Myth And Rituals In Hinduism
RELIGIOUS WORLD: MYTH AND RITUALS IN HINDUISM
Any religion is a myth in its entirety which often explain the natural phenomenon as an account of its history. Myth is a story from early periods of history involving a culture's legendary heroes and/or their deities. Likewise, to call Hinduism a religion raises the question of 'What is a religion?' The term 'religion' is Western in origin. It comes from Latin and originally meant the bond between people and their gods. In the study of religions, the principal example has been Christianity. By extension, 'other religions' have been those systems which have been judged to be analogous to Christianity, principally Judaism and Islam, both of which are Western and related historically to Christianity, but also Eastern systems such as Buddhism and Hinduism. Some of the key characteristics of Christianity against which 'other' religions have been compared and contrasted have been belief in a transcendent God, a founder, scripture, priests, an institution or church, and various dimensions such as belief, ethics, myth, and ritual.
One modern Hindu philosopher, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, defined Hinduism to be 'a way of life'. By doing so, he made the point that it was not something separate from society and politics, from making money, sex, and love, and getting an education. And, like other modern Hindus, he suggested that the closest term to be found within Indian thought and practice was Hindu dharma, the law, order, truth, and duties of the Hindu people. As dharma or' a way of life', Hinduism is related to what Westerners refer to as 'secular' concerns, to economic, political, and social matters. In India, debates about religious identity are not just about religion, but neither are they just political or social debates in a religious guise. Just as family members try to make their voices heard, even to get the upper hand in daytoday disputes, so Hindu individuals and groups struggle by whatever means to assert their
Any religion is a myth in its entirety which often explain the natural phenomenon as an account of its history. Myth is a story from early periods of history involving a culture's legendary heroes and/or their deities. Likewise, to call Hinduism a religion raises the question of 'What is a religion?' The term 'religion' is Western in origin. It comes from Latin and originally meant the bond between people and their gods. In the study of religions, the principal example has been Christianity. By extension, 'other religions' have been those systems which have been judged to be analogous to Christianity, principally Judaism and Islam, both of which are Western and related historically to Christianity, but also Eastern systems such as Buddhism and Hinduism. Some of the key characteristics of Christianity against which 'other' religions have been compared and contrasted have been belief in a transcendent God, a founder, scripture, priests, an institution or church, and various dimensions such as belief, ethics, myth, and ritual.
One modern Hindu philosopher, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, defined Hinduism to be 'a way of life'. By doing so, he made the point that it was not something separate from society and politics, from making money, sex, and love, and getting an education. And, like other modern Hindus, he suggested that the closest term to be found within Indian thought and practice was Hindu dharma, the law, order, truth, and duties of the Hindu people. As dharma or' a way of life', Hinduism is related to what Westerners refer to as 'secular' concerns, to economic, political, and social matters. In India, debates about religious identity are not just about religion, but neither are they just political or social debates in a religious guise. Just as family members try to make their voices heard, even to get the upper hand in daytoday disputes, so Hindu individuals and groups struggle by whatever means to assert their