Hinduism is not attributable to one founder in other words, it is not based on the wisdom and teachings of one founder. Hinduism has enriched itself from the wisdom and teachings of the great sages and thinkers over several millennia. Hinduism is diverse in its culture and religious beliefs and practices.
It has a rich history of incorporating different religious views in the Hindu tradition. It respects and accepts different social customs and different ways of worshipping and performing rituals by people in different regions of India. Hinduism does not instill in its followers one particular path or idea to live life, or seek salvation or God. It seeks unity in diversit.
One cannot find the words Hindu and Hinduism in the Vedic scriptures. These words are recent in the history of Hinduism. The religion of the early Indo-Aryans was known as the Sanatana Dharma. The word Sanatana means Eternal and the word Dharma means duty, religion, religious law, virtue, righteousness, or moral character. So Sanatana Dharma means Eternal Law or Eternal Duty. In other words, it means the social, moral, and ethical obligations of an individual toward family, society, one’s spirituality, and the God. Sanatana Dharma also means the Absolute Truth or the ultimate reality the Brahman. The great sages believed that there are eternal laws that govern our conduct and actions in life.
A Hindu is expected to live life based on the teachings of the scriptures and fulfill the duties of one’s dharma – the social, religious, and ethical obligations. One must live a life that upholds one’s dharma and social order, and leads to personal salvation.
Hinduism is a way of life. It means that a Hindu lives religion in his or her daily activities. Religion is integrated in every action of a Hindu’s daily life. A devout Hindu bathes and eats ritually. Hindus greet one another religiously by chanting the names of Hindu Gods – Rama Rama or Jai Shri Krishna or Jai Sita Rama. Religion is not limited to worshipping and performing rituals. Also, worship and rituals are not limited to a certain day or time; they can be done at any time and place.
One can choose a path of religious life that is suitable to one’s aptitude and personality. One may choose a family life, carry out one’s social duties, worship at home and in temples and perform rituals for the welfare of the family, society and the dharma. As Mahatma Gandhi did, one may choose a life of selfless actions for the welfare of the poor and underprivileged of the society, for upholding one’s dharma, and for personal salvation. Yet, another person may choose the life of a monk or ascetic and meditate on the scriptures to seek God.
The scriptures teach us that we all have divine in us. Hindus greet one another by saying the word Namaste which means I bow to the divine in you — an affirmation of the belief in the presence of divinity in us. So we must act in a way that will help us realize the divine in ourselves and in others. A devout Hindu is expected to see divinity in all beings and perform every action as an offering to God to seek Him. Thus the daily living and the religion of a devout Hindu become the same, as the daily living becomes integrated with love and respect for others, good conduct, worship, and ritual with the goal of realizing God.
In the scriptures, the law of karma says that every action has a good or bad effect. We are accountable for our deeds. Our actions today govern our tomorrow. The good deeds in this life toward family, society, and religion will be rewarded in a higher form of rebirth which will be another opportunity to purify our thinking and to evolve and elevate spiritually. The wrong actions will result in retribution and suffering. One cannot engage in wrong actions and expect to be rewarded. Therefore, one must live a life of righteousness at all times.
In the Vedic period, according to the laws in the scriptures, a male was expected to live life in four stages called ashramas: Brahamcharya (student) – learn scriptures and rituals from a teacher, Grastha (householder) – marry and fulfill the duties toward family and the society, Vanaprastha (forest dweller) – retire from family life and society and meditate on scriptures, and Sannyasa (ascetic) – practice strict asceticism to seek personal salvation or God.
Thus for a devout Hindu, religion is a way of life. So Hinduism is a way of life means that life is a path of virtue or good conduct, and a devout Hindu must live a virtuous or pious life. The retribution of a life of misconduct is accumulation of negative karma resulting in suffering in this life and/or future life. The ultimate reward of a virtuous life is moksha – salvation from suffering and the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, and union of the soul with the Supreme Soul.