Hinduism is one of the world’s oldest religions. Because this religion has no specific founder, it’s difficult to trace its origins and history. Its vastness and varieties of rich scriptures reflect the tremendous diversity of India, where most of its one billion followers reside. Being an ancient religion, Hinduism now is plagued with many wrong and false ideas about it. These probably arose over time because people did not always adhere to the proper sources of knowledge.
Let’s try to understand these points about Hinduism.
1. How ancient is Hinduism?
2. What is the purpose of this religion?
3. How did Hinduism get it’s name and what is Sanatana Dharma?
How ancient is Hinduism?
According to archeological evidence, Indus valley civilization (3330 BCE-1300 BCE) people worshipped the mother goddess which is identified as female energy, Shakti or Mother Goddess, the source of all creation (fig 1)
Another evidence is the worship of Pashupati (Lord Shiva), in which the three-faced male god is depicted seated in a yogic posture. This made historians believe that people those days worshipped Lord Shiva or Pashupati as the male principle of creation.
Also, there are many discoveries of conical or cylindrical stones show that the people worshipped the lingam. So, from these points, it is conclusive that there were some traces of this religion around 5000–6000 years old
Let’s take another example of Buddha, which is a historical figure (not a mythological) existed around 500 BCE. Many ideas that Buddha adopted like Meditation, Karma, Reincarnations were already in place and he used Hindu ideas to produce a new religion. So, Hinduism definitely existed around 2500 years ago.
What is the purpose of religion?
Humans, being the smartest species always pondered about the meaning of life, nature existence of the universe, and the external forces around us. The whole enterprise of religion started trying to find answers to these beautiful questions and how can it be harnessed for our betterment. Being Indus valley one of the most advanced civilizations of that time, people must have stumbled upon these problems and answers to these questions led to the existence of religion.
How did Hinduism get its name and what is Sanatana Dharma?
In the ancient part of North-Western India, flows the river Sindhu (Sanskrit word is an amalgamation of two words, “sim” (region or entirety or border) and ‘dhu’ (to tremble or shake) and means “a body of trembling water, river, stream or ocean’”) . Before Muslims invaded India, there was no word called Hindu. It was called the Sanatana Dharma. The Iranians used to pronounce H for S, making it Hindu. Later it was again subbed as Indo-Indus by Greeks, and later India came into existence.
The word dharma comes from the Sanskrit root word dhri, which means “to hold,” “to maintain,” or “to preserve.” The process of sorting these fundamental questions of what is that which is preserving, maintaining, and holding the universe is called “ Dharma”. Dharma is often being misinterpreted as religion these days. Let us try to understand religion now.
The English word “religion” has been originally derived from the Latin word “religo” which means “good faith,” “ritual,” and other similar meanings. To put it into simple words, religion is a western concept which deals with a single founder (Prophet or Savior), a single Holy Book ,a fixed method of worship and a centralized hierarchy. But Dharma is a quest for understanding cosmic order of the universe and consciousness order at a personal level.
“Religion is a Western concept; the Indian concept is neither religion nor even Hinduism nor any ‘ism’ — it is Sanatana Dharma, the eternal law of the universe, which cannot be formulated in any rigid and final set of tenets.”
— Michel Danino
The meaning of Sanatana is “ universal, eternal or permanent”. So, Sanatana Dharma means getting the universal(not particular to a place/people/sect) and permanent (not time-bound, should be applied across all times) answers to the fundamental questions of mankind. So the word Santana Dharma is the real name of the word Hinduism.
Therefore the hindu tradition is a Sanatana Dharma evolved by the great rishis of ancient India. It is not founded by a prophet, but which itself precedes recorded history. Let’s try to make an effort to understand this beautiful religion and how can we leverage it for the betterment of ourselves, society, nation, and the world as a whole.
Hindu religion has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true.
-Swami Vivekananda
