A Look at Hinduism Traditions

Hinduism is the religion of India. 82% of India is Hindu. The word "Hinduism" originated from foreigners. These foreigners placed the title "Hinduism" on the people living in the region of the Indus River (Fisher, 2003). These people living in the Indus River Valley at the time were known as the aboriginal Dravidians. However, the religion has no founder and follows no particular book (like Christianity and the Bible) (Indianetzone Religion, n.d.). Many different religions, or religious ways, were combined to form this particular "way of life" called Hinduism (Fisher, 2003).

The most recent title the religion preferably goes by is "Sanatana Dharma. There are numerous amounts of theories of the creation of the Hindu religion. The creation of the religion, Hinduism, currently remains a controversy (Deivanayagam & Devkala, n.d.). However, the tradition of the religion is not a mystery.

Hinduism is a monism religion. The Hindus believe in a Supreme Reality. The Hindus believes once someone's journey is over in this illusionary world, that person becomes one with the universe or Supreme Reality. Many people believe the Hindus worship numerous gods. Although it may seem that the Hindus worship many, the Hindus believe that all gods are one god. That one god (Brahm) is the Supreme Reality or Absolute Reality, which can take many forms. As said in the Artharva Veda, "He is the one, the one alone, in Him all deities become One alone" (Londhe, 2006).

There are many gods, also known as deities, amongst the Hindus. These deities are all parts of the Absolute. Each deity has its own role for its worshipper. For instances, the deity Ganesha is well known and is often worshipped by many. Ganesha is the deity known with the elephant head. Ganesha is commonly worshipped because he is the destroyer of obstacles.