The significance of 'Hindu'

As for the word Hindu (हिन्दु), that probably had its roots in the ancient Vedic worship (or yajna); Hindu (H+Indu or ह + इन्दु : Indu / इन्दु after the prefix h / ह) implying as a person / devotee (viz. Hindu) propitiated by the partaking of Indu (or Soma, the libation offered to the deity in Vedic yajna).

It seems the word Hindu (हिन्दु) was in use for a long time for inhabitants of the Subcontinent, after having originated long ago probably to signify the partakers of Vedic libation Indu (Soma).

Thus when the Europeans arrived later in the Subcontinent, including as a part of the army of Alexander the Great from Greece in 327 B.C., they (the Greeks especially) pronounced Hindu (हिन्दु) as Indu (इन्दु) while keeping silent the 'h' (ह) sound in the beginning.

Note, it was common long ago (and it still is) in many European languages (including Greek, French etc.) to replace / utter' h' (ह) sound at the beginning of a word with 'e' sound or drop it in favor of the vowel that follows the first letter / sound 'h' (ह). For example, the French even today call hotel as 'otel' and hospital as 'ospital'. The same thing seemed to happen with 'h' (ह) sound in Hindu by the Greeks when they first arrived in the Subcontinent long ago; the examples, with “h” dropped from the original Greek name / word leading to new a name / word, include Iraklis (from the original Heracles or Hercules), Esperides (from Hesperides -- the celestial maidens or “apsaras”) and Ippolyta (from Hyppolyta – a queen’s name).

The word Hindu, representing the inhabitants of the Subcontinent (after originating long ago probably as the partaker of Vedic libation Indu / Soma), underwent silencing of 'h' (ह) sound at the beginning, and thereby getting pronounced as (h)Indu (or merely Indu) by the Europeans (especially the Greeks).

Moreover, it led to the Subcontinent acquiring the name Inde or India, as the land of (H)indu.

In addition, the river encountered first by the Greeks upon entering the Subcontinent from the north-west was called as Hindu river, in their language (Greek pronunciation, having 'h' (ह) sound as silent) sounding as Indus river (Ποταμός Ινδός).

That basically sheds light on the origins of the European names India for the Subcontinent and Indus for the river (sindhu, in Sanskrit) in the north-west, according to the word Hindu which represented the inhabitants of the Subcontinent when Europeans first arrived millennia ago and which originally (even before the arrival of Europeans in the Subcontinent) had roots (meaning) as the partaker of Vedic libation (Indu).

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Footnote:

There is little to support the idea that the word 'Hindu' for people in the Subcontinent arose after the newcomers from outside (including the ancient Greeks, Persians and Arabs etc., all of whom had letters for 's' sound in their languages and were used to uttering names / words starting with 's' sound correctly) distorted (mispronounced) the name of a river (Sindhu) in the north-west due to their inability to utter correctly the 's' sound in Sindhu and instead calling it as Hindu, thereby unintentionally substituting the 's' (स) sound with 'h' (ह) sound in Sindhu (leading to the name Hindu).

The above (Sindhu to Hindu hypothesis) cannot also explain the origin of the European / Western name Inde (or India) for the Subcontinent and the European / Western name Indus (or Indos) for the river in the north-west.

Considering also that the name Indus (or Indos), coined long ago by the Europeans for the river in the north-west, used / uses an active 's' (स) sound in it, it shows that the Europeans and others from the West long ago were quite able to pronounce / utter 'Sindhu' properly / correctly (with exact 's' or स sound) and would not mispronounce 'Sindhu' as 'Hindu' (with 'h' or ह sound).

This discussion / blog is essentially on the origin / beginning of the word (name) Hindu.

Regarding the basic tenets of Hinduism (or Hindutva), they include

(1) A Hindu is a follower of Hinduism which is rooted in the Vedas (Sruti) and Vedic philosophy, and the word Hindu originally might have signified a person partaking and benefiting from Indu (Vedic libation, Soma);

(2) Hinduism admits a three-fold Reality (Satya or Truth) comprising one Brahman (or God, having many names and forms), Atman (soul or souls), and Samsaara (the material world of five elements -- including Sharira or the human body comprising of Pinda or corpse, Manas or mind, Buddhi or intellect, and Ahamkar or ego);

(3) Hinduism considers equality of everyone, irrespective of one’s race (color and language), caste (occupation) or gender (sex);

(4) Hinduism believes in absolution of sins through prayer, and transformations in life according to the karmic law (cause and the corresponding effect) which also upholds that after death the soul transmigrates into a new body according to the accumulated effect of one's actions in previous life; and

(5) The ultimate goal of a Hindu is to achieve Salvation, through good deeds toward mankind and devotion and prayer to God, resulting in no more rebirths after death and the soul resting in peace and harmony with God.