Hinduism as a whole has gone through centuries of change. The most significant change was the Axis Age where Hinduism changed its belief system from the writings of the Vedas to Upanishads. They changed from polytheism to monotheism; they eliminated many of their very sacred rituals of sacrifice and lastly Brahman. This was a period of time that forever impacted how religion is viewed and practiced today. The world would likely look much different today if these changes in viewpoint and religious practices did not occur.
The Axis age also known as the “pivotal age” was prevalent to India during this time because it was the time that the Indian Hinduism religion changed dramatically. The Axis Age took place between 800 to 200 BCE. During this
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The Upanishads are believed to have originated in the 1st millennium BCE, they were updated and composed all the way up to 1400 BCE. The Upanishads writings were that of monotheism. They believed god was in everything including ones self. Interestingly enough, westerners have deemed the Upanishads the first “philosophical treaties” of India. “Indeed, the material they contain would not be considered philosophical in the modern, academic sense.” (Britannica Upanishads religion) Furthermore, the Upanishads believe in rebirth or life after death in some form or another.
Although Vedas and Upanishads are both scriptures that are still valued today, they are very distinctly different. Other than the aforementioned differences, a distinct difference is Vedic believed strongly in the ritual of sacrifice. “The ancient Vedic worshippers offered sacrifices to those gods in the hope that they in return would grant abundant numbers of cattle, good fortune, good health, long life, and male progeny, among other material benefits.” (Britannica Vedic religion) These rituals however died out during the Axis Age when the Upanishads became more prominent.
Other very important changes of the Upanishads were that of Brahman, Atma, maya, karma, samsara and moksha. Each of which has a profoundly valuable role in Hinduism as we know it today.
Brahman is knowing god is in all