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Part of a series on Hinduism
History · Deities
Denominations · Mythology
Beliefs & practices
Reincarnation · Moksha
Karma · Puja · Maya
Samsara · Dharma
Vedanta ·
Yoga · Ayurveda
Yuga · Vegetarianism
Bhakti
Scriptures
Upanishads · Vedas
Brahmana · Bhagavad Gita
Ramayana · Mahabharata
Purana · Aranyaka
Shikshapatri · Vachanamrut
Related topics
Dharmic Religions ·
Hinduism by country
Leaders · Devasthana
Caste system · Mantra
Glossary · Hindu festivals
Vigraha · Criticism
Swastika Hinduism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Image File history File links Aumred. ... Regions which are currently or were historically under classical Hindu rule. ... Within Smarta Hinduism, a variety of forms of God are seen as aspects of the one impersonal divine ground, (Brahma) or Aum. ... Hinduism encompasses many movements and schools fairly organized within Hindu denominations. ... Hindu mythology is a term used by modern scholarship for a large body of Indian literature that details the lives and times of legendary personalities, deities and divine incarnations on earth interspersed with often large sections of philosophical and ethical discourse. ... Hindu philosophy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Reincarnation, literally to be made flesh again, is a doctrine or mystical belief that some essential part of a living being (in some variations only human beings) survives death to be reborn in a new body. ... Moksha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Karma is a concept in Hinduism, based on the Vedas and Upanishads, which explains causality through a system where beneficial events are derived from past beneficial actions and harmful events from past harmful actions, creating a system of actions and reactions throughout a persons reincarnated lives. ... A puja as performed in Ujjain during the Monsoon on the banks of the overflooding river Shipra. ... Maya (illusion) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The Wheel of Life as portrayed within Buddhism, showing the cycle of Samsara, or reincarnation. ... Dharma (Sanskrit: धर्म) or Dhamma (Pāli: धमा) (Natural Law) refers to the underlying order in Nature and human behaviour considered to be in accord with that order. ... This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Yoga (Devanagari: योग) is one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy, focusing on meditation as a path to self-knowledge and liberation. ... Shirodhara, one of the techniques of Ayurveda Ayurveda (Devanagari: ) or Ayurvedic medicine is a practice in use primarily in the Indian subcontinent, which advocates argue assists with health and healing. ... Yuga (Devnāgari: युग) in Hindu philosophy refers to an epoch or era within a cycle of four ages: the Satya Yuga (or Krita Yuga), the Treta Yuga, the Dvapara Yuga, and finally the Kali Yuga. ... Vegetarianism is the practice of not consuming the flesh of any animal, with or without also eschewing other animal derivatives, such as dairy products or eggs. ... Bhakti - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Hindu scripture is overwhelmingly written in Sanskrit. ... The Upanishads (उपनिषद्, Upanişad) are part of the Hindu Shruti scriptures which primarily discuss meditation and philosophy and are seen as religious instructions by most schools of Hinduism. ... Veda redirects here. ... The Brahmana (Sanskrit ब्राह्मण) are part of the Hindu Shruti; They are composed in Vedic Sanskrit, and the period of their composition is sometimes referred to as the Brahmanic period or age (approximately between 900 BC and 500 BC). ... Bhagavad Gīta भगवद्गीता, composed ca the fifth - second centuries BC, is part of the epic poem Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23–40. ... For the television series by Ramanand Sagar, see Ramayan (TV series). ... Mahabharat redirects here. ... The Puranas are part of Hindu Smriti; these religious scriptures discuss devotion and mythology. ... The Aranyakas (Sanskrit आरण्यक, Forest Books, Forest Treatises) are part of the Hindu Shruti; these religious scriptures are sometimes argued to be part of either the Brahmanas or Upanishads. ... The Shikshapatri is a text of two hundred and twelve verses, and was written by Shree Swaminarayan, a reforming Hindu from the Vaishnava tradition, who lived in Gujarat from 1781-1830 and who was recognised by his followers as a deity during his lifetime. ... The Vachanamrut The Vachanamrut or the nectarine discourses of Bhagwan Swaminarayan is the most sacred and foundational scripture of the Swaminarayan Sampraday. ... map showing the prevalence of Dharmic (yellow) and Abrahamic (purple) religions in each country. ... The percentage of Hindu population of each country was taken from the US State Departments International Religious Freedom Report 2004. ... These are some of the most noteworthy Gurus and Saints of Hinduism: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Adi Shankara Amritanandamayi Baba Lokenath Brahmachari Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaj Bhagawan Nityananda Bhagwan Swaminarayan Chinmayananda Gurumayi Chidvilasananda Lahiri Mahasaya Madhvacharya Mahavatar Babaji Mother Meera Muktananda Narayana Guru Nimbarka Nisargadatta Maharaj Raghavendra Swami Ramakrishna... The Gopuram of temples, in south India, are adorned with colourful icons depicting a particular story surrounding the temples deity. ... The Indian caste system is the traditional system of social division in the Indian Subcontinent, in which social classes are defined by a number of endogamous groups often termed as jātis. ... In Tibet, many Buddhists carve mantras into rocks as a form of devotion. ... Glossary of terms in Hinduism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Bronze Chola murti depicting Shivas most famous dancing posture, the Nataraja, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Image File history File links HinduSwastika. ... A right-facing Swastika in a decorative Hindu form In the Western world, since World War II, the swastika is usually associated with the flag of Nazi Germany and the Nazi Party. ... This box: view • talk • edit

Within the diverse traditions of Hinduism, creation of the universe and life itself is generally believed to have occurred due to the will of a supreme consciousness or intelligence, often referred to as Brahman^[1]. The accounts of the emergence of life within the universe vary in description, but classically the deity called Brahma (from a Trimurti of three dieties also including Vishnu and Shiva) is described as performing the act of 'creation', or more specifically of 'propogating life within the universe' with the other two deities being responsible for 'maintenance' and 'destruction' (of the universe) respectively^[2]. In this respect some Hindu schools do not treat the scriptural creation or origin theory literally and often the creation stories themselves do not go into specific detail, thus leaving open the possibility of incorporating at least some theories in support of evolution. Some Hindus even find support for, or foreshadowing of evolutionary ideas in scriptures, namely the Vedas.^[3][4] An exception to this acceptance is the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), which includes several members who actively oppose "Darwinism" and the neo-Darwinist theory of evolution. Other Hindu religious and political organizations have been charged with promoting creationism (or other pseudo-scientific ideas) based on interpretations of Hindu scriptures.^[5] Hinduism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Brahman (Devanagari: ब्रह्म) is the concept of the Godhead found in Hinduism. ... Look up deity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Brahma (IAST: Brahmā) (Devanagari ब्रह्मा, pronounced as ) is the Hindu god (deva) of creation, and one of the Hindu Trinity - Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. ... From left, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva In Hinduism, the Trimurti (also called the Hindu trinity) is a concept that holds that God has three aspects, which are only different forms of the same one God. ... Vishnu (IAST , Devanagari ), (honorific: Sri Vishnu) also known as Narayana is the Supreme Being or Ultimate Reality for Vaishnavas and a manifestation of Brahman in the Advaita or Smarta traditions. ... “Nilakantha” redirects here. ... Creation within belief systems covers creation beliefs that are part of a named system of beliefs. ... Hindu scriptures Hindu scripture is overwhelmingly written in Sanskrit. ... Veda redirects here. ... Founder of ISKCON: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), also known as the Hare Krishna movement, was founded in 1966 in New York City by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. ... Charles Darwin Darwinism is a term for the underlying theory in those ideas of Charles Darwin concerning evolution and natural selection. ... The modern evolutionary synthesis (often referred to simply as the modern synthesis), neo-Darwinian synthesis or neo-Darwinism, brings together Charles Darwins theory of the evolution of species by natural selection with Gregor Mendels theory of genetics as the basis for biological inheritance. ... Phrenology is regarded today as a classic example of pseudoscience. ...

Hindu creation accounts and evolution

Hinduism is a Dharmic religion and bears few similarities to Abrahamanic schools of thought. A Hindu creation account is recorded in the sacred texts, the Vedas, according to which the universe, the Earth, along with humans and other creatures undergo repeated cycles of creation and destruction (pralaya). A variety of myths exist regarding the specifics of the process, but in general the Hindu view of the cosmos is as eternal and cyclic. In this sense Genesis and the Hindu creation myths are fundamentally different. map showing the prevalence of Dharmic (dark yellow), Taoic (light yellow), and Abrahamic (purple) religions in each country. ... Veda redirects here. ... Pralaya , in Hindu theosophy , is a period of time of the cycle of existence of the planets where activity does not occur. ... Genesis (Hebrew: ‎, Greek: Γένεσις, meaning birth, creation, cause, beginning, source or origin) is the first book of the Torah, the Tanakh, and the Old Testament. ...

Some Vedic texts teach that humans have lived in unchanged form on the earth for many millions of years. This would imply that humans were alive in modern form at the time of the dinosaurs, which would be contrary to the current scientific understanding.

Indian mystic Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950) proposed a religious "theory of evolution", though in his usage, evolution refers to the theorized adventures of the World-Spirit moving through successively greater levels of consciousness, from matter to man, seeking fulfillment. ^[5] Sri Aurobindo (Bangla: শ্রী অরবিন্দ Sri Ôrobindo, Sanskrit: श्री अरविन्द Srī Aravinda) (August 15, 1872–December 5, 1950) was an Indian nationalist, scholar, poet, mystic, evolutionary philosopher, yogi and guru [1]. After a short political career in which he became one of leaders of the early movement for the freedom of India from British... In philosophy and metaphysics, the development of the universe, and of consciousness through time, is referred to as evolution. ...

Attitude towards evolution

India is a secular state with people of many faiths. However Hindus form a majority of its population, and thus the education system in India, is in part, reflective of their beliefs. Darwinian evolution is included in several standard Indian school textbooks, as reported by an editorial in the journal Current Science.^[6] This article concerns secularity, that is, being secular, in various senses. ...

Hindus (along with people of other faiths) are also said to be apprehensive about efforts to teach "Christian" creationism in public schools in the US.^[7] An objection to the teaching of creationism based on the religious texts of a particular faith, is that in a pluralistic society this can result in the imposition of one religion.

Opposition to evolution

ISKCON and Darwin's theory of evolution

Founder of ISKCON: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Some members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) have expressed the belief that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection is false, but do not necessarily dispute evolution all-together. The views of the founder of ISKCON, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, on Darwin and evolution are found in his book "Life comes from life".^{[8] [9]} In 2003, Michael A Cremo published Human Devolution: A Vedic alternative to Darwin’s theory^[10] to describe a view that man has existed on the earth in modern form far longer than that offered by the currently accepted fossil evidence and genetic evidence. Image File history File links SP108. ... Image File history File links SP108. ... A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (September 1, 1896–November 14, 1977) was born Abhay Charan De, in Kolkata, West Bengal. ... Founder of ISKCON: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), also known as the Hare Krishna movement, was founded in 1966 in New York City by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. ... Charles Robert Darwin (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an eminent English naturalist who achieved lasting fame by convincing the scientific community that species develop over time from a common origin. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Cremo presents evidence against Darwin's theory of evolution pursuing this same theme in several other books. Cremo argues that Darwinian evolution should be replaced with "devolution" from the original unity with Brahman.^[5] These books have been met with considerable skepticism by the scientific community which charges that Cremo's theories are closer to pseudoscience.^[11][12] Some have dubbed these beliefs as akin to a form of "Vedic creationism."^[13] Cremo even wrote a book documenting some of the sceptical responses he obtained (Cremo, 1998). Brahman (Devanagari: ब्रह्म) is the concept of the Godhead found in Hinduism. ... Phrenology is regarded today as a classic example of pseudoscience. ...

Vedic Foundation, Texas

Swami Prakashanand Saraswati, religious leader of the Vedic Foundation in Texas, has written a book , "The true history and the religion of India".^[14] which some critics have said was analogous to creationist beliefs in the west. For example, Ravi Ravishankar claims that the following are almost verbatim quotes from the book "The true history and religion of India": The Vedic Foundation is a project of the Barsana Dham temple at Austin, Texas formed in 2003. ...

It is a fact that in the world almost all the academic literature in English about Hinduism, even by Hindu writers, bears the western influence, and that, none of these books represent the correct view of total authentic Hinduism. Historians forget that one cannot determine the history of Bharatvarsh on meager archaeological findings of coins, toys and pots. Whereas the general history of Bharatvarsh is already written in its scriptures and the Puranas whose texts and the philosophical descriptions are the outcome of the Gracious and benevolent minds of eternal Saints.

In comparison with western religions:

In no way could there be any comparison of the western religions (which are based on mythologies) with the Hindu Vedic religion which is eternal, universal and is directly revealed by the supreme God.

Similar to Western creationists: Creationism is generally the belief that the universe was created by a deity, or alternatively by one or more powerful and intelligent beings. ...

Divine writings cannot be analyzed in a material way. How could a worldly being, possessed with the vehemence of his own passions and desires, try to argue with the writings of Sages and Saints whose entire life was a divine benevolence for the souls of the world? You should know that all of our religious writings are Divine facts, and facts always remain facts, they cannot become myths. Using the word myth for our religious history is a serious spiritual transgression.

Science and Vedic science

A philosopher of science, Meera Nanda at the Templeton Foundation states that some Hindus have for long co-opted scientific results to claim support for Hindu religious ideas, including evolution.^[5] Nanda says, " evolution is taught as the self-manifestation of Brahman and so on. The terms are scientific, but the content is religious'".^[5] According to Nanda quantum mechanics, nuclear physics and other scientific results too are twisted to provide "scientific evidence" for Vedic science. Furthermore, she says that for Hindu Nationalists the science included "astrology, vastu, Vedic creationism, transcendental meditation and ayurveda. This was not just talk: state universities and colleges got big grants from the government to offer post-graduate degrees, including PhDs in astrology; research in vastu shastra, meditation, faith-healing, cow-urine and priest-craft was promoted with substantial injections of public money". ^[15] Some of Nandas' statements and characterizations have been disputed as "sweeping" and an "biased attacks on Hindutva". ^[16] The John Templeton Foundation was established in 1987 by international investment banker John Templeton; it is usually referred to as the Templeton Foundation. Its mission, according to its website, is to pursue new insights at the boundary between theology and science through a rigorous, open-minded and empirically focused methodology... This article is about evolution in biology. ... Fig. ... Nuclear physics is the branch of physics concerned with the nucleus of the atom. ... Hand-coloured version of the anonymous Flammarion woodcut. ... ... Creation within belief systems covers creation beliefs that are part of a named system of beliefs. ... // Transcendental Meditation or TM is a trademarked form of meditation introduced in 1958 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, involving the repetition of a specific sound, called a mantra. ... Shirodhara, one of the techniques of Ayurveda Ayurveda (Devanagari: ) or Ayurvedic medicine is a practice in use primarily in the Indian subcontinent, which advocates argue assists with health and healing. ...

Nanda cites the example of the book "Explaining Hindu Dharma: A Guide for Teachers" (Prinja, 2001) which offers "teaching suggestions for introducing Hindu ideas and topics in the classroom" and is intended to be used in the British school system. Nanda notes: ^[5]

It advises British teachers to introduce Hindu dharma as "just another name" for "eternal laws of nature" first discovered by Vedic seers, and subsequently confirmed by modern physics and biological sciences. After giving a false but incredibly smug account of mathematics, physics, astronomy, medicine and evolutionary theory contained in the Vedic texts, the Guide instructs the teachers to present the Vedic scriptures as "not just old religious books, but as books which contain many true scientific facts... these ancient scriptures of the Hindus can be treated as scientific texts" (emphasis added). All that modern science teaches us about the workings of nature can be found in the Vedas, and all that the Vedas teach about the nature of matter, god, and human beings is affirmed by modern science. There is no conflict, there are no contradictions. Modern science and the Vedas are simply "different names for the same truth.

– Meera Nanda

Nanda also states that "This Guide claims that the ancient Hindu scriptures contain 'many true scientific facts' and therefore 'can be treated as scientific texts'" and then proceeds to dismiss this by giving examples, and claiming that "Far from there being "no conflict" between science and Hinduism, a scientific understanding of nature completely and radically negates the "eternal laws" of Hindu dharma." Nanda draws an analogy between such reasoning and the arguments of western creationists. ^[5]

See also

• Creation within belief systems
• Origin belief

Creation within belief systems covers creation beliefs that are part of a named system of beliefs. ... This article is becoming very long. ...

Notes

1. ^ Hinduism "According to Hindu beliefs, Brahman is the principle and source of the universe"
2. ^ BBC - Religion & Ethics - Brahman & the Trimurthi
3. ^ Science and Spirituality: Any Points of Contact? Dr. J.S.R.L. Narayana Moorty
4. ^ Krishnamurti Centennial Conference; Miami University, Ohio, May 18-21, 1995.
5. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} Nanda, Meera, Postmodernism, Hindu nationalism and Vedic science, Frontline, December 20,2003 – January 02, 2004
6. ^ Creation, evolution and intelligent design, P. Balaram, Current Science, Volume 86, Number 9, 10 May 2004.
7. ^ "Christian agenda worries other faiths: push for intelligent design seen by some as imposing Christianity on others", Jim Baker, Lawrence World – Journal, May 12, 2005.
8. ^ Life Comes from Life - written by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (founder of ISKCON)]
9. ^ A selection of quotes and small essays - mostly by Bhaktivedanta Swami, founder of ISKCON, on Darwinian evolution and other topics.
10. ^ Human Devolution: A Vedic alternative to Darwin’s theory, Michael A. Cremo, Torchlight Publishing, September 15, 2003, ISBN-10: 0892133341
11. ^ Forbidden Archaeology´s Impact by Michael A Cremo, Tom Morrow, Reports of the National Center for Science Education, 19 (3): 14-17.
12. ^ Forbidden Archaeology : Antievolutionism Outside the Christian Arena, Wade Tarzia, Creation/Evolution 34:13-25, 1994
13. ^ Vedic creationism in America, Meera Nanda, Frontline: India's National Magazine from the publishers of THE HINDU, Volume 23 - Issue 01, Jan. 14 - 27, 2006
14. ^ The true history and religion of India, Swami Prakashanand Saraswati, 2nd Edition, 2003, ISBN 0967382319
15. ^ Nanda, Meera, Intellectual Treason, , New Humanist, January 7 2005
16. ^ Srikant, A Rejoinder to Meera Nanda’s Article “Postmodernism, Hindu nationalism and Vedic science”, Swaveda, May 13, 2005]

Uppaluri Gopala Krishnamurti can be called a guru in that many people come to him looking for spiritual guidance. ... Miami University, founded in 1809, is the second-oldest public university west of the Allegheny Mountains and seventh-oldest public university in the United States. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ... For the Scottish Marxist magazine called Frontline see International Socialist Movement Frontline is a fortnightly English language magazine published by The Hindu group of publications from Chennai, India. ... May 12 is the 132nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (133rd in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... New Humanist is the leading journal of atheism, secularism and freethought in the UK. It has been published for 120 years, starting out as Wattss Literary Guide in November 1885. ... January 7 is the seventh day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... May 13 is the 133rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (134th in leap years). ...

References

• Cavanaugh, Michael A. 1983. A Sociological Account of Scientific Creationism: Science, True Science, Pseudoscience. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.

• Eve, Harold, "Creationist Movement in Modern America", Twayne Pub, 1990.

• The Hidden History of the Human Race (The Condensed Edition of Forbidden Archeology), Michael A. Cremo, Torchlight Publishing, May 15, 1999ISBN-10: 0892133252

• Forbidden Archeology: The Full Unabridged Edition, Michael A. Cremo and Richard L. Thompson, Torchlight Publishing; 2Rev Ed edition, January 1998 ISBN-10: 0892132949

• Prophets Facing Backward: Postmodern Critiques of Science and the Making of Hindu Nationalism in India, Meera Nanda, Rutgers University Press, 2003.

• Explaining Hindu Dharma A Guide for Teachers, N. K. Prinja (ed), Vishwa Hindu Parishad (UK). pp. 204. Chatham Printers Limited, Leicester, UK, 2001.

• Forbidden Archeology's Impact: How a Controversial New Book Shocked the Scientific Community and Became an Underground Classic, Michael A. Cremo, Torchlight Publishing, January 1998, ISBN-10: 0892132833.

External links

• Humankind and evolution: Editorial in The Hindu, April 20, 2004.
• Dharma vs. Darwin? Swami B.V. Tripurari : Beliefnet article describing Hindu perspectives on evolution
• The Perils of Vedic 'Science' , Meera Nanda, Beliefnet article on Hindu science and evolutionary theories.
• The flaws in Darwin’s theory: An anti-Darwinian evolution website that advocates Hinduism.
• The Secret Diary of Charles Darwin, Sivasiva Palani: Discussion of contradictions between Hinduism and evolution in Hinduism Today.