| Specifications |
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Publisher: Star Publications Pvt. Ltd. |
| Author Ramesh Chander Dogra | |
| Language: English | |
| Pages: 168 | |
| Cover: HARDCOVER | |
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10x7.5 inch |
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Weight 590 gm |
| Edition: 2012 | |
| ISBN: 9788176504676 | |
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HBO922 |
| Delivery and Return Policies |
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Usually ships in 12 days |
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Returns and Exchanges accepted within 7 days |
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Free Delivery |
The social structure of the Hindus represents a unique system of its own, T the principles of which are not found in the same measure anywhere else in the world. The Hindu rituals are expressive; contain symbolic performances, dramatic utterances and theological gestures. They give expression to aspirations and ideals of the Hindus. The main aim of the sacraments is to secure the welfare and development of the personality of the recipient. Local customs, beliefs, traditions and manners are the sources of Hindu Dharma, rites and rituals. In this book only those rites and rituals are mentioned which are performed in various stages of the life of an individual from conception to cremation.
The Vedas (10,000 BC) are recognised as the primary source of Dharma (righteous act or good code of conduct), traditions and practices of the Hindus. After the Vedas, Brahmanas are source of rituals and rites of Hindus. They also explain the purpose and meaning of the sacraments. Upnishads are mainly concerned with philosophical subjects, but they also contain references about childhood, students at the house of the guru, usefulness of the sacred Gayatri Mantra, acceptance of late marriages, unmarried pregnancy as sinful, contains many references to the naming system, and also describe hymns about cremation etc.
The first systematic treatment of the Vedic sacraments and domestic rites are found in the Sutra literature (6 BC). The Grihasutras mentions all the ceremonies, rites, rituals and customs essential for a Hindu householder. These are the main sources of the ceremonies performed from pregnancy to cremation. The Dharmasutras (right, duty, law, religious custom and usage) deal with castes, and different stages of life. They contain rules about thread ceremony and marriage.
The Smritis (which is remembered) mention thread ceremony, marriage ceremony, and the worship of some deities at some occasions in life. The Puranas deal with ceremonies, customs and usages and fasts and feasts of the Hindus. Astronomical considerations that played an important part in the rituals are developed in the Puranas. Major beliefs of Hinduism One Supreme all-powerful God; incarnation (the manifestation of God on earth); Karma (law of action, the soul reaps fruits, good or bad, according to past and present actions); reincarnation (the mortal soul is continuously born and reborn in one of the 8,400,000 species until it attains liberation; Divine law (righteousness, religion, duty, responsibility, virtue, justice, goodness and truth); worship of God (in the form of image or without image); spiritual authority of Vedas; and Master-disciple relationship.
The ancient civilisation of India differs from those of Egypt, Mesopotamia and Greece, in that its traditions have been preserved without breakdown to the present day. Romain Rolland (French philosopher 1886-1944) said if there is one place on the face of the earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India. Hinduism is a way of life and even an atheist is not excluded from being a Hindu. It is therefore called Sanatana Dharma (Eternal Religion). Others call it a fellowship of religions as it has absorbed the faiths of many religions or many religious and sects have born out of it.
The history of the Hindus goes back to eight or ten thousand years, but Hindus believe that their religion is without beginning or end and is a continuous process even preceding the existence of this earth. Hinduism allows a Hindu to worship in a church, mosque or gurdwara as freely as he does in a temple. There is no religion, which has such a tolerance. In the following pages an attempt is made to explain the main scriptures of Hinduism.
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