South african hinduism holy book

In doing so, he developed a greater appreciation for hinduism. African human rights law journal southern african legal. The books explore the beliefs and customs of christianity, african independent churches, african traditional religions, islam, judaism and hinduism. The founding of the south african hindu maha sabha, 1912 goolam vahed1 department of history, university of kwazulunatal, south africa email. On this holy occasion of maha shivaratri, i wish that your prayers are answered and you be blessed with good fortune and good luck. The scriptures of the vedas are meant to guide hindu believers in their daily lives. It has influenced and been affected by other world. Hinduism is widely practiced in south asia mainly in india and nepal. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Another hindu holy book that deals with religious duties is law of manu or the dharma shastra. Best wishes, ashwin trikamjee south african hindu maha sabha president. Hinduism is practised throughout south africa, but primarily in kwazulunatal.

May the power and wisdom of lord shiva help you achieve all your goals in life. Celebrating the diversity for which hinduism is known, this volume begins its journey in the new india of bangalore, indias silicon valley, where global connections and local traditions rub shoulders daily. The 2016 general household survey measured a further decline to 0. The life of hinduism brings together a series of essaysmany recognized as classics in the fieldthat present hinduism as a vibrant, truly lived religion. They also recognize the bible, quran and holy texts of other religions. Bibliographies and indexes in religious studies book 44.

It defines from the birth to the death and even after death. Rama is deprived of the kingdom to which he is heir and is exiled to the forest with his wife sita and his brother lakshmana. The most holy of the hindu books is written in sanskrit and is referred to as the vedas. Hinduism is such an ancient religion that it had many types of beliefs and religious practices.

Natal, now the kwazulunatal province of the union of south africa, was formed. The narrative is structured around several pivotal events, such as the dutch settlers decision to rely on imported slaves and the union of south africa in 1910, which paved the way for apartheid. Guided by the founder, satguru sivaya subramuniyaswami, the magazines editors, who are initiated monks of the kauais hindu monastery, collaborated with holy men and women and experts around the world in creating graphically rich guides to virtually. Since 1979 the international magazine hinduism today has been producing a treasury of educational features on all aspects of sanatana dharma. Hinduis m is practised throughou t so u th a frica, but primarily in kwazulunatal. As such, it has mostly been confined to practise by the indoafrican communities of these countries. In the wars that occur in the holy books, as in mahabharta, the different sides had different war weapons which had characters similar to modern day war weapons.

South africa, southeast asia, the east indies, and england. European and other foreign settlers brought most of these religions. Hinduism is not simple religion like others several panths or sects, but it is oldest culture, which is way of life. The puranas are holy books of hinduism that date back to gupta empire in ancient india. Hinduism is practiced throughout the african continent but is primarily focused in south africa, kenya, tanzania, and ghana. The most comprehensive overview of brahmanical vedic and smarta rituals and their histories is kane 19301962.

The founding of the south african hindu maha sabha, 1912. Today, with about 900 million followers, hinduism is. This article discusses the status of religious rights and freedoms under the south african constitution and the south african charter of religious rights and freedoms. Today, with about 900 million followers, hinduism is the thirdlargest religion behind christianity and islam. Hinduism has been explained with its origins, beliefs, way of life, sacred texts, gods and goddesses, holiest things, interesting facts and. Frank welshs a history of south africa is a vividly written, definitive guide to south africa s turbulent past. Introduction hinduism stands for the faith and the way of life most of the people who live in india. It was succeeded in 1989 by a new form, appearing in an anglican prayer book. There are many persons who conduct similar sorts of rituals for healing, providing protection from devils and foretelling the future through astrology and other means. The major faiths practiced in south africa are christianity, islam, hinduism, traditional african religions and judaism. There is no single scripture as it is in other religions like christianity and islam.

Hinduism small hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition1 of south asia. Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world, and hindus refer to it as sanatana dharma, the eternal tradition, or the eternal way, beyond human history. These texts are glorious tales of the hindu trinity brahma, vishnu and maheshwar shiva. Hindus call their religion sanatama dharma, eternal religion or eternal truth. Summary of hinduism beliefs meaning of name hinduism, from the persian hindu sanskrit sindhu, literally river. South african hinduism displays its own characteristic features and should be examined on. These narratives, often referred to as myths, are not fixed and vary from generation to generation or sometimes even among individuals. Readers will also learn about south african jazz, dance, and traditional instruments. The book also debunks many of the most common myths about south africa. She discusses these and other aspects of african religion in her book an introduction to african religion. If you think of south africa, spirituality might not be top of mind yet the entire continent has a magical energy of its own, from the cradle of mankind to the diversity of animals in the wild and the melting pot of religions and cultures. The kinds of rituals enacted by the atharvan priests are still important in popular hinduism today, even though the atharvan as such is not a familiar figure. The holy book of the orthodox church is called the holy bible or the holy scriptures, that contain the old and new testaments.

Word of mouth is very common to many african countries and traditionally most tribes have people called sangomas these people hold the knowledge and pass it on to their successors but these days. Hinduism is a religious tradition that began about 5 000 years ago. Shamanism in practice is used to heal and enlighten, using ceremonials which can include rhythmic music, mind altering drugs and mythic journeys into the subconscious. Diwali, is a festival of lights that celebrate the triumph of good over evil. Hinduism simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The narrative of rama is recounted in the sanskrit epic the ramayana ramas journey, traditionally regarded as the work of the sage valmiki. Scholars regard hinduism as a combination of different indian cultures and traditions, with diverse roots. The upanishads are also called as vedantas or the end of the vedas. Describes the features of hinduism in one of the worlds largest hindu communities outside india south africa. The core philosophy of african religions is formed by narratives about the creation of the universe cosmogony and the nature and structure of the world cosmology.

However, in postcolonial africa, a smallscale movement for hinduism and its propagation outside the indoafrican community has occurred, spearheaded by such individuals as swami ghanananda, the first hindu swami of ghana. There is something called pramana, authority, which our acharyas have recognised, and as per the acharyas a set of books are considered primary texts, whereas, other books based on these primary books can also be referred to. In one of their holy books, the bhagavad gita, this relationship is described. This expansiveness is made possible by the widely shared hindu view that truth or reality cannot be encapsulated in any creedal formulation, a perspective expressed in. A special section focuses on traditional african beliefs and healing.

The west african area is important because this is where the majority of slaves departed for the new world. As a religious practice aspiring to understand the eternal mysteries of existence, hinduism has never been a regressive or closed dogma satisfied with historicentric interpretations of one holy book. The south african hindu community is concentrated in four linguistic groups. In south africa, three religions enjoy widespread belief. It also gives guidance to muslims in their everyday lives. The name hindu came from muslims that invaded india in 1 200 ad because they wanted to distinguish between their own religion and that of the inhabitants of india. The quran is the holy book of the muslims and it contains mohammads words and instructions as to how a true muslim should live and worship god. During the european dark ages, many ancient manuscripts were preserved in african libraries in places such as ethiopia and timbuctoo. Indeed, hindus have explored the mysteries of science, mathematics and astronomy to.

Hinduism is the worlds oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots and customs dating back more than 4,000 years. List of books and articles about african religions. African traditional religion and the religion of the san people come africa, but other religions such as judaism, christianity, islam, hinduism and buddhism, were brought to south africa by people from europe and asia. Hindu religion, philosophy and concepts kindle edition by sharma, shalu. These festivals are very colourful and fun even though they are holy events. South african style by ramalingum moodley south africa t he tallest known ardhanarishvara sivashakti murti in the southern hemisphere, and perhaps in the entire world, stands proudly at the siva alayam temple in benoni, a town on the east rand in the gauteng province of south africa. Most holy book is the kitahiaqdas which is the book of laws. The term hinduism is a modern term used to bring together the myriad practices of people who believe that god is within athman, soul and the quest of each individual is moksha, liberation of athman from karmic earthly bonds and reunion with brahman, the eternal, the infinite, the. While there, sita is abducted by ravana, the demon king of lanka. Roughly 95 percent of the worlds hindus live in india. Hence large elements of west african, particularly yoruba, religion blended with catholicism can be found in religions such as vodun also known as voodoo haiti.

The earliest written religious texts as well as the first documented monotheistic religion also developed in africa. This fascinating book takes a look at the interesting mix of people and cultures that make up south africa today. Vahed, goolam swami shankeranand and the consolidation of hinduism in natal, 19081914 file available at documentation centre lalla, bd. It is the oldest major religion with a tradition reaching back millennia and having many notable peaks and periods of glory. More strikingly than any other major religious community, hindus acceptand indeed celebratethe organic, multileveled, and sometimes pluralistic nature of their traditions. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading hinduism made. Five of the hindu holy books are the rig veda, bhagavad gita, sama veda, yajur veda, and athava veda.

Religions in southern africa series awareness publishing. Vedas and upanishadas are the most authoritative amongst all hindu scriptures and holy books. Grade 7s lo major religions in south africa flashcards. All hindus know that some books are considered holy by everyone, and not every book written by every author becomes holy. This liturgy, from the 1954 book of common prayer of the province of south africa, had its origins fron 1929, when it first appeared. Hinduism is the worlds third largest religion and still growing. Organisations such as the south african hindu maha sabha, the arya samaj and. There are also numerous descriptions of shamanism and related topics in the native american, the traditional asian, australian, pacific, and african sections. However, these works mostly leave out overviews of folk. However, the puranas are supposed to be complied by muni vyasa. Also mystical writings on the progress of the soul and its journey towards god. Some of the most celebrated hindu festivals in south africa are.

The life of hinduism by john stratton hawley, vasudha. There are a number of scriptures and holy books in hinduism. Around 1750 bc aryan invaders from central asia settled in north. We pray that all your future endeavors are successful. African traditional religion south african history online. According to 2000 census data, nearly 1 million hindus live in south africa, the largest concentration of followers on the continent. That should be complemented by gonda 1977 and gonda 1980, which give a concise and almost comprehensive listing of texts and their contents. Each book describes the way people in southern africa practise these religions, by focusing on particular traditions and ceremonies, such as baptism and initiation ceremonies. About 100 volumes about laws and principles for personal conduct and governance of society. Feller learn with flashcards, games, and more for free. Other holy scriptures in hinduism are called the upanisads, the smrutis, the puranas, the ramayana and the mahabharata. A number of ancient indian texts describe shipping and trade. Some of the other holy works and books of hinduism.