Hinduism is the beautiful religion that focuses on human origins.

It has no single creator, but rather

worships the soul and the universe. This religion relies mainly on honesty, freedom, peace, patience, self
control, and passion. Other such "eternal laws" consist of being honest, non-violent, selfless, content,
acceptance of higher power, and other such governing characteristics. Hinduism relies on the cycle of
reincarnation after death. Before one can reach the afterlife, he must follow the lifestyle written in
Upanishads, which is the Hindu traditional scripture.

Hindu's use the Sanatana Dharma, or "eternal laws," as the 10 principles on how to live their lives.
Hindu's follow the Marga, which are paths for humans to follow in the Upanishads. These paths are
designed so their soul's can repay the sacrifices their Gods have made. There is the Karma Marga, Jnana
Marga, and Bhakti Marga. The Karma Marga consists of the caste system, which is following one's
societal duty, birthing children, and living a proper life. This is how one may pay off his karma in the
universe. Karma is considered "ignorance" and must be repaid through the cycle of birth, life and death
called the Samsara. The Jnana Marga is the way of life to be led to reunion with Brahman, the absolute.
It does not create karma and therefore is released from the Samsara. The Bhakti Marga is a combination
of the Karma Marga and Jnana Marga. This is because one must live by devotion to the highest Brahman,
the Krishna, fulfilling his Karma, and then his soul is released and liberated from the Samsara by the
Jnana Marga.
Along with following one's path, a human can participate in many Hindu practices. Hatha Yoga is a
path to complete the goal of Raja Yoga, which is acceptance of One Reality. The Puja is a ritual Hindu's
do before eating or drinking and after bathing and dressing. It is a way to connect with the spiritual
divine. A more common practice that most Hindu's part take in is vegetarianism. Hindu's believe that
what we ingest affects our strive for happiness and peace for all creatures, including animals. By
consuming meat, we are creating negative energy of anger, jealousy, and a fear of death into the
universe. Non-meat eaters attain a higher level of consciousness. The Sanatana Dharma has the "eternal
law" of practicing non-violence, the principle calledAhmisa, and so killing and eating an animal promotes
violence. The spiritual practice called sadhana is when a person realizes the physical pleasures of the
world will no longer exist or mean anything since the soul is immortal and has no ego. When the soul
has realized this, it will not be reborn again because it has been liberated. Another practice is when the
"holy man" called the Sadhu leaves his home to practice spiritual disciplines for their chosen God to
devote their life to.
There are three major belief systems in the Hindu religion one may choose to follow: Shaivism,
Vaishnavism, and Shaktism. These are the paths to follow Hindu deities, or Gods, Shiva, Brahman, and
Vishnu. Vishu created Shiva and Brahman. Shiva creates balance by equally destroying all that Brahman
creates. Brahman created the world and gives life. Shiva and Vishnu are Mahadevas, which means
"great gods" because they are the most important beings to worship in the Upanishad. All together,
these deities are considered the Hindu Trinity, called the Trimurti. They represent the three aspects of
the universe.

Besides the three main deities in Hindu religion, there are also devas and devis, which are masculine
and feminine terms to mean "heavenly, divine, anything of excellence." There are thirty-three Gods in
Vedas: separated to three categories: Adityas, Vasus, and Rudas. Adityas are the children of Surya, the
sun God. These beings are simply called "Sun-Gods." They are described to look as "pure streams of
water, free from all gile and falsehood, blameless, perfect." The Vasus are deities and children of Vishnu.
They are the elemental avatars, representing the forces of nature. Prithvi is Earth, Angi is Fire, Vayu is
Wind, Antariksha is Space, Dyaus is Sky, Chandramas is Moon, Nakstrani is Stars. Rudas had split himself
8 ways to personificate himself. They are named: Manyu, Manu, Mahmasa, Mahan, Siva, Ugraretas,
Bhava, Kama, Vamadeva, and Dhrtavarata. Some of these characters are good forces, while others are
dark.
By tradition, Hindu's believe in ritual killings. One who sacrifices himself for the Gods is considered a
Bhakta, meaning he is devoted. This brought much respect to his family. The God's can also sacrifice
humans if they are really unsatisfied. Rudra and Agni are the God's who protect the humans of disease
and death of unborn children, so many pray to them for protection. Animal sacrifices, especially of
water buffalo, pigs, goats, chickens, and pigeons are done when it is led to believe the animal hosts a
demon, who is satisfying their desire for blood. This to worship the Goddess of power, Ghadiami, to end
evil and bring prosperity. This is done at the in the Ghadiami Festival every 5 years at the Ghadiami
Temple in Nepal.
Though Hinduism is considered a religion, many find it a way of life. It's whole manifestation is on the
afterlife. Reincarnation is the soul's way of recycling itself in the universe and renewing the universe's
resources. Soul's are immortal and can only be passed on after death. Hindu's believe the soul is a part
of the Jiva, or the limitless essence of life. Death is not feared, but rather welcomed because it is the
soul's way of cleansing impurities.
The soul's experiences during it's life is an offering to the Jiva, the essence of the souls of humans,
animals, and plants, to learning and prospering for it's next life cycle. The Jiva takes these lessons to
become whole and continues to work to equanimity. Life and even after life is never permanent for a
soul until it has found liberation. It will continue to travel to planes, to the multiple worlds of bhur
(earth), bhuva (the moon), and svar (the sun). When the soul enters the Samsara, it will go to the plane
it most needs to replenish itself and find improvement. The svar is a resting place for pure souls. The
bhuva is a resting place for unworthy souls who need to be punished for their bad karmas. The soul who
has bad karma may be stuck in a bad plane for quite some time to receive back it's bad karma. The
purpose of these planes are not to punish or reward souls, butrather teach them their reason for
existing.
Reincarnation means in Latin "entering flesh again." Hinduism believes human and animal souls will
be rebirthed after death. It is governed by karma, which means "the sum of a person's actions in this
and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences." Karma is a part of
the Hindu's Samsara, which is the birth, life, and death cycle of souls. If a soul is trapped in the Samsara,
it is from the result of ignorance. This soul is egotistical and disrupting the chain of reincarnation. After
the soul has been rebirthed many times, it in some ways becomes bored and wishes to find a higher

happiness elsewhere. The main reason for the soul's reincarnation is to be rewarded for the good karma
with physical pleasures. The soul may be reborn to fulfill the desires for the material world. The soul
may reincarnate to complete unfinished practices, such as the sadhana to identify it's true self. The soul
may need to receive or give it's debt of karma. This may be to a friend or an enemy. Whatever is taken,
must be repaid. There is no letting it go or writing it off. The soul may need to be punished for it's bad
karma, generally this soul will not rebirth as human, but some other creature. Upon reaching the final
phase of the cycle, the soul may enter Moksha, which is the final life form before liberation from the
Samsara and it may purge itself of instincts.
In conclusion, Hinduism is a religion that appreciates the universe and it's origins. It worships not one
particular deity, but all of them who contribute to the cycles of the universe. The Gods in this religion
represent aspects of the world and nature. The Sanatana Dharma govern the followers of this religion to
guide them through their human life and enhance their soul's character. Be truthful, treat everyone with
respect, do not steal or cheat, do not be selfish, preserve the Earth's resources, practice celibacy until
marriage, study the scripture, find contentment, and accept the Absolute. Karma plays a huge role in
determining a soul's afterlife. As the saying goes, "what comes around, goes around."
"Hinduism and the Belief in Rebirth." The Belief of Reincarnation of Soul in Hinduism. Web. 18 Sept.
2015.
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 18 Sept. 2015.
"WHY HINDUS DON'T EAT MEAT." Hinduism Today Magazine Back End. Web. 18 Sept. 2015.