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HINDUISM
Mr. Thomas Cole
10433 42nd Ave
SW
London, England
To the Reader
I, Thomas Cole, am a retired British soldier who devoted many
bloody years to my country establishing power in east India. I
learned of many things there, including the religion of
Hinduism. Though at first it seemed quite peculiar, I soon
became quite accustomed to it. This collection of pictures and
text are some things I have gathered and decided to share with
you. I can only wish that you have the chance to experience
what I have had the privilege of witnessing.
Best wishes,
Mr. Thomas Cole
Mr. Thomas Cole
The Gods and Goddesses of
Hinduism
There are four main sects of HInduism in which
only a certain god/s is worshipped: Shaivism,
Vaishnavism, Shaktism, Smartism.
Brahma
This is Vishna, The Preserver
and main god of Vaishnavism.
He was reincarnated nine
times and his wife is Lakshimi,
the goddess of wealth and
prosperity.
Above is a god known as
Brahma, the creator. To the
right is his wife, Saraswati,
the goddess of knowledge,
music and the arts.
Vishna
Saraswati
Lakshimi
Ganesh
Shiva
Surya
Shiva is The Destroyer as well
as the transformer and is the
main god of Shaivism.
Parvati/Shakti, to the right, is
the reincarnation of Shiva's
first wife and The Divine
Mother. She is the female
aspect of god and is the main
goddess of Shaktism.
In Smartism, six main
gods are worshipped:
Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti,
Ganesh, Murugan, and
Surya.
Shakti/Parvati
Murugan
Durga, a fiercer form
of Parvati
The Ganges
River
1,569 miles long, India's Ganges River is an important source of water for the people
and the land. Its tributaries bring water filled with sediment from the mountains that
makes a long and fertile plain. This plain provides food, water, and a great many other
necessities. Hindus have worshipped it since the ancient times because Ganges is
considered to be a goddess who was brought down to earth by The Creator, Brahma.
However, when she found out her fate, she was so bloody enraged that she
threatened to destroy the earth. Before she could, Shiva caught Ganga in his hair and
released her. She came down to earth in small streams and became a river.
The Holy
Vedas
Between the years 1500 and 600 BCE, Hinduism's oldest and most sacred
texts were compiled by a man called Vvasa Krishna Dwaipavana. They are
collections of hymns and ritual instructions that are used today to perform
Vedic ceremonies. Hinduism was formed from the theology and philosophy
contained in these writings.
There are four different works that form the Vedas: the Rig-Veda, which is
the oldest and contains 1,000 hymns; the Atharva-Veda, which is made up
of myths, verses, spells, and prayers; the Yajur-Veda, a book that goes
through Vedic sacrifice; and the Sams-Veda, which is a series of liturgical
chants.
The Four Noble Truths and Eightfold
Path
The Four Noble Truths:
Ordinary life brings about
suffering
The origin of suffering is
attachment
The cessation of suffering
is attainable
There is an eightfold path
to cessation the suffering
The Eightfold Path:
Right View
Right Intention
Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood
Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Concentration
Sanskrit
The Indo-European language of Sanskrit was supposedly introduced by a
group called the Aryans, which can be translated into 'noble ones.'
Around 2000 BCE, they began to migrate to India and the language
spread. Between 200 and 1000 CE, it became an international language
across Asia, much like Latin in the medieval west. In modern India, it is
used mainly for ceremonial and religious purposes. In fact, many of the
languages in India now are descended and based upon Sanskrit.
This is has been my experience in India. I do hope you
enjoyed reading this and were able to take a lot from it.
Thank you
Websites used to create this scrapbook by Annika Bjornson are as listed
below:
-Matt Baker. "Hindu Gods and Goddesses." Useful Charts. 8 Jan 2013.
Useful Charts Publishing. 27 Feb 2013 <www.usefulcharts.com/religion/mainhindu-gods-chart.html>.
-"Lesson 1: Tracking Early Hinduism." PBS.com. 25 Feb 2013
<www.pbs.org/thehistoryofindia/teachers/lessons/1//>.
-Stephen Knapp. "A Short Story of India - Its Heroes and Invaders."
Stephen-Knapp.com. 27 Feb 2013 <www.stephenknapp.com/a_short_history_of_india_its_heroes_and_invaders.htm>.
-"Lord Shiva Holding River Goddess Ganga in his Matted Hair." Exotic India.
unlimitedfx.com. 26 Feb 2013
<www.exoticindiaart.com/product/paintings/lord-shiva-holding-river-goddessganga-into-his-matted-hair-WL74/>
-Karen Leeson. "Works CIted." 10/4. MLA. 28 Feb 2013
<schools.4j.lan.edu/north/library/support/workscited.html>.