In a predominantly Christian region of the United States, many students may be unaccustomed to religious practices outside of their home, but Hinduism, which is often referred to as “the oldest living religion,” continues to be the world’s third-largest faith after Christianity and Islam.
According to Abhishek Bharad, agricultural economics graduate student and president of the University’s Indian Student Association, there was no official name for Hinduism before the Arab people settled in India around the 13th century. The local name for the Indus River, the Sindhu, was mispronounced by the group as “Hindu,” and the misnomer stuck with the native people.
Hinduism contains thousands of sects within each community, all of which follow a different theology. These theologies have developed over time and depict several different ways to practice.
Hindus are people who practice the Vedic religion, which follows the four Vedas, or ancient manuscripts written by scholars thousands of years ago. In addition, the 18 Upanishads, or collection of parables, guide Hindus in their search for the answers to their lives, Bharad said.
Ritu Roy, psychology junior, described Hinduism as more than a religion.
“It’s very much a society and culture intertwined with the beliefs and religious doctrine,” Roy said.
Roy said she experiences Hinduism as a spiritual connect with a higher power, and she strives to acknowledge the greater good in all she encounters.
“I try to focus on the good while interacting with others or the world in general,” Roy said.
Within Hinduism, she said there is a desire to supersede all physical limitations and reach a higher enlightenment, or nirvana.
For Roy, the goal of Hinduism is to be liberated and to reach true enlightenment, which can only be achieved through relinquishing materialist pleasures and performing religious duties. When she seeks guidance or feels thankful, she said she doesn’t feel that folded hands or elaborate chants are necessary.
“I can just say thank you to someone else or a higher power for having a blessed day,” she said. “It’s all about having a connection with a higher power.”
While living in Calcutta for eight years, Roy said she practiced Hinduism from a cultural perspective, and when she moved to the U.S. for college, she began to “venture towards the spiritual aspects of [her] religion in order to better understand what [her] beliefs were.”
Since her move, Roy said she has found herself researching the essence of her religion more now than when she lived in India.
Because India is so large and populous, the versions of practice greatly differ.
According to Satya Avva, biology graduate student, there are many different forms of Hinduism, including pantheism, the belief that God is in all nature; monotheism, the belief in only one God; and even atheism and agnosticism, which still follow traditional practices. While Avva is still developing his own theology, he said he is leaning toward the monotheism aspect of Hinduism at this moment.
“It’s something that you experience, a combination of reasoning and intuition,” he said. “There is also no heresy in Hinduism. You can argue and reason your points and even draw comparisons with gods from other religions.”
Tathagata Acharya, mechanical engineering graduate student, said he is able to appreciate all other religions. He has attended other religious ceremonies, including mass at a Catholic church, and was able to worship alongside churchgoers.
Acharya views Hinduism as a way of life in which one can follow what he or she chooses. In this respect, Hinduism is not as much a religion as it is a philosophy and a way of life.
Priyanka Rotti, computer science graduate student, said she believes in a monotheistic version of Hinduism. She said all Hindus have a similar understanding of their religion, but interpretations between individuals can differ greatly.
 
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