Hinduism
Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world. it is the world's third most popular religion with over 750 Million followers. It originated in India over 4000 years ago.
There are several holy books in Hinduism including the Bhagwad Gita, Ramayan and Vedas.
There is no central principle in Hinduism. Hinduism does not specify principles like praying at a certain time or times, going to the temple.
Hinduism helps us understand how to connect with god. It teaches us there are many paths to reach god (salvation), and each of us should choose the path that best chooses our temperament (physical, mental, and emotional charateristics). The Hindu book upanishads say that god is within our inner self and is known as Brahman
What is Hinduism
Hindus chant Om (symbol shown above) as a way to connect the soul with Brahman (god).
All the gods of Hindus represent different expressions of Brahman (supreme god). In Hinduism Brahman (god) appears in the form of the god Brahma (different from Brahman ), Vishnu and Shiva. Brahma is the creator of the universe. Brahma is shown above with four heads and four arms.
Likewise Brahman appears in the form of Vishnu to sustain it or keep the universe running. Vishnu reincarnates (comes to earth) himself whenever there is a lot of evil on earth. Some incarnations of Vishnu include Krishna and Rama and are spoken off in the web page "Vishnu" of this site.Vishnu has blue skin, four arms, has a discus (called chakra) in his hands, lotus flower, mace, and a conch known as shankha.
Brahman also appears in the form of Shiva to destroy evil. Shiva is tall, well-built, and white in color, and his neck is blue. He has 3 eyes, and his third eye rests between his eyebrows. His right and left eyes symbolize activities happening in the world, while his third eye symbolizes spiritual wisdom and power. He has a crescent moon on his head.
These three gods have been called "the Hindu triad" or the "Great Trinity", often addressed as "Brahma-Vishnu-Maheswara."
Most Hindus worship an istadevata, a specific god or goddess chosen by an individual or a family as the main focus for devotion.