Difference Between Hinduism and Zoroastrianism

Hinduism vs Zoroastrianism

Hinduism and Zoroastrianism are two very different religions followed by people of different beliefs. Hinduism is followed by Hindus and Zoroastrianism is followed by people referred to as Parsis.

Hinduism
Hinduism is the indigenous, most predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. It is considered the oldest living religion of the world. It dates back to the Iron Age in India and has its roots in the Vedic religion which was followed during that time. Unlike most of the religions, it was not founded by any one person. It is a conglomeration of varied philosophical and intellectual views and points rather than a set of common beliefs or rules or teachings. The most important philosophy of Hinduism is to follow daily morality rules based on karma and dharma. “Dharma” refers to the duties of a person, and “karma” refers to what one ought to do while he is alive to attain moksha.

Hinduism is also commonly called Sanatana Dharma. It is a Sanskrit phrase which means “the eternal law.” The eternal law which preserves, upholds, and sustains. There are mainly two texts in which all the philosophies and mythologies of Hinduism are compiled; they are called shruti and smriti. “Shruti” refers to those texts which have been finally written down after remembering the texts for hundreds of years with the help of memory and passed on from a guru to his disciples. “Smriti” were the texts which were not yet written down but just remembered and passed on from one generation to other.

The most important texts of Hindus are vedas, upanishads, and the epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata along with Bhagavad Gita.

Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism was started by Prophet Zoroaster. Zoroaster is also called Zarathustra. This religion was at one time the world’s largest religion and was followed mainly in Greater Iran in the 6th century BCE.
According to Zoroastrianism, there is one creator, Ahura Mazda, and one evil which does not originate from the creator. The creator is all good, and the evil tries to destroy the good while the good tries to sustain itself. Evil is referred to as Druj and the creator of Mazda is referred to as Asha.

The texts which are most important are called Avesta. It is believed that a lot of the texts have been lost and some texts from the 9th-11th centuries are the ones which make references and site quotations of earlier works. Thus that earlier text is known through them. It was considered the main religion followed for many years by the people of Iran, but later it disintegrated with the invasion of Alexander III.

The religion is heavily impacted in modern times by local practices, beliefs, and values. These influences sometimes enhance the old traditions and culture but sometimes displace it completely.

Summary:

1.Hinduism is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent; Zoroastrianism was the predominant religion of Iran in the 6th century BCE.
2.Hinduism is the oldest living religion; Zoroastrianism was considered the largest religion in the 6th century BCE.
3.The philosophies, texts, mythologies, and beliefs are absolutely different from each other.
4.Hinduism was not stated by one single person, but it’s the conglomeration of varied philosophical and intellectual views; Zoroastrianism was started by Prophet Zoroaster.

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