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Introduction to HINDUISM
General Beliefs
•Tolerance and diversity: “Truth is one, paths are many”
•Many Deities but a single, Ultimate Reality.
•A philosophy and a way of life - focused both on this world and
beyond.
Hindu Concept of God
 Polytheistic but some say monotheistic - It is often
believed that Hindus worship many Gods; (330 million
gods) but in reality their faith is ultimately directed to the
belief in the universal Soul or God [Brahman] - as the
reality who is present in all things. (Deities represent
attributes of Brahman.
•Brahman has no form & is eternal.
•Brahman is creator, preserver & transformer of everything.
•Brahman appears in the human spirit as Atman (the Soul)
Devotion to Hindu God’s (Worship 3 main Gods)
•For instance, when God is being talked about in the aspect of
being creator, God is called Brahma. As preserver, Vishnu.
As destroyer, Shiva.
Hindu “Devas” (God’s) or “Devis (Goddesses)
•The various devas and devis are personifications of various
aspects of one and the same God.
•The devas constitute an integral part of the colorful Hindu
culture. These various forms of God are depicted in
innumerable paintings, statues, murals, and scriptural stories.
•Hindu scriptures recommend that a person worship a
particular deity for the satisfaction of a particular material
desire.
•For
example, shopkeepers frequently keep a statue or picture
of the devi Lakshmi (wealth & prosperity) in their shop.
The Trimurti or “Three Forms”
•Hindu concept in which the cosmic functions of Creation,
Maintenance, & Destruction; personified by the forms of:
Brahma, Vishnu, & Shiva.
Goddesses of the Trimurti
Each of the God’s that make up the Hindu
“Triad” have female counterparts:
(1) Brahma
(Creator)
> Saraswati (Learning & the Arts)
(2) Vishnu (Preserver)
> Lakshmi (Wealth & Good Fortune)
(3) Shiva (Destroyer & Restorer)
> Parvati (Mother, Female Energy)
Brahma (Creator)
•Hindu God of Creation.
•Brahma’s vehicle is the divine Swan.
•Brahma is not as widely worshipped as Shiva and Vishnu.
Brahma - Iconology
•Traditionally depicted with 4 heads,4 faces,4 arms.
•Each head continually recites 1 of the 4 Vedas.
•Holds a Scepter in the form of a spoon (pouring of holy oil
indicates that he is the “Lord of Sacrifices”)
• Water Pot (coconut shell) containing water, which signifies the
initial ether (air) in which the first element of creation evolved.
•String of Rosary Beads, track time of Universe
•Vedas
and sometimes a Lotus Flower.
Saraswati - Goddess of Learning & the Arts
•Regarded as the river goddess, in recent times a goddess of
knowledge, music, & the arts. White - purity of true knowledge.
•Four Arms represent the 4 aspects of human personality in
learning: Mind, Intellect, Alertness, & Ego.
•Modest Dress representing her preference of knowledge over
worldly/material things.
Vishnu (Preserver)
•Known as the Ultimate Reality for Vaishnavas.
•And as a manifestation of Brahman in other traditions of
Hinduism.
Vishnu is the Master of the past, present + future.
•Loving, forgiving, figure who brings salvation.
•The One who supports, sustains and governs the Universe.
•
Vishnu’s Iconography
•Vishnu is depicted as a 4-armed male-form.
•4 arms = his all-powerful/pervasive nature.
•2 arms in front = his physical existence
•2 arms in the back represent his presence in the spiritual world.
•Blue skin = color of infinite sky + ocean on which he resides.
•Crown symbolizes his supreme authority.
•Wear’s two earrings, which represent inherent opposites in
creation: knowledge + ignorance, happiness + unhappiness,
and pleasure + pain.
•Always holding 4 attributes associated with him:
•Conch Shell, symbolizes creativity (the sound from blowing it
is the primeval sound of creation).
•Chakra (sharp-spinning discuss-like weapon) symbolizes the
Mind. As a weapon it indicates the necessity of destroying
one’s ego and illusory self-existence and developing the vision
to identify eternal truth.
•Mace represents individual existence.
•Lotus Flower = concentration of truth.
VISHNU:
Lakshmi - Goddess of Wealth, Fortune, Love & Beauty
•Lakshmi is described as a fair lady, with four arms, seated on a
lotus, dressed in fine garments and precious jewels.
•She personifies; material fortune, beauty and prosperity.
•Persistent association with the Lotus, which represents
spiritual perfection/authority.
Shiva (Destroyer & Restorer)
•Destroyer & restorer of the Universe, associated w/ creative
energy.
•Considered God of the Yogis (self-controlled).
•The destroyer of evil and sorrow, but also the protector & doer
of good.
•Source of fertility of all living beings.
•Resides in everyone as pure consciousness.
•He is both static and dynamic and is both creator and
destroyer.