About Hinduism

Namaste! Hinduism is more than a religion. It is considered as a way of life and hence is also sometimes referred to as sanatan dharma. It is probably the oldest living major religion practised by a billion people throughout the globe. There is no single holy book but a collection of scriptures written predominantly in Sanskrit like the Vedas, Upanishads, Kavya, Bhagavad Gita, Puranas. Many of these scriptures are considered to be Apuruseya which means that it is a source of eternal knowledge that is not authored by any human. Hindus follow both solar (day of the week and time of the day) and lunar cycles (full moon - Pournima, no moon - Amavasya) and thus have a lunisolar calendar. Each of the 12 months corresponds to the transitions of the Sun through different constellations. A lot of Hindu festivals mark important events during the six seasons throughout the year. Hinduism promotes unity in diversity offering a unique perspective on life.

Please check out our weekly activities on the Activities tab and major annual events conducted on the Events tab. Everyone is welcome to join us in all of our activities and events. We also have a Blog written by students and gurus. Check out our Calendar tab for updates about regular events and festivals. There is information about other relevant groups at Stanford and our mailing lists in the Contact tab. To learn more about Hinduism, feel free to get in touch with us!