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Transcript
Analyze the Hindu gods Gods Name Describe the picture: What do you see? What objects are in the picture? Details about this god. What is this God in charge of? What can this God do? Questions you have about the God(s) Shiva Brahma Vishnu Ganesh Hanuman Information that I have learned and can use for a DBQ Essay DBQ TASKS: Describe at least 3 beliefs, customs of Hinduism and why they would attract new followers to the religion (For at least 2 of the beliefs mentioned) Explain how those beliefs shape the lives of Hindus Hindu Gods What is positive? What is negative? -Too many Gods -Hindus don’t have to worship every God -Hindus can worship all the Gods or just one of them -Hindu Gods look like humans and animals -Some Hindu Gods are Male and some are Female HANDOUT 6: HINDU GODS AND POLYTHEISM 1. Hinduism: Unlike Most major religions, Hinduism has no single founder and no single sacred text. Instead, it grew out of the overlapping beliefs of the diverse groups who settled in India. The process probably began when a group called the Aryans added the gods of the Indus Valley people to their own. Later people brought other gods, beliefs and practices. As a result, Hinduism became one of the world’s most complicated religions, with countless gods and goddesses and many forms of worship existing side by side. Despite this diversity, all Hindus share certain basic beliefs. Brahman is one of the complicated beliefs, in which Hindus worship thousands of gods. Each god is part of a single supreme force called Brahman. Hindus believe that only a few people can truly understand Brahman, which is nameless, formless, and unlimited. The many gods of Hinduism give Brahman a concrete form that is more understandable to the average person. 2. The Hindu Trinity Brahma: The Creator Brahma is considered the mystical creator, the supreme presence or God. Many Hindus believe that all other gods originate from Brahma. His four faces stand for the four corners of the universe. He holds a sacrificial ladle (big spoon), the four Vedas, a jar of holy water from the Ganges River (A river in India), and a necklace of prayer beads. Like all Hindu gods, he sits upon a Lotus throne. WHO IS BRAHMA? Vishnu: The Preserver “Whenever the Sacred Law fails, and evil raises its head, I (Vishnu) take embodied birth. To guard the good, to root out sinners, and to establish Sacred Law, I am born from age to age.” (Bhagavad Gita IV, 6-8) Followers of Vishnu worship him as the preserver, greatest of the gods. His role is to maintain a balance between good and evil powers in the universe. In order to do this, Vishnu returns to earth in different forms, both animal and human. Tradition holds that there are ten Avatars, incarnations, linked to Vishnu. However, only Rama and Krishna remain the focus of worship among Hindus. Avatar=when a higher being/god Who is Vishnu? SHIVA THE DESTROYER Shiva is worshipped as the destroyer or purifier. Like Vishnu, Shiva appears in many different forms throughout Hindu legends. However, the most widely know is that Shiva Nataraja, is the Lord of Dance. Shiva dances in a halo of fire representing the cycle of birth and death. As he dances, he crushes the dwarf, the demon of ignorance. In his right hand, he keeps rhythm beating a drum, while in his left hand he holds the flame of destruction, purification, and renewal. His other hands are in position of blessing or refuge. Around his arms and neck he wears deadly snakes. Finally, Shiva is a symbol of sexual power and union. This is demonstrated by femal earring on his left ear and the male on his right. Answer in your notes do not copy questions. 1. What is this figure doing? 2. What might this dance symbolize? 3. Why might Shiva dance on the dwarf of ignorance? 4. How would you describe Shiva in your own words? Since Brahman is such a complicated topic we will look at the following passages which describe this Hindu concept: 4) The immortal self is the sun shining in the sky, he is the breeze blowing in space, he is the fire burning on the altar, he is the guest dwelling in the house; he is in all men, he is in the gods, he is in the ether, he is wherever there is truth; he is the fish that is born in water, he is the plant that grows in the soil, he is the river that gushes from the mountain he , the changeless reality, the illimitable! Question: Where is Brahman? Site examples from the reading to support your answer. ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ 5) None beholds him with the eyes, for he is without visible form. Yet in the heart is he revealed, through self control and mediation. Those who know him become immortal. When all the senses are stilled, when the mind is at rest, when the intellect wavers not then, say the wise, is reached the highest state. This clam of the senses and the mind has been defined as yoga. He who attains it is freed from delusion. Question: How do people come to know Brahman? Site examples from the reading to support your answer. ______________________________ ______________________________