
this period with the aid of the Upanishads. Also, the Upanishads criticized the
great importance given to rituals, sacrifices and the priests during the
Brahmanic period. So, it advocated that salvation (Moksha) was to be achieved
by ‘esoteric knowledge’, ‘asceticism’ and ‘contemplation’. Lastly, in this
period, the Vedic gods had vanished and became replaced with the one, single,
absolute and all-embracing ultimate reality known as ‘Brahman’.
iv. The Bhakti Period
This period which is the final stage in the progressive
development of Hinduism, is also known as the ‘period of the Bhakti movement’.
This period emphasized ‘the way of devotion’ – ‘Bhakti-Marga’, as the way to
gain salvation. This way entails ‘Faith’, ‘love’, ‘personal devotion’ and ‘self
surrender’ to God via one of his incarnations (Krishna );
which is quite similar to the Christian devotion to God via Jesus Christ.
Hence, it rejects the ‘Brahmanic way’ – the way of works (Karma – Marga), as
well as the ‘Upanishadic way’ – the way of knowledge (Jnana – Marga), as means
to gaining salvation. Thus, in the ‘way of devotion’ - Bhakti-Marga, salvation is dependant on the
grace of God.
CONCLUSION
These four periods/stages in the progressive development of
Hinduism, reveals a transitionary pattern of what it used to be, and also what
it is presently; as can be seen in the final stage (Bhakti-Marga) which is the
most popular and important way to salvation in Hinduism.
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