Download Hindu God Concept

Hindu God Concept and Beliefs
Om
• Sacred syllable and
mantra
• Made of three sounds au-m, making an “o” sound
• Sound is believed to be
the first and most sacred
sound, containing the
essence of true
knowledge
• Chanted at the beginning
of prayers blessings and
meditation
God Concepts
Nirguna
• Without attributes
• The Divine is an invisible and incorporeal
Being (“neti-neti”, “Not this, not that”)
• The Divine is an impersonal absolute
• The Maker of Rules (Karmic Law)
• The Divine is fair and shows no preference
(can’t just say sorry and be forgiven)
Saguna
• With attributes
• The Divine has
different forms and
qualities
• Many gods and
goddesses
• 330 million?
Diamond Analogy
• Each devi or deva is like
a facet of a diamond.
• Part of a larger whole,
but a distinct “image”
Hindu Trinity/Trimurti
• Brahma – The Creator
• Vishnu – The Preserver
• Shiva – The Destroyer
Avatars of Vishnu
• The god Vishnu comes to save humanity.
• He has come nine times and will come again.
• His most popular incarnations are:
– Rama
– Krishna
Shakti
Female energy (active)
• Goddesses:
– Saraswati (Brahma) – goddess of learning and the arts
– Parvati (Shiva) – mother goddess
– Lakshmi (Vishnu) – goddess of prosperity
Scripture
• Hinduism has many
sacred texts, added
over the many years of
development
• The most significant
are:
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The Vedas
The Upanishads
The Ramayana
The Bhagavad Gita
The Puranas
The Vedas
• Oldest sacred texts in Hinduism, believed to be
revealed to priests through meditation.
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Rigveda: Hymns to the gods, stories of the gods
Samaveda: Mantras for Soma ritual
Yajurveda: Mantras for ritual, commentaries
Atharvaveda: Incatations against enemies or disease,
spiritual content
The Upanishads
• Literally: “sitting near,
laying siege to a teacher”
• Discuss early philosophy
and debates between
priests and sages
• Contain revealed truths
about the nature of reality
• 200 Upanishads, but first
13 are considered most
important
The Bhagavad Gita
• 700 verse epic, part of the
Mahabharata
• Conversation between Krishna
and a prince named Arjuna on
a battlefield.
• Arjuna is filled with doubt
about the rightness of the
battle
• Krishna - who acts as his guide
and charioteer, before revealing
himself in his universal form –
explains Arjuna’s dharma to the
prince, and through him, to the
reader
The Puranas
• Stories about the gods, creation of the universe,
heroes, sages
• 18 Mahapuranas (or “Great Puranas”), as well as
other many other lesser puranas.
Religions of the World Documentary