What is forbidden in Hindu Religion?

[MaryamShahzadi]

Namaste

I want to know if there are any limitations or bid in Hindu Religion.

In Islam we have the limitation of eating pork, drinking alcohol, blasphemy, talking bad about other people, listening to music (it is such a hard limitation ) and many, many more.
On the other side we have a lot of Bid too, like praying 5 times a day, fasting in Ramadan and so on.

In Islam everything is arranged, like when and how we have to pray. So its pretty easy because there is a rule for everything. How is this managed in Hindu Religion?

Maryam

[Water]

I think you'll have some trouble finding a definitive list of similar rules in the faiths that compose Sanatana Dharma/Hinduism.

Prayers and practices vary widely, although there seems to be many similarities in auspicious times of dawn, midday and dusk.

Most "rules" that I am aware of are considered more adharmic than forbidden. For example, many do not eat meat at all. Some eat only fowl.

Most rules seem more based in tradition (do not point with the index finger, do not greet or accept things with the left hand, do not throw things even in jest, do not point your feet at others, etc).

Maybe someone else can share their sectarian guidelines/rules?

[Adhvagat]

In Hinduism there are stricter and more relaxed sects. However, I'd say that most of them would encourage someone to live a sattvic life, a life based on purity, truth, simplicity, because this is not just good for you, but good for the people around you and the surroundings.

Let's take example in diet. If you eat meat, you have to kill an animal, end the life of a very advanced being, take the blood out of that body, just to remove its muscles and eat! The animal consumed a lot of vegetables and lot of water in his life just to die for you. What a waste! Specially in this day and time. This would be an action based on tamas, because it's bad for the animal, bad for the environment and bad for you (meat is a vector of diseases, it's bad for the body and bad karmically).

So what would be advisable? A sattvic diet would be a vegetarian one, specially with fresh organic vegetables, no animals were killed for this, it's great for the body, great for the mind. Everybody wins.

If you're looking for a list of what to observe and avoid, here's it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niyamas

I've also created a thread discussing Dana (giving, charity) here: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=6706

[devotee]

Namaste MS,

I want to know if there are any limitations or bid in Hindu Religion.

In Islam we have the limitation of eating pork, drinking alcohol, blasphemy, talking bad about other people, listening to music (it is such a hard limitation ) and many, many more.
On the other side we have a lot of Bid too, like praying 5 times a day, fasting in Ramadan and so on.

In Islam everything is arranged, like when and how we have to pray. So its pretty easy because there is a rule for everything. How is this managed in Hindu Religion?

Hinduism is a path which seeks Absloute Freedom & not slavery. It is not that there are no restrictions but it all vary from path to path or sect to sect. It is very difficult to understand Hinduism by looking at it with the Abrahimic religions in mind. There is no rule which applies to all Hindus. However, the common Hindus follow these rules :

a) Cow is considered mother by almost all Hindus. So Beef-eating is a strict no-no.

b) Menstruating women are not allowed to enter into places of worship as they are considered unlclean at that time.

c) If there has been a death of a close relative, no worshipping is done in house till the Shraaddh ceremony of the dead is completed.

d) The rules vary widely from one sect to the other. Like, meat eating is not prohibited but if you are a Vaishnava or Shaiva then it is prohibited. If you are an Advaitin and are following Raaj-Yoga then meat eating is considered a hinderance in Sadhana.

e) Ahimsa (non-violence) is considered a great virtue & killing or harming any being by words, action or mind is discouraged. However, this doesn't prohibit killing of enemies in the time of dharma-war.

f) If you don't follow any of the set rules, no one is going to kill you ... but in some sects you may be ostracised from that community.

g) A gurumukh (he/she who has undergone initiation under a Guru) must follow the teachings of His own Guru who is considered God incarnate in flesh & blood.

h) Marriages between people of same family (having blood relations) is prohibited. Most of the Hindus also don't marry within same gotra (gotra is lineage which connects a family to some Rishi).

OM

[sankar]

b) Menstruating women are not allowed to enter into places of worship as they are considered unlclean at that time.

c) If there has been a death of a close relative, no worshipping is done in house till the Shraaddh ceremony of the dead is completed.

dear devotee, to my understanding these 2 not applies to all hindus. for ex. ISCKON.
and this is followed only at temples, not at any Ashrams.
Feel free to correct me if you sense wrong.

[wundermonk]

@Maryam:

User devotee has provided a fairly comprehensive list of donts. I would just like to highlight and expand on this point of his/hers:

f) If you don't follow any of the set rules, no one is going to kill you ... but in some sects you may be ostracised from that community.

Sanatana Dharma (SD, in short, popularly known as Hinduism) is a *way/philosophy of life*. People follow many different spiritual paths but yet like to call themselves Hindu. The last part is key. It appears that all one needs to do to be considered Hindu is to call oneself that. In addition to that I guess one needs to believe in the validity of multiple pathways to reach the Divine - something that does find mention in the Rig Veda (our scriptural tome) also - and not be too judgemental. In today's diverse world full of turmoil, this belief can lay a very strong foundation for peaceful coexistence amongst all peoples.

That being said, there are also purists and idealists within Hinduism who scoff at such liberalism.

Unlike Muslims (correct me if I am wrong as you have mentioned that you are Muslim) and Christians, we Hindus generally refrain from wearing our religion on our sleeve. We also do not view *everything* that happens in our lives and the lives of non-Hindus via religious lenses.

[charitra]

Namaste Mariam/Wundermonk,

Whilst agreeing with wundermonk that Hinduism permits a tremendous freedom within its fold, one can call oneself a HINDU only if one believe in the DOCTRINES/concepts espoused in vedas: dharma, karma, yoga, rebirth, moksha, atma and Brahman etc.

A hindu cannot say he/she disbelieves in vedas . As you can see dharma is very debatable as to what is dharma and what is adharma depending on a given situation, there is wiggle room here. Also Hindus don’t believe in permanent hell or heaven for after life
Om Shanti.

[karna]

Namaste Mariam/Wundermonk,

Whilst agreeing with wundermonk that Hinduism permits a tremendous freedom within its fold, one can call oneself a HINDU only if one believe in the DOCTRINES/concepts espoused in vedas: dharma, karma, yoga, rebirth, moksha, atma and Brahman etc.

A hindu cannot say he/she disbelieves in vedas . As you can see dharma is very debatable as to what is dharma and what is adharma depending on a given situation, there is wiggle room here. Also Hindus don’t believe in permanent hell or heaven for after life
Om Shanti.

In dvaita, there is permanent hell and heaven.

[Adhvagat]

In dvaita, there is permanent hell and heaven.

Permanent? Really?

That would be a teaching of Dvaita that I would strongly disagree with!

Can you provide more material on this claim?

[karna]

Permanent? Really?

That would be a teaching of Dvaita that I would strongly disagree with!

Can you provide more material on this claim?

I do not know if there are online resources for dvaita, but yes, there is a permanent hell called 'andha tamas'. It's not similar to hells like raurava (mentioned in Bhagavatam). this is not a hell where a jiva suffers and then comes back to earth. No, this hell andha tamas is permanent, and once a jiva enters it never returns to any other world. That's the bad news.

Good news is, only tamasic jivas go there anyway (yes, in dvaita, the gunas do not change, they too are permanent, unlike other schools of thought).