Invitation to World Religions

102  CHAPTER 4  Hinduism

beginning of every new undertaking, and he is the first deity invoked in almost any Hindu ritual context. Ganesha, known as the Remover of Ob- stacles, is often depicted as carrying objects in his four arms (including an axe, a noose, and an elephant goad) that he uses to destroy, subdue, or control the obstacles of life. He also often holds a bowl of sweets, symbolizing his benevo- lent and loving nature. Later this afternoon, at the conclusion of Ganesh Chaturthi, the shrine’s clay idol will be carried in a procession to the seashore and, to the accompaniment of music, will be submerged in the ocean where it will soon dissolve, becom- ing one with the natural world and thereby nour- ishing it. The worshipers celebrate this event, as Ganesha is believed now to return home to his parents, Shiva and Parvati, who live on Mount Kailash high in the Himalayas. 4 U nlike many other religions dis- cussed in this book, Hinduism has neither a single founder nor a single sacred book. There is no single historical event that marks its birth. The history of Hinduism embodies both continuity and change. Having never had a sole central au- thority, Hinduism’s fluid character has always allowed it to adapt to a variety of social and cultural contexts. This diversity has led many scholars to argue that Hindu- ism is not one religion at all but a constella- tion of many religious sects that share some common aspects. Others see enough by way of common beliefs and practices to regard Hinduism as a single religious tradition. In this chapter, we will explore Hinduism’s variety of sects, beliefs, and practices and seek to understand what unites a tradition that is the religion of over 1 billion of the world’s people.

T IMEL INE Hinduism

2600–1700 bce Indus Valley Civilization. 2000–1300 bce Migration into Northwest India of Indo- Aryans. c. 1200 bce Rig Veda.

c. 1200–900 bce Later Vedas. c. 900–200 bce Upanishads. 400 bce –400 ce Mahabharata . 200 bce –200 ce Ramayana . c. First century ce Bhagavad Gita .

100–500 ce Expansion of Hinduism into Southeast Asia. c. 320–540 Gupta Dynasty; rise of Hindu temple culture. 300–500 Earliest Puranas; Hindu law books. 700 Flourishing of bhakti in the South. 999–1226 Mahmud of Ghazi; repeated raids of India. Fifteenth century Bhakti movement begins in northern India. 1651 The East India Company opens first factory on the Hugli River in Bengal. 1786 Sir William Jones lectures on the common ancestry of Sanskrit and many European languages. 1828 Brahmo Samaj founded by RamMohan Roy. 1834–1886 Sri Ramakrishna. 1869–1948 Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi. 1875 Arya Samaj founded by Swami Dayananda Saraswati. 1893 Swami Vivekananda at the World Parliament of Religions, Chicago. 1925 RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) founded. 1947 India gains independence; partition with newly established nation of Pakistan. 1964 VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) founded. 1992 Destruction of Babri Masjid and widespread riots. 2014 BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) wins Indian elections by a landslide. c. 1398–1518 Kabir, bhakti poet. 1526–1757 Mughal rule in India.

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