How did Hinduism grown?

Answer 1

Hinduism is not a Religion but a Way of living life.

Hindu is a person (devotee) who sacrifices everything in this world (Maya, illusion) that is not related to the ultimate truth or supreme power or GOD, who constantly seeks for the ultimate truth, beyond LIFE and DEATH ....

So Hinduism did not GROW out of overlapping beliefs ....

Some More info

Hindu religion doesn't tell any rigid rules. It has always consisted of many parallel and overlapping beliefs which have co-existed. So, it still hasn't grown out of the overlapping beliefs, neither does it have to.

Hinduism believe in peaceful co-existence with many ideologies..Hindu believe in "Wasudhaiv Kutumbam"..i.e.(Universal family)..So tolerent towards other religion is very essential form of Hinduism.Hindus believe in One God...Interestingly it was Hinduism who asserted concept of "One God"..but same time it beleived that way of practicing god is immaterial if u r kind hearted...

Evolution of Hinduism:Hinduism is a religion which believes that god is within us. Thus, Hindu gods are symbolic representations of the seven basic forces we are endowed with. The god selector symbolizes the eighth force.

The seven basic forces and the gods associated with them are,

1. Dreaming force - Indra

2. Illusory force - Shakti

3. Voluntary force - Brahma

4. Semi voluntary force - Vishnu

5. Involuntary force - Shiva

6. Status altering force - Shani

7. Compulsive force - Yama

The god selector is the supreme god Brahman.

Vishnu is the default god of Hinduism. Selection of a god towards Indra favors thinking and selection of a god towards Yama favors action.

Grouping of Hindu gods:

1. Now, even if we are offered one thousand gods, we can associate them with one of the seven basic forces. We can then merge all the gods associated with a basic force into a single god.

2. Hindus don't use the seven basic forces in pure form. They select the salient features of a few basic forces and create a single god, which would be easier to worship. This makes it impossible to classify some of the gods. However, all of them are associated with the seven basic gods.

3. Shakti gods are difficult to worship because often we end up getting an illusion that our problems are solved. Thus, they are merged with the more reliable goddess Parvati.

3. Lotus is symbolic of an action that is reasonably correct i.e. correct by itself. This feature is vital for equality. It is the unique feature of Brahma. However, since Brahma is not worshiped this important feature is transferred to the Trimurti and its consorts.

4. Shiva is symbolic of the Involuntary force, which makes everything eternal and uncontrollable. Therefore, Shiva is associated with a feature of the opposite god Brahma, who is symbolic of the voluntary force, which is controllable and transient. Thus, Linga and Yoni, which is a unique feature of Brahma becomes the counter force of Shiva. This makes Shiva a totally independent god, who can give us control in all situations.

However, the association of Linga and Yoni with Brahma is lost forever.

The association of Brahma with Linga and Yoni should be obvious from the following list.

1. Indra - feet

2. Shakti - Knee

3. Brahma - Hip

4. Vishnu - Abdomen

5. Shiva - Chest

6. Shani - Shoulders

7. Yama - Head.

For the same reason Brahma is supposed to originate from the navel of Vishnu. The navel corresponds to the voluntary component of the semi voluntary or Vishnu force.

5. Brahman is ideally reached through all the seven basic Hindu gods. However, most people who achieve Moksha achieve through just one god, either Vishnu or Shiva. However, the supreme god they describe, though different from each other, are considered as Brahman only.

Thus, Hinduism has grown out of the overlapping beliefs of diverse groups of people settled in India.

Answer 2

In Ancient times Hinduism was known as Brahmanism. It was the Religion of Aryans , after Aryans invasion in India it accepted rituals from Dravidians and was known as Hinduism.