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This is an archive of Selected Articles on the Hinduism Portal. Please add recently archived Selected Articles to the bottom of this list.

November 2005
Yoga (from Sanskrit yuj, meaning yoke) is an ancient family of spiritual practices that originated in India. Yoga practices share a common goal: Samadhi, the complete integration of the Self with God. Yoga as a means to enlightenment is central to Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, but yoga has also influenced religious and spiritual practices throughout the world.

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December 10, 2005
Dharma (Sanskrit, roughly law or way) is the way of the higher Truths. Beings that live in harmony with Dharma proceed more quickly towards moksha, nirvana, or personal liberation. Dharma forms the basis for philosophies, beliefs and practices originating in India. The oldest of these, widely known as Hinduism, is Sanatana Dharma or Eternal Dharma. Buddhism, Ayyavazhi, Jainism and Sikhism also retain the centrality of Dharma. For the followers of these traditions, Dharma also refers to the teachings and doctrines of their founder, such as Gautama Buddha or Mahavira Jain. As the religious and moral doctrine of the rights and duties of each individual, Dharma therefore can generally refer to religious duty, as also mean social order, right conduct, or simply virtue.

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December 19, 2005
The Trimurti (also called the Hindu trinity) are three aspects of God in His forms as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. This Trimurti concept is a tenet strongly held in Smartism as well as Ayyavazhi mythology.


 * Brahma - the Creator
 * Vishnu - the Preserver
 * Shiva - the Destroyer

The trimurti itself is conceived of as a deity and artistically represented as a three-faced human figure. Brahma is no longer as relevant as he once was, some would say the all-in-one Devi or Shakti, the Divine Mother or God's Power personified has replaced him. According to the Trimurti belief, these aspects of God are simply different aspects and are one and the same God. In this manner, such beliefs are similar to some interpretations of the Trinity in Christianity, such as Sabellianism.

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December 2006
Karma is a concept within Hinduism based on the Vedas and Upanishads, and was later adopted by other religions like Buddhism and Jainism. One of the first and most dramatic illustrations of Karma can be found in the great Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. The original Hindu concept of karma was later enhanced by several other movements within the religion, most notably Vedanta, Yoga, and Tantra. Karma in Hinduism is used to explain the problem of evil that persists in spite of an omniscient, omnipotent, benevolent God. In this it is related to theodicy.

Karma literally means "deed" or "act" and more broadly names the universal principle of cause and effect, action and reaction which governs all life. Karma is not fate, for man acts with free will creating his own destiny. According to the Vedas, if we sow goodness, we will reap goodness; if we sow evil, we will reap evil. Karma refers to the totality of our actions and their concomitant reactions in this and previous lives, all of which determines our future. The conquest of karma lies in intelligent action and dispassionate reaction. Not all karmas rebound immediately. Some accumulate and return unexpectedly in this or other births.