Principal beliefs and sacred texts of Hinduism: HSC Studies of Religion

What this dot point is asking

NESA wants you to outline the principal beliefs of Hinduism and show how its sacred texts and writings record and communicate those beliefs. Treat Hinduism accurately and respectfully, recognise its internal diversity, name the central teachings, and connect each to where it is recorded. This is Preliminary (Year 11) content from the Hinduism Religious Tradition Study, not one of the three HSC depth study parts (a significant person or school of thought, ethics, and a significant practice). It is not set as a separate HSC question, but HSC questions reward you for linking a practice or an ethical teaching to the beliefs and texts on this page, so it is the foundation for every Hinduism depth study answer.

The answer

Brahman and atman

At the centre of much Hindu belief is Brahman, the ultimate, infinite reality that underlies and pervades all that exists. The atman is the true self or soul within each being. A central teaching of the Upanishads is the deep relationship, in many schools the identity, between atman and Brahman: the self is ultimately one with ultimate reality.

One reality, many forms

Hinduism affirms one ultimate reality expressed through many deities (such as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva). These are understood by many Hindus as forms or aspects of the one Brahman, which is why the tradition can be described as embracing both unity and great diversity of expression.

Samsara, karma and dharma

• Samsara. The cycle of birth, death and rebirth in which beings are caught.
• Karma. The moral law of cause and effect: actions shape future experience and rebirth.
• Dharma. Righteous duty and the moral order; living according to one's dharma sustains cosmic and social harmony.

Moksha and the paths

The ultimate goal is moksha, liberation from samsara and the union or realisation of the self with Brahman. Hinduism teaches several paths (margas or yogas) to liberation: the path of knowledge (jnana), of devotion (bhakti) and of selfless action (karma).

The principal gods and goddesses

Many Hindus devote themselves to one deity (an ishta devata) as the supreme form of the divine: Vaishnavas to Vishnu, Shaivas to Shiva, Shaktas to Devi, while Smartas honour several as forms of one Brahman.

Dharma and karma, and the importance of moksha

• Dharma is duty according to one's stage of life (ashrama) and role: "It is far better to discharge one's prescribed duties, even though faultily, than another's duties perfectly" (Gita 3.35).
• Karma is the law that actions bear fruit; dharma performed well yields good karma.
• Moksha is the fourth and highest aim of life (purushartha), beyond dharma, artha and kama: release from samsara. For a devotee, moksha is the goal that gives meaning to every other duty; the Gita promises: "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear" (18.66).

The four yogas: union with God

Key extracts from the Bhagavad Gita

The syllabus asks you to "examine extracts from the Vedas and the Epics". The Bhagavad Gita, part of the Mahabharata, is the most quoted; these verses are from the translation by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (other translations word them differently):

For Raja Yoga, the Yoga Sutras list the ethical restraints (yamas) that begin the path: "non injury, truthfulness, abstaining from stealing, from impurity, from covetousness" (2.30, trans. Johnston). For the Vedas, NESA's 2025 guidelines cite the Rig Veda's teaching of Ekam Sat, "the truth is one", which "the wise call ... by many names": the many gods and goddesses as forms of one ultimate reality.

How sacred texts record these beliefs

Hindu scripture is vast and is traditionally divided into two categories.

• Shruti (that which is heard). The most authoritative scripture, including the four Vedas and the Upanishads. The Vedas contain hymns and ritual; the Upanishads develop the philosophy of Brahman, atman and moksha.
• Smriti (that which is remembered). Texts including the great epics, the Mahabharata (which contains the Bhagavad Gita) and the Ramayana. The Bhagavad Gita records teaching on duty (dharma), selfless action and devotion.

These writings preserve and transmit Hindu belief and provide the basis for practice and ethics.

How the texts work together

The two categories of scripture do different jobs that together hold Hindu belief. The shruti, considered eternal and authorless (apaurusheya), carries the deepest philosophy: the Vedas in their ritual hymns and the Upanishads in their teaching on Brahman, atman and moksha. The smriti makes that philosophy livable. The Bhagavad Gita, set on the battlefield of Kurukshetra within the Mahabharata, has Krishna teach Arjuna that one should perform one's dharma without attachment to results (nishkama karma), reconciling the paths of knowledge, devotion and action. The Ramayana models dharma through the conduct of Rama and Sita. This division explains why Hinduism can be at once highly philosophical and intensely devotional: the shruti gives the metaphysics of one ultimate reality, while the smriti translates it into duty, story and worship that ordinary adherents live by. In the exam, naming a text from each category and linking it to a specific belief is what turns a list of doctrines into a demonstration that the texts record the beliefs.

In one sentence

Hindus believe in one ultimate reality, Brahman, present as the atman in every being and worshipped through many gods and goddesses and avatars, and that dharma and karma govern life within samsara until moksha is reached through the yogas of action, devotion, meditation and knowledge, beliefs recorded in the Vedas and Upanishads (shruti) and the Ramayana and Mahabharata with the Bhagavad Gita (smriti).

Try this

Q1. Examine the principal gods and goddesses of Hinduism. (4 marks)

• What the marker wants. The Trimurti, Devi and avatars, and how many Hindus see them as forms of one Brahman.

Q2. Outline the importance of moksha for a Hindu devotee. (3 marks)

• What the marker wants. Definition, its place among the purusharthas, and the paths that lead to it with a source.

Q3. Identify the importance of the Vedas and the Bhagavad Gita for Hinduism. (4 marks)

• What the marker wants. Shruti and smriti, what each records, and how each is used in practice.