Hinduism is recognized in the Baháʼí Faith as one of nine known religions.

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

is included in the succession of Manifestations of God.

References in the Baháʼí writings

Baháʼu'lláh Baháʼu'lláh (, born Ḥusayn-ʻAlí; 12 November 1817 – 29 May 1892) was an Iranian religious leader who founded the Baháʼí Faith. He was born to an aristocratic family in Iran and was exiled due to his adherence to the messianic Báb ...

was familiar with Hinduism, which is clear from a tablet to

Mírzá Abu'l-Faḍl Mírzá Muḥammad (), or Mírzá Abu'l-Faḍl-i-Gulpáygání (1844–1914), was the foremost Baháʼí Faith, Baháʼí scholar who helped spread the Baháʼí Faith in Baháʼí Faith in Egypt, Egypt, Baháʼí Faith in Turkmenistan, Turkmen ...

, the English translation of which is included in the volume ''

Tabernacle of Unity The ''Tabernacle of Unity'' is a small book, first published in July 2006, containing Baháʼu'lláh's Tablet, from the early ʻAkká period, to Mánikc͟hí Ṣáḥib, a prominent Zoroastrian, and a companion Tablet addressed to Mírzá Abu ...

''. In this tablet Baháʼu'lláh answered questions about

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

and

Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism ( ), also called Mazdayasnā () or Beh-dīn (), is an Iranian religions, Iranian religion centred on the Avesta and the teachings of Zoroaster, Zarathushtra Spitama, who is more commonly referred to by the Greek translation, ...

Maneckji Limji Hataria Maneckji Limji Hataria (1813–1890) was an Indian scholar and civil rights activist of Parsi Zoroastrian descent, who took up the cause of the Zoroastrians of Iran. Early life Maneckji was born at the village of Mora Sumali near Surat, in Gu ...

. The subjects include

comparative religion Comparative religion is the branch of the study of religions with the systematic comparison of the doctrines and practices, themes and impacts (including human migration, migration) of the world's religions. In general the comparative study ...

, and constitute, while much remains implicit, a dialogue of Baháʼu'lláh with Hinduism and the other religions discussed, giving an understanding of what Baha'u'llah meant with the unity of the world religions. Cole, Juan R. I.
Baha'u'llah on Hinduism and Zoroastrianism: The Tablet to Mirza Abu'l-Faḍl Concerning the Questions of Manakji Limji Hataria
'. In another tablet (published in '' Gleanings'', section LXXXVII) Baháʼu'lláh discussed the absence of records about history before Adam. Here he refers to the ''Jug-Basisht'' which is the Persian translation of the ''

Yoga Vasistha ''Vasishta Yoga Samhita'' (, IAST: '; also known as ''Mokṣopāya'' or ''Mokṣopāyaśāstra'', and as ''Maha-Ramayana'', ''Arsha Ramayana'', ''Vasiṣṭha Ramayana'', ''Yogavasistha-Ramayana'' and ''Jnanavasistha'', is a historically popular ...

'', a

syncretic Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, thus ...

philosophic text. The translation was done during the

Mughal Dynasty The Mughal dynasty () or the House of Babur (), was a Central Asian dynasty of Turco-Mongol tradition, Turco-Mongol origin that ruled large parts of the Indian subcontinent from the early 16th to the 19th century. The dynasty was a cadet branch ...

in the sixteenth century A.D. and became popular in Persia among intellectuals with Indo-Persian interests since then. In the '' Story of Bhusunda'', a chapter of the ''Yoga Vasistha'', a very old sage, Bhusunda, recalls a succession of epochs in the earth's history, as described in

Hindu cosmology Hindu cosmology is the description of the universe and its states of matter, cycles within time, physical structure, and effects on living entities according to Hindu texts. Hindu cosmology is also intertwined with the idea of a creator who allo ...

Juan Cole John Ricardo Irfan "Juan" Cole (born October 23, 1952) is an American academic and commentator on the modern Middle East and South Asia. Dead link; no archive located. He is Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History at the University ...

states that this means that in

dating Creation Dating creation is the attempt to provide an estimate of the age of Earth or the age of the universe as understood through the creation myths of various religious traditions. Various traditional beliefs hold that the Earth, or the entire unive ...

, Baháʼu'lláh promotes the theory of a long chronology over a short one. In a letter written on behalf of

Shoghi Effendi Shoghí Effendi (; ;1896 or 1897 – 4 November 1957) was Guardian of the Baháʼí Faith from 1922 until his death in 1957. As the grandson and successor of ʻAbdu'l-Bahá, he was charged with guiding the development of the Baháʼí Faith, in ...

, published in the ''Dawn of a New Day'', p. 198, it is stated that:

Teachings

God

In Hinduism,

Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' (; IAST: ''Brahman'') connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality of the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII In the ...

is believed to be the Absolute Reality. Followers of

Vedanta ''Vedanta'' (; , ), also known as ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six orthodox (Āstika and nāstika, ''āstika'') traditions of Hindu philosophy and textual exegesis. The word ''Vedanta'' means 'conclusion of the Vedas', and encompa ...

see Brahman as an impersonal reality, of which each soul ( ātman) is a part. The theistic traditions of Hinduism, which include

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the majo ...

and

Shaivism Shaivism (, , ) is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Para Brahman, supreme being. It is the Hinduism#Demographics, second-largest Hindu sect after Vaishnavism, constituting about 385 million H ...

, consider Brahman as a personal God, whom they call

Bhagwan The word Bhagavan (; ), also spelt as Bhagwan (sometimes translated in English as "Lord", "God"), is an epithet within Indian religions used to denote figures of religious worship. In Hinduism it is used to signify a deity or an ''avatar'', pa ...

Ishvara ''Ishvara'' () is a concept in Hinduism, with a wide range of meanings that depend on the era and the school of Hinduism. Monier Monier Williams, Sanskrit-English dictionarySearch for Izvara, University of Cologne, Germany In ancient texts of ...

(Lord). According to the Baháʼí teachings, these differing views are all valid and represent different points of view looking at the Absolute Reality.

Avatars and Manifestations of God

Both Hinduism and the Baháʼí Faith teach that God manifests himself at different times and places. These messengers are termed

Avatar Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...

s in Hinduism and Manifestations of God in the Baháʼí teachings. However the difference is that Hinduism teaches that Avatars are God himself in human form and are thus divine while Baháʼí teachings stress that the Manifestations of God are not God but his representatives.

Deities and images

In Hinduism many

deities A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

, depicted in images and

murti In the Hinduism, Hindu tradition, a ''murti'' (, ) is a devotional image, such as a statue or icon, of a Hindu deities, deity or Hindu saints, saint used during ''Puja (Hinduism), puja'' and/or in other customary forms of actively expressing d ...

(statues), are worshipped. Many Hindus believe that all these deities represent different aspects of the one God, Brahman. The Baháʼí teachings state that in this day, when mankind is reaching the state of maturity, images are not needed anymore to form an idea of God.

Ethical and moral teachings

There are many similarities in the ethical and moral teachings of Hinduism and the Baháʼí Faith. These include subject as contemplation, detachment, faith, love, non-violence, purity, respect for parents, righteousness, self-control, right speech, not stealing, truth, virtue, work as worship.

Adaptation of Baháʼí teachings to Hindu context

The speedy growth of the Indian Baháʼí community since the 1960s was influenced by adapting the

Baháʼí teachings The teachings of the Baháʼí Faith are derived from the writings of Baháʼu'lláh, its founder. A corpus of Baháʼí literature include books and writings of the Báb and Baháʼu'lláh, along with the public talks and writings of ‘Abdu� ...

for presentation in a clearly

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

context familiar to the people of the countryside - using principles and language familiar to them:Garlington, William.
The Baha'i Faith in India: A Developmental Stage Approach
', Occasional Papers in Shaykhi, Babi and Baha'i Studies, No. 2 (June, 1997). :*emphasizing the figures of

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

and

as past Manifestations of God or

s; :*references to Hindu scriptures such as the

Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; ), often referred to as the Gita (), is a Hindu texts, Hindu scripture, dated to the second or first century BCE, which forms part of the Hindu epic, epic poem Mahabharata. The Gita is a synthesis of various strands of Ind ...

; :*the substitution of

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

-based terminology for

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

and

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

where possible (i.e., Bhagavan Baha for Baháʼu'lláh), and the incorporation in both song (''

bhajan Bhajan is an Indian term for any devotional song with a religious theme or spiritual ideas, specifically among Dharmic religions, in any language. The term bhajanam (Sanskrit: भजनम्) means ''reverence'' and originates from the root w ...

'')Garlington, William.
The Baha'i Bhajans: An example of the Baha'i Use of Hindu Symbols
', Occasional Papers in Shaykhi, Babi and Baha'i Studies, Vol. 2, No. 1 (January, 1998). and literature of Hindu holy places, hero-figures and poetic images; :*Hindi translations of Baha'i scriptures and prayers that appeared during this period which are so heavily Sanskritized as to make it difficult to recognize their non-Hindu antecedents.

Notes

References

External links

ʻAbdu'l-Bahá ʻAbdu'l-Bahá (; Persian: , ;, 23 May 1844 – 28 November 1921), born ʻAbbás (, ), was the eldest son of Baháʼu'lláh, founder of the Bahá’í Faith, who designated him to be his successor and head of the Baháʼí Faith from 1892 un ...

and

.
Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster and Related Subjects
', compiled by Research Department of the

Universal House of Justice The Universal House of Justice is the nine-member supreme ruling body of the Baháʼí Faith. It was envisioned by Baháʼu'lláh, the founder of the Baháʼí Faith, as an institution that could legislate on issues not already addressed in the ...

.
Memorandum
an
compilation
on reincarnation, rebirth and the progress of the soul (25 April 1995)
Article series about Hindu prophecies
, by Christopher Buck
Prophecy Fulfilled: Hindu Prophecies

BahaiPrayers.net
- Baháʼí prayers in several Indian languages
Baháʼí Songs in Indian Languages
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bahai Faith And Hinduism

Hinduism and other religions Mahatma Gandhi Rabindranath Tagore