Religion in India : Awesome Travels

RELIGION OF INDIA

India is a secular Country and probably the only state where so many religions flourish side by side. And for many Indians religion is a strong motivation influence on their life styles, beliefs and culture.

Some of the religions which practiced in India are Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Islam, Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Jews. Hinduism is no doubt the one which is followed by majority of Indian.

While the religious and philosophical beliefs of the early Hindus are summed up in the Vedas and the Upanishads, the actual history of the Aryan penetration into the plains of India seems to have been recorded in the two great epic poems, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. All the kings and queens, who figure as heroes and heroines in these stories were later deified. And, one of the gods, who played an important part in the great war, was exalted to the position of Supreme God. This was Krishna, who was later to become one of the most favoured symbols of the human aspiration for union with the divine. His discourse to Arjuna, who was confused while facing his own kith and kin in the battle, has been enshrined in a long poem called the Bhagavad Gita. It is today the principal code for action for the Hindu masses. It sums up the philosophy of Hinduism and all Hindus swear by the Bhagavad Gita.

The enormous body of Hindu religious doctrines , practices and beliefs was codified, during the medieval period , in books called the Puranas. These constitute a kind of encyclopedia of the Hindu faith. The beliefs were supported by Puranic stories which were very effective with illiterate masses..

Hindus have many different beliefs and practices. They think that everyone has his or her own way of finding a path to God. This means that Hindus are very tolerant of differences within their religion and between different religions. They also believe in teaching dharma-word used for your duty, according to your age and place in society.

All living things have eternal soul. These are reborn many times in both animal and human forms. Your next birth depends on your deeds (Karma) in this life. Karma is completely fair. Nothing is ever wasted. You sow what you reap and reap what you sow. God is prevalent everywhere, that means we are all part of God and each other so when we hurt other living things, trees, animals and humans, we hurt ourselves. Many Hindus respect animal life to the extent of becoming vegetarians. They also think of the cow, which gives people milk to drink, oxen to work for them and dung for fuel and to fertilize their fields, as a mother, and never eat beef.

All beings wish to be free from the round of rebirth and return to God. Hindus call this liberation-Moksha. This may be a state of loving devotion in a community of souls, or it may be returning to the source of being, like river to the ocean.

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