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Key questions: Hinduism
Where did Hinduism originate?
Who founded Hinduism?
Hinduism is considered a major world religion. Why?
What is the goal or ultimate reality
according to Hinduism?
Basics of Hinduism
Originated in India
No founder
Dates back to 1500 BCE and
many consider it the oldest
religion in the world
Third largest religion (# of
adherents)
Practiced by 80% of India’s
inhabitants
Derivative of word Hindu is
the geographical term (Sindu
River or Indus Valley)
Classifying Hinduism
According to Hindu beliefs,
Brahman is the principle source
of the universe. This divine
intelligence exists in all beings.
Thus all the Hindu gods and
goddesses are manifestations of
the one Brahman.
So does that make Hinduism
monotheistic or polytheistic? Or
both?
Hindu Beliefs & Deities
Categorizing the religion of Hinduism is somewhat confusing:
POLYTHEISTIC= worships multiple deities: gods and goddesses
MONOTHEISTIC = it recognizes only one supreme God: the panentheistic
principle of Brahman, that all reality is a unity. The entire universe is seen as
one divine entity who is simultaneously at one with the universe and who
transcends it as well
TRINITARIAN= Brahman is simultaneously visualized as a triad -- one God
with three persons: Brahma (the Creator) Vishnu (the Preserver, Shiva (the
Destroyer)
HENOTHEISTIC= recognize a single deity, and recognizes other gods and
goddesses as facets, forms, manifestations, or aspects of that supreme God
Brahman
-is the supreme being
-entity without form
or quality
-soul of universe
-divine, invisible,
unlimited
Preserver
Destroyer
Creator
Brahma
(Saraswati)
Shiva
(Parvati)
Vishnu
(Lakshmi)
Shiva
Shiva is the Hindu god that
is compassionate, erotic and
destructive
He is often depicted wearing
a cobra around his neck and
the Ganges River flowing
from his head.
Shiva is also the god of
selflessness and meditation.
Some Hindus worship Shiva
as the supreme deity. Hindus
also consider him as the god
of salvation and destruction.
Vishnu
He is thought of as the preserver of the
universe. Whenever dharma (eternal
order, righteousness, religion, law and
duty) is threatened, Vishnu travels from
heaven to earth in one of ten incarnations.
Some writings refer to him as the eternal,
almighty spirit that existed with primitive
waters believed to have been present
before the creation of the world.
Vishnu, when in one of his mortal forms is
shown sleeping on a great serpent and
floating on water. While in his godly form,
he is seen in either black or blue. He can
be seen in various colors while in mortal
form. Normally, in his godly form, he is
seen with four arms: One hand holds a
lotus; a second holds a conch; a third
holds a discus, which always returns by
itself after being thrown; and the fourth
carries a mace.
Vishnu has many AVATARS
(incarnations)who appear
on earth as humans or
animals to conquer evil and
establish righteousness
7th- Rama
8th- Krishna
9th- Siddhartha Gautama
(Buddha)
Rama is a Hindu deity worshiped
throughout Hinduism as the seventh
incarnation of Vishnu. Rama is
represented as the ideal hero of the
Sanskrit epic poem the Ramayana. He
was meant to be a secular hero in the
epic, but he is seen in the first and
sixth books as an incarnation of
Vishnu. Rama comes to earth to kill
the demon king Ravana.
Krishna is the eighth incarnation of
the god Vishnu. According to legend,
Vishnu appeared as Krishna to rid the
world of a tyrannical king named
Kamsa, a son of a demon. Many
legends tell of Krishna's miracles and
heroic exploits. He mostly appears in
the epic poem Mahabharata in which
he helps the hero Arjuna. Right before
a decisive battle, Krishna delivers a
speech to Arjuna. This speech
became the famous commentary on
duty and life known as the BhagavadGita
Son of Shiva and Parvati
Human body and an elephant’s
head with only one short tusk
Worshipped as the remover of
all obstacles
Milk Miracle – Sept. 25, 1995
Hinduism is based on the concept of
reincarnation, in which all living beings, from
plants to gods, live in a cycle of living and
dying.
Life is determined by the law of karma.
According to karma, the quality of rebirth is
determined by the moral behavior displayed
in the previous life. In this view, life on earth
is regarded as temporary and a challenge.
The goal of existence is to reach liberation
from the cycle of rebirth and death
(samsara)and enter into an indescribable
state called moksha (liberation). The ones
who reach this state no longer struggle with
the cycle of life and death. This person has
united the human sould (atman) with the
universal soul (Brahman)
MAYA= all forms of existence are temporary and
illusionary
SAMSARA = endless cycle of reincarnation
KARMA = Basic belief of cause and effect (all actions have
a consequence)
DHARMA =personal conduct and righteous living
MOKSHA= the liberation from samsara and the uniting
of ATMAN (human soul) with Brahman (ultimate soul)
Did you Know?
All Hindus avoid eating beef since they venerate the cow. The cows
appear to know that they are sacred. It is estimated that 40,000 cows
wander the streets of New Delhi being patted by each person they
meet. They amble slowly crossing highways or relax in the middle of
the road if they feel so inclined.
While all animals are considered sacred, the cow has been singled out
as particularly sacred because they:
-Have given years of faithful service in helping man till the soil and
pull the carts
-Provide man with food, milk.
-Provide man with fuel, in form of cow dung, to heat his home and
cook his food.
-In Hindu mythology the cow was created by Brahman on the same
day as the Brahmins thus it is an animal venerated above all others.
-Symbol of motherhood.
Watch
Watch: The Story of Hinduism
(3 min)
Holy Cow (3 min)