a note on hinduism

Some recent statements made by notable individuals, including those well-versed in the Hindu religion, seem to be frivolous and lack historical foundation. The term "Hindu" denotes a religious and cultural tradition followed by a group whose beliefs have primarily evolved from the Indian region. Throughout history, Hinduism has incorporated socio-cultural practices from various smaller groups and nation-state formations at different periods in Indian history. The development of Hinduism is characterized by its evolutionary nature.

Hinduism can be broadly defined as encompassing:

- Ritualistic practices

- Philosophical and spiritual practices

- Socio-cultural practices

Ritualistic Hinduism: While the concept of God has been questioned, discarded, or transformed at various points in the Hindu tradition, worshipping God through rituals remains an integral part of Hinduism. For example, apart from Vishnu and Rudra (a form of Shiva), who is mentioned in only two couplets in the Rigveda, no other Vedic gods are worshipped in Hinduism today, except in the Agama tradition followed by a select Brahminical society. Over time, older gods have been discarded, and new ones have been invented or added to the pantheon, while the worship of God has remained uninterrupted.

Hinduism has absorbed various forms of worship and gods from different regions into its collective cultural order. Consequently, some of these gods and their worship have been abandoned to make way for newer gods or forms of worship. Even within Shaivism and Vaishnavism (the subjects of current controversy), there is no uniformity in the worship of Shiva or Vishnu. In fact, there are thousands of diverse concepts, forms, worship practices, and rituals associated with these two gods throughout the country. Often, these concepts may contrast with or entirely reject others. For instance, while the Rudra avatar of Shiva is represented as a violent form, the Dhakshinamoorthy avatar of Shiva symbolizes a spiritual guide and lord of medicine. The worship of the former may involve animal sacrifice and intoxicants, while the latter is more puritanical in nature.

As a general principle, Ritualistic Hinduism has categorized its deities into three broad groups based on specific human traits within a community or society culture:

- Rajasic (Aggressive/Fearsome/Destructive)

- Satvic (Passive/Benevolent/Sustaining)

- Tamasic (Wrathful/Hurtful/Voodoo)

Ritualistic Hindus are seen as identifying and organizing their belief systems, cultural practices, and social structures around one or more of these forms of worship. This segment of Hindu religious society, known as Ritualistic Hinduism, may have incorporated certain aspects of Vedic rituals. Still, its practices are primarily derived from micro-cultural units within communities. Ritualistic Hinduism has little to do with the Vedic gods or their practices, such as Yagna. On the contrary, this segment is characterized by anti-Rig Vedic rituals like Tantric practices, which involve the assimilation of regional cultural practices and temple worship influenced by Adivasi gotra culture, Jain and Buddhist traditions.

Therefore, it would be erroneous to declare that preceding or succeeding forms of Hinduism, or their inclusion within Hinduism, can be solely determined based on worshipping specific deities (such as Shiva, Vishnu, or Shakti) or ritualistic practices. Making such a declaration would be akin to denying the existence of Islam because Shia and Sunni Muslims follow and worship Islam differently or the non-existence of Christianity because Catholics and Protestants follow and worship Christianity differently.