The Beginnings of Hinduism

Sec. #2

The Roots of Hindu Belief

• Aryan culture mixed with the people they conquered to form Hinduism

• Hinduism has no single founder• Gods and goddesses are known as avatars

Hindu Gods and Goddesses• Gods and goddesses stand for the different parts

of the single spirit of Brahman• Brahma, the Creator, created the earth and

everything on it• Vishnu, the Preserver, is concerned with human

welfare• Shiva, the Destroyer, sometimes destroys the

earth and creates it again

BBasic Beliefs of Hinduism

• Religious texts such as the Upanishads help to teach the beliefs

• Brahman has no physical form• Reincarnation is central to Hinduism as the soul is

reborn into another living thing• Good behavior is rewarded and bad behavior is

punished by the caste of the person• When a person lives a perfect life, reincarnation

is broken and the soul is one with Brahman

A Hindu’s Duty

• To be one with Brahman, one must obey his dharma or religious duty

• Because all people and things are part of Brahman, ahimsa or nonviolence must be practiced

• Hindus do not eat meat and try to avoid hurting living things

• Different ways of praying are allowed as there is no one way to the pathway for truth