The Encyclopedia of World Religions

202 S Hinduism, new movements in

ments within Hinduism began to appeal to people of non-Indian as well as Indian ancestry. They even began to seek converts and establish centers out side of India. This entry will concentrate on such movements. For a discussion of recent movements within Hinduism that have a political orientation, see FUNDAMENTALISM , H INDU . According to one common scheme, Hindus follow one of three margas or paths, the paths of insight, moral action, and devotion to the gods. This is a convenient scheme for talking about new religious movements in Hinduism, too. In general, movements in the paths of devotion and moral action have had only limited appeal to non-Indi ans. Non-Indians, especially in North America and Europe, have preferred movements that promise insight, wisdom, and inner peace. The path of action traditionally defines DHARMA according to the family into which one is born. It has not had much concern for people who are not born within Hindu families. It is difficult, there fore, for movements in the path of action to appeal to non-Indians. It is true that the nonviolent teach ings of Mohandas G ANDHI have inspired many peo ple around the world. This inspiration has never, however, led to the development of a unified and independent religious community. There is much popular interest in Hindu gods in North America and Europe. Feminists often find the goddess K ALI attractive. Many people use images of Hindu gods to decorate homes, offices, or other buildings, but they often do not actually wor ship these gods. The best example of a movement that fosters devotion to a god is probably the Inter national Society for K RISHNA Consciousness (ISK CON), whose members are sometimes called Hare Krishnas. Other devotional movements tend just to serve the needs of Hindus living outside of India. An example with some connection to devotion is the Himalayan Academy of Satguru Sivaya Subra maniyaswami. It publishes Hinduism Today in the United States and promotes the worship of S IVA . Movements within the path of insight tend to be of much greater interest to people who were not born into Hindu families. The oldest such orga nization in the United States may be the Vedanta

All Indian citizens should embrace it, even if they are Muslims, Christians, Parsis, Sikhs, or Jains or have some other religious identity. A number of organizations advocate the Hin dutva ideal ( see FUNDAMENTALISM , H INDU ). They include the RSS (National Service Society), the VHP (World Hindu Congress), and the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), a political party that has ruled India off and on in the 1990s and early 2000s. In agitating for Hindutva, these groups have taken as their symbol the alleged birthplace of Rama. A MOSQUE had stood on the site, but on December 6, 1992, crowds favoring Hindutva tore it down. Their actions sparked riots in which thou sands of people, mostly Muslims, were killed. In 2001 violence against Muslims once again broke out, especially in the western Indian state of Gujarat, that resulted in hundreds of deaths. In the summer of 2004, the BJP lost the national elec tions. It is, however, too early to tell what the ulti mate outcome of the push for Hindutva will be. SIGNIFICANCE Hinduism is the religion of roughly one-seventh of the world’s population. In addition, it has given the rest of the world a rich tradition of religious thought, literature, and art as well as examples of profound religious devotion. Further reading: Kim Knott, Hinduism: A Very Short Introduction (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000); R. K. Narayan, Gods, Demons, and Others (New York: Bantam Books, 1986); Patrick Olivelle, trans., Upanishads (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998); Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, Dancing with Siva: Hinduism’s Contemporary Catechism, 5th ed. (Kapaa, Hawaii: Himalayan Academy, 1999). Hinduism, new movements in There is no centralized authority for H INDUISM that is analogous to the PAPACY within R OMAN C ATHOLICISM . In a sense, then, new movements appear within Hinduism whenever a new teacher or holy person attracts followers. During the 20th century some move