A Hindu is a person who adheres to Hinduism, a religion followed by the vast majority in India. It is more about what people do than what they think. Each individual follows a way of life that provides some meaning to it. One comes across many improvisations in Hindu homes. There is no specific objection to deviation or change. The Hindu way of life is liberal in permitting space and liberty to every individual.
The Hindu way of life is principally based upon the teachings of the Vedas. The Rig Veda, which was recorded in a form of Sanskrit over 3,000 years ago, is the oldest of the four Vedas. It has 1,028 hymns to a pantheon of Gods. Over the years, the teachings have been passed on from one generation to another through memorisation and word of mouth. Two other Vedas, the Yajur Veda and the Sama Veda, later supplemented the Rig Veda. The fourth Veda, the Atharva Veda, was added perhaps a hundred years later.
The most fundamental of all rituals is sacrifice. No living creature can remain for one moment without breathing, thinking and dreaming, mere existence implies action, even inaction is a form of action.
Actions can be neutral, being positive or negative. Actions such as participation in yagnas, the various rituals of sacrifice bring man into contact with the highest state, the deities, we cannot survive without participation, rewards are only forthcoming when we do it consciously and recite with proper knowledge. Pleasing the Gods help and in return, the Gods will help you.
It is through the great belief in fire worship; an instrument of participation became the great sacrifice. The great Vedic Text taught man the ritual of sacrifice, involving fire. A large vedicaltor with a hollow pit in which offerings are made into the mouth of the fire. There are many forms of fire worship.
An action which promotes the betterment of man has of necessity, the nature of a ritual sacrifice. Fire is the all-purifier; all that is purified by fire is fit for the Gods. When edible material is offered to a deity and placed into the fire (Hawan) with the prescribed actions and prayers, this is regarded as a ritual sacrifice.
There are, therefore, four essential ingredients for the performance of a positive, rewarding sacrifice, fire offerings, chants and actions (intentions/feelings), Bhojan (food), Delkshima (monetary offering) and religious convictions. WIthout these the sacrifice is regarded as worthless.
Hindus use it to achieve “Moksha,” the liberation of the soul from the cycle of rebirth and knowledge of one’s true self through a state of unity with Brahma, the Supreme Being.
In Vedic sacrifices, offerings of ghee, food grains are ladled into fires burning in pits in the ground, the priest/s reciting the appropriate mantras. There are different rituals for each sacrifice, which are explained by the officiating Pundit.
Common rituals that are performed at home, offerings to the Goddess of fortune (Lakshmi) north east direction, the creator and God of Architecture in the (Visvakaraman), in the middle part of the home.
Many Hindu rites and ceremonies take place in a temple setting and are directed toward a God or Goddess, but by no means do all such rituals take place in a temple. Indeed, many Hindu rituals are distinctly domestic affairs, taking place in individual’s homes. And certainly not all rites and ceremonies are directed toward the Gods and Goddesses. Virtually every aspect of Hindu life, in fact, is marked by ritual actions.
Death is a critical moment in the life of a Hindu, not only because it marks the end of life, but also because it marks the transition to the next life.
The shraddha, funeral rites, therefore, are among the most important rituals in Hinduism. Such rituals are called samkaras, rites of passage.
Additionally, often, the family will journey to a tirtha, a “crossing” of a sacred river, at the points after the death and “sink” a portion of the deceased cremated remains, further ensuring a safe passage to the next life.
In Hindu rituals and ceremonies, God is the Supreme Being, there is only one God, though carries many different names.
God is believed to be never far away, living in a remote heaven, but is inside each and every soul, in the heart and consciousness waiting to be discovered. This knowledge that God is ever-present gives us hope and courage.
Hindus see God in the light shining out of the eyes of humans and creatures.
This view of God existing in and giving life to all things is called Pantheism, an all-encompassing concept; God is both in the world and beyond it.