Hinduism: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
Kim Knott
Language: English
Pages: 141
ISBN: 0192853872
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
Hinduism is practiced by about 80 percent of India's population, and by about 30 million people outside India. But how is Hinduism defined, and what basis does the religion have? In this Very Short Introduction, Kim Knott provides clear insight into the beliefs and authority of Hindus and Hinduism, and considers the ways in which it has been affected by colonialism and modernity.
Knott offers succinct explanations of Hinduism's central preoccupations, including the role of contemporary gurus and teachers in the quest for spiritual fulfillment; and the function of regular performances of the Mahabharata and Ramayana--scriptures which present the divine in personal form (avatara) and provide models of behavior for everyone, from kings and warriors to servants and children, and which focus on the dharma, the appropriate duties and moral responsibilities of the different varna or classes. The author also considers the challenges posed to Hinduism at the end of the twentieth century as it spreads far beyond India, and as concerns are raised about issues such as dowry, death, caste prejudice, and the place of women in Hindu society.
sanction. The focus on ‘women’s uplift’, as it was often called, was one aspect of the trend by orientalists and Hindu reformers to reclaim the Aryan past. The argument, as we saw in Chapter 1, rested upon acceptance of the idea of a former great civilization which had gradually been eroded over the centuries by popular religious practices and social customs such as ‘superstitions’, ‘idol-worship’, ‘polytheism’, and ‘caste abuse’. This argument became central to the Hindu nationalist cause,
efforts of the women’s movement to make gains for all women irrespective of background. Daughters, Dowry, and Sex Determination Even before the composition of the Manusmriti, Vedic society was maledominated with men heading the household and inheriting property. It was the dharma of women to give birth to sons: ‘The birth of a girl, grant it elsewhere. Here grant a son.’ (Atharva Veda 3, 23.) This idea persists, as this women’s prayer shows: ‘May houses be full of daughters-in-law but
wives which is associated with it. Demands are frequently made by husbands and in-laws for more money and goods after the marriage, and these are often violently enforced. Deaths occur increasingly. Young wives are murdered – usually by burning – so that a husband is free to remarry to obtain another dowry, and, not infrequently, women commit suicide because of incessant abuse: ‘Girl dies of burns’ (The Hindu, 16 February 1995); ‘Housewife ends life after dowry harassment’ (The Deccan Herald, 20
lay people have generally been the facilitators rather than the officiants of public religious life, at times they have conducted worship and served the deities directly, showing that the desire to live the devotional life has sometimes been considered more important than orthodox brahminical practice. As we saw in Chapters 5 and 7, the bhakti tradition within Hinduism offers the precedent and context for this. We might say that these Hindus have been inspired more by the spirit than the letter
Mughals 67, 112, 120 Muktananda, Swami 104 murti 50, 52 see also icons Muslims 40, 49, 67, 85, 94, 97, 114, 119 N Naidu, Sarojini 84 Nammalvar 17 Narayan, Ravana K. 13, 17, 21 Narayanan, K. R. 80 neo-vedanta 29–31, 34, 77 Nepal 17, 94–5 Netherlands 95 O Olcott, Colonel H. S. 78 orientalists 7, 10, 70–1, 74, 77, 111 Osho, see Rajneesh P Patel, Neerav 90–1 Peggs, James 72, 73 polytheism 10, 52, 54–8, 71–2, 74 Portuguese 69, 118 Pramukh