Hinduism: What Really Happenned in India (PDF) - Oration

Hinduism: What Really Happened in India – M. M. Ninan
distinct reality - dualism), or being really who you really is (if you are
really the only reality and God – monism) or never to fall into the
trappings of life. For others it is a conscious inactivity.
If you talk to a common Hindu, his visions are different. He is still
thinking of life where there are no problems i.e. a continuation of life
with joy and happiness. There are six Darsanas viz. Nyaya, Vaiseshika,
Sankhya, Yoga, Purva Mimamsa and Vedanta. We do not hear much
about any other today than Vedanta. This is because this is currently the
hot export item. The Hindu Maharishies extensively export this with
various flavors. If one reads their brands, we will never recognize any
similarity. This is not accidental because that is the very essence of
Hinduism - whether it is good or bad.
What is Hinduism Really?
Hinduism is often said to be one of the oldest religions of the world. It is
definitely the oldest among the living religions. How old is it? How old
is that religion which is any religion?
Is Hinduism a Religion?
Truly speaking, when we talk of Hinduism, we do not know whether we
are talking about a religion, or a group of religions, or a group of beliefs
and traditions (some of which are diametrically opposed to each other.)
This some times give rise to the argument that Hinduism cannot be
considered as a religion in the strictest sense of the word. It is only a
corporation that incorporates into itself many religious thoughts and
worldviews.
What do we mean by the word "Hindu" and "Hinduism"?
Various origins for the word "Hinduism" have been suggested:
It may be derived from an ancient inscription translated as: "The country
lying between the Himalayan mountain and Bindu Sarovara is known as
Hindustan by combination of the first letter 'hi' of 'Himalaya' and the last
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