What’s the difference between a Hindu monk, priest, and guru?

What’s the difference between a Hindu monk, priest, and guru?

Author: Hindu American Foundation April 17, 2025 Duration: 10:29

In some religious traditions, the person who overseas services and rituals, advises members of the community on spiritual or social matters, knows the history of the tradition, studies scripture, or dedicates their life to full-time religious pursuit is the same person — or at least some of those functions all overlap. In Hinduism is generally doesn’t work like that.


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Dive into the vibrant world of All About Hinduism, a podcast from the Hindu American Foundation that moves beyond textbooks to explore the everyday realities of this ancient tradition. Each episode feels like a thoughtful conversation, unpacking concepts like karma and dharma not as abstract ideas, but as principles woven into daily life. You’ll hear about the diverse sacred texts and the reasons behind cultural practices, from the significance of the forehead dot to the varied approaches to diet. This series is for anyone genuinely curious, whether you're completely new to the subject or looking to deepen your understanding of a faith that shapes the lives of over a billion people. The discussions connect spiritual philosophy with its expression in modern society, offering a nuanced perspective that honors both tradition and contemporary experience. Tune in for a journey that treats Hinduism as a living, breathing worldview, full of depth and delightful complexity. This podcast serves as an accessible guide, demystifying one of humanity's oldest and most diverse religious paths through clear, engaging dialogue.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 24

All About Hinduism
Podcast Episodes
What does the word Hindu mean, anyway? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:08
You’d think that the origin of the word we use in English for the world’s third-largest religion would be pretty easy to sort out. And certainly we’d be using the word for the world’s oldest religion that the billion peo…
If you know nothing else about Hinduism, know this. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:00
Hinduism is not just one thing. What should one know about Hinduism to be on solid ground when talking about it? How does Hinduism view itself? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
All about All About Hinduism [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05
Want to learn all about Hinduism, the world's oldest and third-largest religion? Like actually understand what karma is? Or what dharma means? Do you want to know what the sacred texts of Hinduism are? Or, maybe, you jus…