In this era of hatred where religion is dividing Human beings instead of connecting them, philosophy of Hinduism is the ray of hope the world is looking for. It is an attempt to present this great religion before the world in its original form, so that the humanity would benefit from its old and rich philosophy. Introduction to Hinduism:
Hinduism is the world’s oldest known religion. It is also the third largest religion of the world with more than 1 billion followers. People who follow Hinduism are called as "Hindus." Hinduism is also known as “Hindu Dharma (Hindu Religion),” OR “Sanatan Dharma (Eternal Religion).” Hinduism has no single founder. It has been evolving over the thousands of years and will continue to. History of Hinduism can be traced back to before 7,500 B.C. Hinduism originated in India.
The word "Hinduism" actually has no real meaning because Hinduism was not founded as a religion. The name “Hindu” is given by the people outside of the India, especially Greeks and Arabs, to those living in the vicinity of “Sindhu” river. So, the way of life those people were following is called “Hinduism.” Hindus believe in one God named as "Brahman" but view other Gods and Goddesses as manifestation of Him. Therefore, in practice they worship more than one God. Most Hindus worship God in the form of an idol. Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Shiva are the creator, protector, and destroyer respectively. These are the three main deities of Hinduism. Vedas and Bhagvadgita are the sacred books of Hindus. Hinduism consists of different sects like Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and Shaktism. The common people follow all the three sects collectively worshiping Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, and Devi. Dharma (righteousness), Artha (wealth), Kam (desire), and Moksha (salvation) are the four objectives of a Hindu's life. Salvation is the ultimate goal of a Hindu. According to Hinduism, four stages of life are Brahmcharyashram (Student phase), Grihastahshram (Living with wife and children), Vanprasthashram (leaving the home and pray to God, may keep contact with family), and Sanyasashram (discard everything in life including wife, children, and material things). Most of the Hindus live in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka with considerable presence in all other parts of the world also. About 85% of Hindus live in India. That is why India is also called Hindustan. Yoga, Pranayama, Ayurveda, vegetarianism, and meditation are the best gifts of Hinduism to the world. Tantric sex, Palmistry, acupressure, acupuncture, Jyotish Shastra, and many other ancient wonders originated in India and are parts of Hinduism. AUM is the symbol of Hinduism. Vedas, Bhagvadgita, Puranas, Ramayana, and Mahabharata are the sacred books of Hindus. Vedic restraints for Hindus are: Ahimsa (not to harm others), Satya (truthfullness), Asteya (nonstealing), Brahmacharya (avoiding promiscuity in thoughts, word, and deed), Kshama (forgiveness), Dhriti (steadfastness), Daya (compassion), Arjaya (honesty).
Basic concept of Hinduism:
It will be easier to understand the basic principle of Hinduism if you know Law of Conservation of Energy. For those who have a science background or have some interest in science know the Law of Conservation of Energy very well. It is like this:
“Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Only one form of energy can be transformed into other. The sum of all the energies in the universe remains the same.”
According to Hinduism, soul is immortal, while the body is subject to birth and rebirth. The soul changes bodies as a living person changes his/her clothes. So, the thing which we call death is actually just a transformation of soul from one body to another as the energy changes from one form to the other. This cycle continues births after births and the human beings are subjected to sufferings endlessly.
So, the ultimate goal of a Hindu’s life is to attend salvation (also called as Moksha or Nirvana) i.e. freedom from the cycle of birth and rebirth. One can attend salvation when the soul of a person fully becomes one with the supreme spirit called "Brahman" (or God) who is eternal, genderless, omnipotent, and omniscient.
Why Hinduism: Uniqueness of Hinduism:
Hinduism was not founded as a religion. So, it does not have only one founder and therefore, it allows multiple streams of thoughts, which lead us to the one and only GOD and is the base of tolerance towards other people who have different paths to reaching towards God.
Hinduism believes only in one GOD, as do the other religions, but at the same time, it allows its followers to worship other deities as they are believed to be the part of the same God. This gives an impression at the first site that Hinduism believes in different Gods, but if one reads the sacred Hindu books like Bhagvad Gita or Vedas, this misconception gets wiped out.
Hinduism does not restrict belief of people by saying this is the only GOD or this is the only messenger GOD has sent to us. Hinduism accepts existence of all religions. It allows you to worship anything like trees, stones, nature, or even persons if you find them as one with GOD.
After all it is your life and you should be able to worship what you like. Why others should decide what you should worship? So, Hinduism acts as a guide in your journey of life to help you better your life and lives of all living beings in this universe.
Hinduism teaches us to love not only human beings but also the animals around us because as we are the creation of that Almighty, they are also his creation and have the same rights to live peacefully on this planet as we have.
For Hindus, the GOD is genderless. Hindus worship male as well as female deities.
At any point of time in your life if you are in any sort of problem, just remember the following lines from Holy Bhagvad Gita:
"Whatever has happened has happened for the best, whatever is happening is happening for the best, and whatever is going to happen, would happen for the best."
What are you mourning for? What had you brought with you when you were born? Related articles: The truth about caste system in Hinduism Views of world's famous people on Hinduism 
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