subject: Important Elements To Know About A Hindu Leader [print this page] India has diverse religions and cultures co - existing with each other. While there are other religions existing since more than 1000 years, Hinduism remains the oldest among all, and the most widespread one. It is followed by over 100 million people across the world. A Hindu leader is considered to be the one who propagates the religion and preserves it against all odds. Hindu word has originated from Persian and Sanskrit backdrops, and has a part of river Indus in its name, as it is located on the banks of it.
In Hinduism, there is no such hierarchy followed by the practitioners as some other religions have direct descendants of earlier leaders. Hinduism is divided in to various sects and each sect has its own leader. These sects are made due to geographical, cultural and philosophical differences. Many Hindus do not follow any particular sect and also do not have leaders. They believe in the religion and worship different deities.
In past, some people reported of darshan or vision of a particular deity they worshiped and passed on certain messages to the worshipers which they claimed was given by the deity. These people who received the vision of god, were regarded with reverence, and made them leaders. This led to various beliefs and practices which are still followed in different parts of the country. However, it can be said that there is no single head of Hinduism, to be regarded as a Hindu leader. Unlike other religions, in Hinduism there is no single human who generates orders or punishments in the Hindu society. There are some learned priests, who have read the Vedas and Upanishads and are often referred to as Swami or Guru.
Guru or Swami is considered as the spiritual leader. In Hindu tradition, they play an important role, as they teach their disciples a path to enlightenment. They also teach them about the mantras, religious rites and rules of the religion. A guru is connected to his disciple through diksha, which initiates the spiritual journey of the disciple. The disciple remains connected to his guru till eternity. This is believed to lead the disciple to divinity. The divine powers of the guru were first described in Upanishads in religious group of Brahmins. Yet, there are several gurus in India, who have millions of followers and have different set of beliefs in Hinduism. None of them are comparable, yet they are regarded with great reverence in the Hindu society.
