Introducing Hinduism: A Graphic Guide

By Borin Van Loon and Vinay Lal

Why do Hindus revere the cow?
Must Hindus be vegetarian? 

Hinduism is the world's oldest religion, yet the word 'Hindu' was never used before the 18th century by Hindus to describe themselves. it is defined as polytheistic, but Gandhi declared that a Hindu needn't believe in any god. it is a religion as much of myth as of history – it has no founder, no single authoritative book, even few central doctrines.
Introducing Hinduism offers a guide to the key philosophical, literary, mythological and cultural traditions of the extraordinarily diverse faith.  It untangles the complexities of Hinduism's gods and goddesses, its caste system and its views on sex, everyday life and asceticism. 

Vinay Lal and Borin Van Loon's hugely enjoyable tour through Hinduism also explores its links with and differences from Buddhism, Jainism and other religions, the resurgence of Hindu extremism, the phenomenon of Bollywood and the overseas Hindu diaspora.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Icon Books
• Release date: Dec 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781848318809

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Published by Icon Books Ltd, Omnibus Business Centre, 39–41 North Road, London N7 9DP

Email: [e-mail]

www.introducingbooks.com

ISBN: 978-184831-114-5

Text copyright © 1995 Darian Leader

Illustrations copyright © 2013 Icon Books Ltd

The author and illustrator has asserted their moral rights

Originating editor: Richard Appignanesi

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

What is Hinduism?

Elusive Hinduism

Uncertain Origins in India

The Indus Valley Civilization

Aryans and Hinduism’s Origins

An Early Mix of Elements

Sanskrit: Language of the Gods

Hindu Religious Literature

The Cosmological World of the Vedas

Gayatri Mantra

Hymn to Creation

The Caste System

Varnashrama Dharma

Brahmin Superiority

Pollution and Purity

Sudra Pollution

Dalits: Are They Hindus?

Gandhi and Ambedkar

Is Caste Intrinsic to Hinduism?

Four Stages of Life

Values at Each Stage

Sannyasa

The Upanishads

Transmission of Knowledge

Esoteric Teachings?

On Being a Brahmin

Brahman and Atman

Svetaketu’s Story

Union of Brahman and Atman

Doctrine of Mayo

The Illusion of Ignorance

Revolt against Brahminism

Buddhism

Mahavira and Jainism

Ahimsa or Non-Violence?

Lokayata: Indian Materialism

Affirmation of Life

Artha: the Pursuit of Wealth

Karma: The Life Of Desire (Pleasure)

Dharma: Completing the Triad

Dharma in the Mahabharata

The Great War

The Story of Aswatthama

Dharma and Hindu Ethics

Dharma and Freedom of Action

Mahabharata Hinduism

The Ramayana

Rama’s Story

Rama’s Doubt

The Ideal Hindu Couple

Versions of the Ramayana

Puranic Hinduism

Puranas

Puranic (Ludic) Lore

The Hindu Trinity

Shiva

Aspects of Shiva

Shiva Lingam

Lingayats: A Shaivite Community

The Personal Lingam

Shiva as Ardhanarisvara

Shiva and Parvati

Shakti: The Feminine Principle

Traditions of the Devi

Durga: The Ferocious Aspect of Parvati

Kali, The Black One

Festivals of Durga and Kali

The Darshan

Little Goddesses: Sitala

River Goddesses

Are Goddesses Autonomous?

Matriarchal Resistance

Vishnu: The Trinity Completed

The Doctrine of Avatars

Ten Avatars

The Revenge of Hiranyakashipu

Narasimha: Uses of Ambiguity

Buddha: Vishnu’s Incarnation

Kalki: Avatar for the Kali Yuga

The Traditions of Krishna

Krishna the Charioteer

The Bhagavad Gita

The Three Yogas

Bhakti yoga

The Other Krishna

The Child Krishna

Krishna and the Gopis

Erotic Allegory?

The Bhakti Movement

Characteristics of the Bhakti Movement

Caste and Bhakti

Women and Bhakti

The Voice of Bhakti

Hinduism in Islamic India

Guru Nanak

Bauls: Singing Bards

Reform Movements in Hinduism

Rammohun Roy and Hindu Monotheism

Brahmo Samaj

Arya Samaj

Nationalistic Hinduism

Sri Ramakrishna

Swami Vivekananda

Mohandas Gandhi*

Hinduism in the Modern World

Women in Hindu Society

Hindu Scriptures on Women

The Practice of Sati

Hinduism and Bollywood

Mythologicals

The Gods in Film

Jai Santoshi Maa

Gods and Humans

Hindu Culture and Hindi Cinema

Bollywood’s Hindu Inspiration

Hinduism and the Cow

Vegetarianism in Hindia

The Doctrine of Ahimsa

The Sacred Cow

Muslims and the Cow

Cows in the Colonial Period

The Cow in Contemporary Hinduism

Hinduism and Ecology

Chipko: Ecological Resistance

Bishnoi: Ecologically Aware Hinduism

The Future of Hinduism

Hinduism in the Television Age

The Internet and Hinduism

New Hindu Histories

In the United States

The Hindu Diasporic Vanguard

The Softer Hindu Diaspora

Hinduism and Hindutva

Gandhi’ Ashram

Hinduism and Politics

Gandhi’s Hinduism and Hindutva

A Proper Religion for a Proper Nation-State

Bajrang Dal: Debasing Hinduism

The Babri Masjid Episode

History and Mythos

Further Reading

Acknowledgements

About the Author

About the Illustrator

Index

What is Hinduism?

Hinduism, one is tempted to say, can be anything to anyone. Hindus themselves are fond of describing Hinduism as a way of life rather than as a religion.

Hindus, do not turn to the same book for moral guidance as muslims do the quran or christians to the bible. Mahatma gandhi, the most famous Hindu of recent times, had his own opinion. A man may not believe in god and still call himself a hindu.

No one has any idea whether Hinduism accepts converts to its religion. Hare Krishnas, the most visible sign of Hinduism’s spread to the West, emphatically declare that they do not view themselves as Hindus. The word Hindu itself is not of Indian origin, and Hindus did not describe themselves as such until the 18th century. Yet, Hinduism’s adherents characterize it as the world’s oldest faith.

Elusive Hinduism

In the West, Hinduism is comparatively invisible. Some people view it as synonymous with yoga, which has been reduced to aerobic-like exercises and meditational practices. From the Sanskrit yuj, which means to yoke, yoga is a school of Indian philosophy which aims to help the practitioner to come closer to the divine. All this has been largely forgotten.

To others, Hinduism is some vague, undefined and colourful religion with numerous deities.

Manu of its gods and goddesses appear to have multiple arms and legs.

Hindus also believe in something called karma.

Hinduism certainly looks less stern as a religion than Islam, Christianity or Judaism.

Uncertain Origins in India

The central tenets of Hinduism are not easily described.

Unlike most major world religions, Hinduism has no historical founder.

Christians accept the teachings of jesus christ.

Buddhism revolves around the Buddha.

Islam prescribes belief in muhammad as its prophet.

All one can say of Hinduism’s origins, by contrast, is that it originated in the Indian subcontinent and that the religion has largely been confined to that part of the world.

The Indus Valley Civilization

The earliest civilization in India has been given the name of Indus Valley or Harappan after one of its most well-developed cities, Harappa, now in Pakistan.

This advanced, urban civilization, which developed around the river indus, flourished around 2500–1500 BC.

The Indus Valley people, who may be the forerunners of the Dravidian population of South India, appear to have been gradually pushed down south by the Aryans, who commenced their migrations from the Caucasus Mountains (in the present-day region of Georgia in the former Soviet Union) to India around 2000 BC.

Aryans and Hinduism’s Origins

The word Aryan originally meant noble. Nazism has given the word racial connotations in the 20th century. The early Aryans were a nomadic people. They brought to India the horse and the chariot, as well as the sacrificial altar.

The veneration of fire, around which hindu marriage rites are conducted, can be dated back to the aryans. Om, bhur-bhuvah-svah …

The oldest literature attributed to the Aryans, known as the Vedas, furnishes a relatively clear picture of their Gods, associated largely with different aspects of nature. Chief among them were Indra, the god of rain and thunder; Surya, the sun god; Varuna, the god of wind; and Agni, the fire god.

An Early Mix of Elements

Hinduism is generally viewed as having originated with the Aryans, but it is far more accurately described as an amalgam of pre-Aryan and Aryan elements. For instance, image-worship, which predominates in popular Hinduism, finds almost no mention in the Vedas. Shiva, the all-important god besides Vishnu, is almost certainly a non-Aryan god (absent in the Vedas) who eventually made his way into the Hindu pantheon.

Reviews for Introducing Hinduism

[engpunk77 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This comprehensive book explains everything you've ever wanted to know about Darwin and the facts surrounding his "Origins of the Species." I'm not a science person AT ALL and I was miraculously able to comprehend the book's information, presented in cartoon format. It's witty and entertaining. Highly recommended, especially for people who don't mesh well with science but are curious anyways.

[psiloiordinary_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Strange format. Not a comic nor a book.This means they can cover deep material without you feeling like you are in the depths.Plenty of ground is covered and some silly/funny pictures as well.A nice introduction - about an hours read.

[doggie38 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A satisfactory introduction into the efforts Darwin went to in writing On the Origin of Species and the concerns that he had about it.

[sgerbic · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Reviewed April 2000 Following on the footsteps of "Marx for Beginners" I just had to read about Darwin, I had some basic knowledge of his life and work but not all the detail. Really this book is a great start for beginners, it teaches basic genetics and an overview of evolution that is understandable. I hadn't realized the dynamics between Darwin and Captain Fitzroy (from the Beagle and a stanch creationist). I was saddened that Darwin did not live to see his "Origins of Species") published, but I guess that it was more peaceful to have died first. The knowledge of the Scottish sheep with the mutated genes was not mentioned, but quite a bit of detail is given about the flaws of evolution, which are greatly appreciated. I think Darwin really was put in a tough spot having to publish before he had worked it all out. I'm glad that Wallace was given a lot of credit for his contributions. Poor Darwin, he really didn't have the personality to carry off such drama. 9-2000

[tzelman_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Classics Illustrated version of natural selection--amusing and accessible.