What are the Functions of Religion? Religion is said to be born out of physical and social needs. Early men occupied the hills and forests where they had to lead a miserable existence with their limited material and intellectual resources. In a way, they were totally at the mercy of nature. They had…
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Vardhamana Mahavira (Biography) Lord Vardhamana Mahavira Vardhamana Mahavira (also Lord Mahavira) was the 24th and last Tirthankar and it was he who made Jainism a separate religion. Life of Vardhamana Mahavira The early name of Lord Mahavira was Vardhamana. He was born in 599 B.C. in a village near Vaishali in north Bihar.…
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Vaishnavism and Shaivism The followers of Vaishnavism worship various forms of Lord Vishnu. The followers of Shaivism worship various forms of Lord Shiva. Vaishnavism: Lord Vishnu assumed various names as Narayan, Krishna, Hari, Ram and Govinda in various parts of India. The worshipers of Lord Vishnu belongs to Vaishnavism. The Shakas, Satavahanas and the…
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Teachings of Buddha | Basic Teaching of Buddhism Teachings of Gautam Buddha ( Lord Buddha) The earliest source from which the teachings of Gautama Buddha or the contents of early Buddhist religion are available is the Buddhist ‘Pitaka.’ Pitaka is divided into three parts— Sutta Pitaka, Vinaya Pitaka and Abhidhamma Pitaka. The Sutta…
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Sufism Sufi or Sufism is related to Islam. The Sufis originally drew their ideas from certain verses of the Quran and Hadith i.e. traditions of the prophet. Their difference with orthodox Muslims lay in the fact that while the latter interpreted the Quran and Hadith in a literal way, the Sufis gave a…
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Sufism in India Sufism The source of Sufism was Quran and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad. The Sufi reformers started preaching main thoughts of Islam. Main ideals: According to Sufism, devotion and relinquishment are the ways to reach God. They are against idolatry and believed in one God. In their opinion God is…
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Significance of Three Gunas in Hinduism Guna has a two-fold meaning of ‘quality” in both its meaning. Its first connotation is ‘Physical characteristic” while its second connotation is value, virtue, work. It indicates the ‘attitude’ with which the mind works. ‘Sattva, rajas and tamas – these Prakriti – produced gunas unite the body…
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Sanatana Dharma Sanatana Dharma literally means Eternal Dharma, embodying fundamental values. It has been described as the highest common factor of all religions. That which gives stability to an individual is ‘sva-Dharma’. That which gives stability to the family and society is ‘kula- Dharma. That which gives stability to the nation and the…
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Origin of Bhakti Movement The Bhakti movement originated as a reaction against caste division, untouchability and ritualism in India. Devotion was the pivotal point in the Bhakti cult in uniting human soul with god. The basic concepts of the Bhakti cult though present in the Vedas, the Gita and Vishnupuran were not practiced…
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Name of Ten Sikh Gurus with Brief Description A brief description of the Ten Sikh Gurus has been given below: 1. Guru Nanak: Those who believed in the religion preached by Guru Nanak are called Sikhs. The meaning of the word ‘Sikh’ is ‘disciple’ or ‘student’. Guru Nanak preached Sikhism in the early part…
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