Library - Theology - Hindu (Sanātana Dharma)

Atheist Frontier - Questioning what's Real

Hindu (originally derived from the Sanskrit word "Sindhu" and was first used by Persians to refer to people living beyond the Indus River), which is more correctly but less commonly known as Sanātana Dharma, is an ancient polytheistic religion with that is believed to have originated with its roots in Vedism as a set of ideals loosely derived from wisdom from as early as c. 3,000 BCE. Although many proponents deny that it is an organized religion, there are deities, and at least three major notable sects who each worship a different one primarily -- Shaivism worships Shiva, Shaktism worships Shakti, and Vaishnavism worships Vishnu.

Deities: Supernatural agents: Beliefs: Traditions:

Brahma/Brahman (creation)
Shiva (destruction)
Shakti (power)
Vishnu (preservation)
Surya (supreme light)
Ganesha (success)

(This list is incomplete.)

Brahman (a.k.a., God) is the highest principle in the universe that pervades all of existence
Three phases of the universe:

Creation (from Brahma)
Preservation (from Vishnu)
Destruction (from Shiva)

Cows are a sacred animal (but are not worshipped by Hindus despite a common misconception of the meaning of the "sacred" designation)
Karma (moral law of Cause and Effect)
Samsara (transmigration of the soul)

Smarta (meditative worship of Ganesha, Shakti, Shiva, Surya, and Vishnu)