Hinduism is considered a philosophy of a religious order that encompasses cultural traditions, values and beliefs obtained from different peoples. Going through constant adaptations until reaching what is known today, Hinduism was divided into phases to better present its history.
In the first phase, called Vedic Hinduism, tribal gods were worshiped as Dyaus (sky god, supreme god) who generated other gods. In the second phase, from adaptations of other religions, Brahmin Hinduism emerged, which worshiped the trinity composed of Brahma (universal soul deity), Vishnu (preserving deity) and Shiva (divinity destructive).
In the third phase, different adaptations influenced by religions from Christianity, Islam and others can be seen. Hybrid Hinduism then emerged as the aggregation of diverse influences. For Hindus:
- The path that the soul will have is traced according to the actions practiced here on Earth (law of Karma);
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- The final liberation of the soul (moksha) determines the end of the cycle of death and rebirth;
- Hindu rituals should always be done with meditation (darshan) and offering to the gods (puja);
- Food must be vegetarian, as the use of meat in food is considered an impure practice;
- The chanted prayers (mantras) must be dedicated to all the gods;
- OM (aum) is the most important mantra, as it represents God;
- Shiva represents the masculine principle while the feminine principle is represented by their wives Parvati (mother), Durga (goddess of beauty), Kali (lady of destruction) and Lakshmi (lady of art and creativity).
By Gabriela Cabral
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SCHOOL, Team Brazil. "Hinduism"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/religiao/hinduismo.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.