Origins of Hinduism
Hinduism is the world's oldest major religion in existence. From a Hindu perspective, the Sanatana Dharma is eternal, Universal principles with no beginning or end. Current historical thinking suggests that Hinduism was formed somewhere between 1500-1300 BCE. An earlier date of approximately 3102 BCE comes from a closer examination of the Mahabharata epic, where the exact positions of the stars were recorded at Lord Krishna's birth. The date of 1500-1300 BCE comes from the linguistic and literary dating of the Rig Veda, the oldest of the Hindu spiritual texts. Hindu beliefs place Lord Krishna's birth at a date 5000 years ago. Lord Krishna is believed to have been an incarnation of the majestic Lord Vishnu. This incarnation was preceded by an incarnation as Lord Rama which is dated at over 7000 years ago. It is believed by many Hindus that their religious tradition was fully formed by the time of Lord Rama's incarnation, which was believed to be the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu. If this is true, this makes the religion much older than previously thought, though no texts exist from those ancient times to confirm this.
The origin of collective Hindu thought cannot be ascribed to any single founder (though most of its schools of philosophy and belief can be), or associated with a single time or a single place of foundation. The Vedas, the earliest Hindu scriptures, are the compilation of spiritual laws and truths binding upon all of creation. It is believed that each Veda was written by enlightened beings over a long period of time. The term 'Hinduism' itself is a corrupt form of the word 'Sindhu', which literally means 'dweller in the Indus Valley'. The religion is often named (more appropriately) as Sanatana Dharma in all of its books.
Hinduism is non-organisational and does not seek or encourage collectivism.
Vedic religion
Modern Hinduism grew out of the religion described in the Vedas. The earliest of these, the Rigveda centres on worship of the gods Indra and Agni, and on the Soma ritual. The Ashvamedha was the most important sacrifice described in the Yajurveda, possibly performed for the last time by Samudragupta in the 4th century. The age and origins of the Vedas themselves are disputed, but it is clear that they were transmitted orally for several millennia. They show strong similarities to the language and religion of the Avesta, which are sometimes traced back to either the influence of the 3rd millennium BC Indus Valley Civilisation, or to a 2nd millennium BC Indo-Iranian migration (see Aryan invasion theory), or to a combination of these.
Caste system
The four Hindu varnas (literally, 'colours') or castes are Brahmins (priests, learned men), Kshtriyas (warriors & royalty), Vysyas (merchants) and Sudras (workers). These divisions are based upon the duties to society and the different varnas are meant to work together towards the welfare of the society.
The hereditary nature of caste and whether it is sanctioned by the scriptures is the subject of much discussion and controversy. In spite of centuries of numerous reform movements, notably within Vedanta, bhakti yoga and Hindu streams of Tantra, and reformers, with recent stalwarts like Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi, caste based discrimination is so deeply ensconced in the Indian consciousness that even Christian converts have been known to separate church meetings for different castes. A number of Muslim communities have retained caste practices as well.
Caste still plays a significant role in Hindu society. However, post Independence, caste is losing favour in India and caste-based discrimination has been illegitimised. There is provision for reverse discrimination and measures such as backward caste quotas in collegiate admissions and jobs have been taken by the government. Caste-based quotas have been controversial with various political parties exploiting these divisions for electoral gain.
