Religious Faiths in Hindu Civilization

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The history of the Hindus is the history of a civilization which has developed in its natural state, without interruption since antiquity. Its age is dated to be between five and nine thousand years. Hence Hindu history is a prototype of how human civilization would have looked if civilization all across the globe has been allowed to develop in its natural state. Hinduism, commonly called Sanatana Dharma by Hindus, is the oldest major world religion still practised today and first among Dharma faiths. Hinduism is characterized by a diverse array of belief systems, practices and scriptures. It has its origin in ancient Vedic culture at least as far back as 2000 BC. It is the third largest religion with approximately 890 million followers worldwide, 96 percent of whom live in the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is the world's oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots and customs dating back more than 4,000 years. Today, with about 900 million followers, Hinduism is the third largest religion behind Christianity and Islam. Roughly 95 percent of the world's Hindus live in India. Because the religion has no specific founder, it's difficult to trace its origins and history. Hinduism is unique in that it's not a single religion but a compilation of many traditions and philosophies. This is the relevance for us to study Hindu Civilization Hindu History and Hindu Culture.

Dr. Jimmy Singh Kushwaha accomplished D.Lit.(Ancient Foreign Trade), Ph.D. (Archeology History), M.B.A. (HR), M.S.W., M.A. in Public Administration, History, Political science & International Relations, and Diploma in Human Rights, Dip. In Consumer forum Act., PG in Information Tech., Dip. In Computer Application & cleared the UGC NET in Four different subjects. He has cleared SET (mppsc) He also qualified I.B. (INTELLIGENCE BUREAU) exam & Panchayat Development Officer exam and worked for Territorial Army (as a Lieutenant) & seven years in research. He worked as a District Protection Officer in women and child department M.P. Govt.and also worked as a development officer in panchayat department.He participated all india sports. He has taken 198 interviews mock in MPPSC at etc Dava, indore in Board of PSC ex members. His 34 Books published from Delhi and 43 Historical and Social & Political (International Relations) articles have also been published earlier in international Journals with issn.presently he is working as a Vice principal in College and Director of SBS Academy, indore (MP) and associated with PETC, DAVV,Govt. University, indore (mp).

The history of the Hindus is the history of a civilization which has developed in its natural state, without interruption since antiquity. Its age is dated to be between five and nine thousand years. Hence Hindu history is a prototype of how human civilization would have looked if civilization all across the globe has been allowed to develop in its natural state.

Hinduism is often labelled as a religion, but it is actually more than that: it is a vast and complex socio-religious body which, in a way, reflects the complexity of Indian society. A rich geography, many languages and dialects, lots of different creeds, racial diversity, all these elements have shaped Hinduism and made it so heterogenic. The lack of unifying overall religious authority and the total absence of a book claiming supreme truth and dogmas have contributed to the diversity of Hinduism as well. It is fair to mention that even the texts we find in Hinduism that claim some sort of divine inspiration do not declare their view to be better than any other and they all exist together in a tolerant fashion. The many manifestations of Hinduism go from highly intellectual philosophies concerning numerous and puzzling metaphysical concerns, many rituals, mental and physical exercises such as Yoga to simple, almost childlike, tales and legends.

Sanatana Dharma is also a-paurusheya, which means it did not originate in any man (purusha). That is to say it has no historical founder like Christianity has Jesus and Islam has Prophet Muhammad. We can say that Jesus is the purusha of Christianity while Muhammad is the purusha of Islam. These religions have no existence without their founders. Christianity and Islam are therefore paurusheya. Hinduism has no such purusha on whose authority it rests. Hinduism is a-paurusheya also in a deeper sense, which brings it close to science, bringing its spiritual quest close to the scientific method. In paurusheya religions, the word of the purusha (the founder) must be accepted without question, and that no one else can achieve what he did. This gives rise to an enforcing authority known as the clergy to ensure that no one strays from the 'true path' as shown by the founder, but in reality as enforced by the human representative who claims to be the true spokesman of the purusha.

The rise of Hindutva is likely to prove the most important phenomenon of the 21" century. It is therefore of great importance to understand its meaning and implication. India is unique as a civilization that embodies spiritual values reflecting its overriding concern for Dharma- or justice and righteous code of conduct. Of late, some politicians and intellectuals are holding up something they call 'secularism' as the foundation of the Indian nation. But secularism is a negative concept. All it originally meant is the negation of any role for organized religion, particularly intolerant and exclusivist religious beliefs, in the government. The same people deny also any role for India's spiritual tradition (Sanatana Dharma) in national life. This is a deeply flawed vision, for secularism can never define a nation. United States, France and Germany are secular in the true sense of the word: their Governments are independent of religion. But that alone has not made them a single nation. What defines a nation is shared history and tradition. In the case of India, this role is played by the Hindu Civilization founded on Sanatana Dharma. Hindutva is its present-day ideological offshoot.

At the same time Hinduism is increasing in importance both nationally and internationally, with the ideology known as Hindutva gaining ground in India and abroad. There will soon be a time when Hindutva will define India as a nation, just as democracy defines the United States. It is therefore of great importance for everyone to have a clear idea of what Hindutva really stands for. For this, we must first understand what Hinduism or Sanatana Dharma stands for. This can be difficult because Hinduism embodies a state of mind and a way of looking at the world and not just beliefs and rules prescribed in a book as in the case of Western religions. The problem is compounded by the fact that for several centuries, Hinduism has been described by forces basically hostile to its spiritual aspirations and the civilization it has given rise to. The same is true of Hindutva.

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