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Hinduism

Home Resources Hinduism
A Short Introduction to Hinduism
Hindu Origins
Hindus in the UK
Acknowledgement of Sources
A Short Introduction to Hinduism

Origins of Hinduism

  • Hinduism has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, although the Hindu way of life is more often referred to by Hindus as the Sanatana Dharma (eternal way of life).
  • Hinduism has no single founding figure or point of historical origin and Hindus perceive the Sanatana Dharma to be eternal. It has developed in very diverse schools of thought, religious practice and focii of devotion.

 

Central Aspects of Hinduism

The Divine

  • Hinduism includes both monotheists and monists. The Divine can be understood either as an impersonal Brahman (the Advaita position) or as a Supreme Person (the Dvaita position).
  • Hinduism also has many devas and devis or gods and goddesses, which present aspects of the divine. Among these are:

Basic Concepts

  • Alongside the diversities of belief, philosophical orientation and practice which the Hindu tradition as a whole contains, it also shares a number of basic concepts.
  1. Atman, the eternal principle which animaties all life and brings consciousness.
  2. Moksha, the liberation which is the ultimate goal of all beings
  3. Dharma, which can mean either “religion”, “law”, “duty” or “righteousness”, depending on the context
  4. Karma, which is that all actions have consequences that shape one’s destiny
  5. Maya, which is life in ignorance of the Sanatana Dharma (the eternal truth)

The Four Aims and Pathways

  • Hinduism sees human life in terms of four purusharthas or aims. These are:
  1. dharma, which is concerned with religious life
  2. artha, which is concerned with economic development
  3. kama, which is an appropriate gratification of the senses
  4. moksha, which is liberation from the cycle of birth and death
  • Hinduism also traditionally teaches that the spiritual life has four main pathways:
  1. karma yoga, which is the way of action
  2. jnana yoga, which is the way of knowledge
  3. raja yoga, which is the way of self-control
  4. bhakti yoga, which is the way of devotion

The Four Ashramas and Varnas

  • Hindu life is structured by what is known as Varnashrama Dharma, which is concerned with an understanding of one’s personal and social roles within the totality of life.
  • The four Ashramas are seen in ideal terms as the four stages through which a maturing human life should pass. Whilst in contemporary life it is not often lived precisely in these terms, its broad outlines remain a powerful influence upon the Hindu perception of life. The ashramas are those of the:
  1. brahmacharin, or celibate student
  2. grihastha/grihini, or householder
  3. vanaprastha, or stage of retirement from society (traditionally into the forest)
  4. sannyasin, or renunciant who breaks all social ties
  • The Four Varnas are traditionally seen as complementary in terms of both status and responsibility. Some Hindus see these in primarily hereditary terms, whilst others see them as more qualitative differences. The traditional varnas consist of:
  1. Brahmins, comprising the intelligentsia and priests
  2. Kshatriyas, comprising administrators and the military
  3. Vaishyas, comprising the generators and distributors of material wealth
  4. Sudras, comprising labourers and service workers.

Jatis

  • Associated with the broad, ideal classes of the four varnas, are many thousands of groups known as jatis, many of which are linked with traditional occupational groups. Examples include the following:
  1. Patidars, which are traditionally, traders
  2. Mochis, which are traditionally, shoemakers
  3. Lohanas, which are traditionally, traders
  4. Anavil Brahmins, which are traditionally, agriculturalists
  5. Khattris, which are traditionally traders
  6. Rarhi Brahmins, which are traditionally, priests
  7. Baidyas, which are traditionally, doctors
  • Some jatis, officially known in India as the “scheduled castes” but now often preferring the self-description of Dalit (oppressed), were among those whom Mahatma Gandhi called Harijans, or children of God.

The Scriptures

  • There are two broad groupings of scriptures. The first group of sacred writings is known as the shruti (that which is heard) and the second is the smriti (that which is remembered). Some Hindus believe that the shruti and the smriti are on the same level, whilst the majority view is that the shruti are the more authoritative.
  • The shruti include the four Vedas which are said, originally, to have been transmitted orally for many years before they were written down. The Four Vedas are the:
    • Rig Veda, containing mantras for use in worship
    • Sama Veda, containing sung mantras
    • Yajur Veda, also containing mantras, and instructions concerning worship
    • the Atharva Veda, containing mantras to be used in various other ways
  • Each of the Vedas has four parts:
  1. the Samhitas, concerned with recitation
  2. the Brahmanas, concerned with ritual and sacrifice
  3. the Aranyakas, concerned with the role of Vedic rituals in the cosmos
  4. the Upanishads, concerned with the knowledge necessary for self-realisation
  • The smriti present Hindu teaching in widely accessible ways and have six parts:
  1. Itihasa
  2. Purana
  3. Grihya Sutra
  4. Vedanga
  5. Dharma Shastra
  6. Prasthana Vakya
  • The Itihasas, or stories, contain the two famous epics of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
  • The Ramayana tells the story of how King Rama fought against Ravana and the forces of evil. Rama and his wife Sita are, for many Hindus, models of right living.
  • The Mahabharata incorporates the Bhagavad Gita, or Song of the Blessed Lord, which is the record of a discourse between Krishna and Prince Arjuna and has become a centrally important scripture for many contemporary Hindus because of its teachings about dharma.
  • There are also, in addition, a range of other texts, including the Dharma Shastras, or law books and the Prasthana-vakyas, a range of literature which include, for example, the esoteric Tantras.

 

Diversity within Hinduism

Philosophical Systems

  • In classical Hinduism, there are six Darshanas or systems of Hindu philosophy, each of which focuses upon particular aspects of knowledge. These are the:
  1. Mimamsa, which focuses upon action with responsibility
  2. Nyaya, which focuses upon logic
  3. Vaisheshika, which is concerned with analysing matter and its structure
  4. Samkhya, which is concerned with how matter functions
  5. Yoga, which offers training for the body and the mind
  6. Vedanta, which is concerned with ultimate reality and spiritual knowledge
  • The Vedanta, literally meaning “the conclusion of all knowledge”, is the most predominant among contemporary Hindus. It is, however, found in two main forms – the dvaita (dualist) and the advaita (monist).
  • Dvaita is a monotheistic understanding of the nature of the divine, seen in terms of an unlimited supreme personality, in which the divine and the human soul are seen as distinct even though they might enter into union.
  • Advaita is a monistic understanding in which there is no ultimate difference between the divine, understood as Brahman, and the human soul. Realisation of the identity between God and the soul that brings about liberation. Brahman is seen to have been manifested in many different times and places.
  • Among its various schools of thought, the Vedanta encompasses a range of emphases, including:
  1. Advaita Vedanta
  2. Vishishta-Advaita
  3. Navya Vishishta-Advaita
  4. Shuddha-Dvaita
  5. Dvaita-Advaita
  6. Shuddha-Advaita
  7. Achintya-Bhedha-Abheda
  8. Shaiva Siddhanta

Sampradayas

  • In devotional practice, Hindus focus upon ishta-devata, their chosen deity. This focus of devotion is often associated with a particular sampradaya or movement.
  1. Vaishnavas worship Vishnu in terms of the Dvaita understanding
  2. Shaivas worship Shiva
  3. Shaktas worship Shakti or Durga/Parvati/the Goddess
  4. Swaminaryans build upon the teaching of Sahajananda Swami
  5. Pushtimargis follow the teachings of Vallabha and worship Krishna
  6. Krishna Consciousness follows the teachings of A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
  7. Arya Samajis devotees follow the teachings of Swami Dayananda Saraswati

There are many other groups and movements which have been informed by Hindu philosophy and practice, such as the Divine Life Society and the Transcendental Meditation movement.

  • Indra (god of rain)
  • Surya (sun god)
  • Chandra (moon god)
  • Ganesha (remover of obstacles)
  • Yama (god of death)
  • Sarasvati (goddess of learning)
  • Lakshmi (goddess of wealth)
  • Hanuman (the ardent devotee of Rama)
  • Murugan (who, with Ganesha, is one of the two sons of Shiva and Parvati).

 

Written by Professor Paul Weller

Hindu Origins
  • Individual Hindus and small groups have been present in the UK over many centuries. But it was with immigration from the New Commonwealth in the middle of 20th century, and subsequent refugee movements of people that substantial numbers of Hindus settled here.
  • There are considerable linguistic, social, philosophical and other diversities among Hindus in the UK. This includes a range of different linguistic and regional groups, including Gujaratis, Punjabis, Bengalis and Tamils.
  • Jati or caste groups continue to play a significant role, especially among Gujarati Hindus from social networking through to voluntary and economic support, including, for example, Lohanas and Mochis.
  • Sampradayas or spiritual movements – such as Swaminaryan and Pushtimarg are also important. There may also be alignment with one of the 6 classical traditions of Hindu philosophy (dvaita and advaita, ‘dualist’ and ‘non-dualist’.
  • Finally, there are groups such as the Arya Samaj and the Ramakrishna Mission, and the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
  • The National Council of Hindu Temples and Vishwa Hindu Parishad UK have been among national umbrella organisations for Hindus in the UK. More recently, the Hindu Council of the UK has been formed. At regional level, there are bodies such as The Hindu Council of Birmingham.

 

Written by Professor Paul Weller

Hindus in the UK

Hindu Populations

 Global  c. 948,575,000
 UK  835,417
 England  806,199
 Wales  10,434
 Scotland  16,379
 Northern Ireland *  2,405

* The Office for National Statistics’ Census 2011 Religion Classifications assigned Raja Yoga and the International Society for Krishna Consciousness to the Hindu output, meaning respondents who identified themselves with these variations were included within the total for the Hindu population. While the National Records of Scotland followed suit, the Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency did not. In the spirit of consistency, the figure for the Hindu population in Northern Ireland has been adjusted here to include those respondents who identified with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (25 respondents in total).

 

As a proportion of the population in local authority areas, the 2011 Census shows that, in England, the greatest concentration of respondents identifying themselves as Hindu is to be found in:

  % of Population Total Numbers
 Harrow 25.3% 60,407
 Brent 17.8% 55,449
 Leicester 15.2% 50,087
 Redbridge 11.4% 31,699
 Hounslow 10.3% 26,261

 

Hindu Organisations

  UK England Wales Scotland Northern Ireland
 Local 702 683 9 5 5
 Regional 18 15 1 2 0
 National 75 0 0 0 0

 

Hindu Places of Worship

 UK  100
 England   92
 Wales  2
 Scotland  4
 Northern Ireland  2
Acknowledgement of Sources

UK Hindu population data is sourced from the Office for National Statistics’ Table QS210EW (Census 2011: Religion [Detailed], Local Authorities in England & Wales, Crown Copyright 2012), the Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency‘s Table QS218NI (Census 2011: Religion – Full Detail), and the National Records of Scotland‘s Table AT_001_2011 (Census 2011: Religion [Detailed], Crown Copyright 2013). Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO.

Estimates for the global Hindu population are taken from Todd M. Johnson and Brian J. Grim (eds.), World Religion Database (Leiden/Boston: Brill, accessed January 2012).

Estimates for the numbers of Buddhist organisations and places of worship are taken from P. Weller (ed.), Religions in the UK: A Directory, 2007-10 (Derby: Multi-Faith Centre at the University of Derby, 2007). The section on ‘A Short Introduction to Hinduism’ summarises and abstracts from the same publication’s chapter on ‘Introducing Hindus in the UK’ (pp. 169-192), which was developed with input from a range of consultants (pp. 329-338).

Materials in the sections on ‘Hindu Origins’ and ‘Hindus in the UK’ were originally developed by the author for the British Council and used here by kind permission.

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