Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world. The three
cardinal principles of Hinduism are:
- Belief in a series of births.
-
Belief in Avatars of the Lord for
the reestablishment of Dharma and the transformation
of those who have strayed from it.
-
Belief in Karma, the fact of every
activity having its inevitable consequences and of human
destiny being shaped by cumulative effect of all these
consequences. Karma is the cause of births, the Jivi
being compelled to undergo another ordeal for clearing
its accounts and becoming free of both debit and credit.
The life aim of Hindus is to reach fulfillment through
constant spiritual discipline, the fulfillment that comes
from the awareness of one's Divinity. Merging with the
Divine is the attainment of fullness. The Vedas are the
soul that sustains the spiritual life of Hindus. They
are the breath that that keeps the people alive. The Vedas
emanated from God Himself. The great sages received the
Vedas as a series of sounds and spread it over the world
by word of mouth from preceptor to the pupil. One can
know from the Vedas the code of right activity and the
body of right knowledge. The Vedas teach man his duties
from birth to death. They describe his rights and duties,
obligations and responsibilities in all stages of life.
In order to explain the Vedas in simpler terms, the Puranas
(scriptures) and epic texts appeared in course of time.
Two such great epics are the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
Another great spiritual text of Hinduism is the Bhagavat
Geetha, which helps people to control the agitation of
the mind, destroy the delusion, develop true knowledge
and make one catch a glimpse of the glory of the Lord.
The word Hindu means those who keep away from the path of violence,
away from inflicting injury on others. The essence of all the
scriptural texts of Hinduism can be described in one sentence
as "Help Ever, Hurt Never".
Aum, which is a primary symbol of Hinduism,
is the symbol of unchanging eternal, universal supreme
God. Aum, is the primordial word, which gives
life to all the other words. Aum is the origin
of creation. It contains the essence of all the Vedas
and is the source of all the scriptures.
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