|
|
|
 |
Hinduism : |
|
|
|
Founded :
|
About 1,500 BC. |
|
Founder :
|
Aryan invaders of India
where their Vedic religion intermixed with the practices and
beliefs of the natives. |
|
Location :
|
Confined to India and
Nepal. |
|
Beliefs :
|
There is only one divine
principle, the many gods are only aspects of that unity. Life
in all its forms is an aspect of the divine, but it appears as
a separation from the divine, a meaningless cycle of birth and
rebirth (samsara) determined by the purity or impurity of past
deeds (karma). To improve one's Karma or escape Samsara by pure
acts, thoughts, and devotion is the aim of every Hindu. |
|
Sacred Text :
|
The Veda, including the
Upanishads, a collection of rituals and mythological and philosophical
commentaries; a vast number of epic stories about gods, heroes
and saints, including the Bhagvad Gita, the Mahabharta and the
Ramayna, and a great variety of other literature. |
|
|
|
Hindu Deities : |
|
|
Shiva :- Shiva is
one of the gods of the Trinity. He is said to be the god of destruction.
Shiva is believed to be at the core of the centrifugal force of the
universe, because of his responsibility for death and destruction.
But Shiva dissolves in order to create, since death is the medium
for rebirth into a new life. So the opposites of life and death and
creation and destruction both reside in his character.
|
 |
| Shakti/Durga :- The Goddess Durga, also known
as Parvati , is the wife of Lord Shiva. Parvati represents prakriti
or nature, which means perishable matter, in the absence of which
true and complete destruction by Shiva becomes impossible. (As we
are all aware of today, only biodegradable matter can be destroyed).
This could possibly be the meaning of the idea that Shiva becomes
nothing in the absence of Shakti. Durga has two famous sons, Kartikeya
and Ganesh. Durga exists in various divine forms. One of her most
fiercely powerful forms is Kali (goddess of destruction ). |
 |
Vishnu :- Lord Vishnu is known as the preserver
and redeemer of the universe and its laws. He is shown as the sleeping
figure who dreams of the universe, thereby keeping it in existence.
Lord Vishnu fulfills this role through acts performed in both the
cosmic and physical world. His two front arms signify his activity
in the physical world and his two back arms represent his endeavors
in the spiritual world.
Lord Vishnu’s cosmic partner is Lakshami, the goddess of wealth and prosperity.
He is also associated with 10 incarnations. It is through these incarnations
that Vishnu descends upon the physical world to battle the forces of evil. His
most popular incarnations are Krishna and Rama. |
 |
| Lakshami :- The word Lakshmi is derived from the
word Laksmi or goal. As the goddess of wealth and prosperity, Lakshmi
helps believers obtain their worldly and spiritual goals. Lakshmi
is usually depicted with four arms and hands. Her hands typically
hold objects such as gold coins or other bounty to symbolize wealth.
In pictures she often wears red to signify her constant state of
action toward completion of her prosperity objectives. Vishnu, the
god of righteousness and cosmic laws, is Lakshmi’s eternal
companion. She is often situated next to Ganesh the god of luck and
good fortune. |
 |
| Ganesh :- Ganesh is the son of the Hindu deities
Shiva and Parvati (also known as Durga). He is the god of good luck
and prosperity. Placement of Ganesh statues near entryways is believed
to help ward off malicious parties. Ganesh is also commonly seen
in countless other areas. A salute to Ganesh is believed to ensure
that all endeavors and journeys can be completed without obstacle.
A mouse or rat is often pictured with Ganesh. The rat keeps near
in hopes of capturing some of the food bounty associated with Ganesh’s
prosperity. As the promoter of good fortune, Ganesh is often paired
with Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. |
 |
| Krishna :- To fulfill the duties of his cosmic
position Lord Vishnu must often participate in worldly affairs. In
some cases he must incarnate himself as a man or beast and descend
upon earth to set matters right. Lord Krishna is Vishnu’s eighth
and most complete (i.e. a full incarnation of Lord Vishnu) incarnation.
Of Vishnu’s 10 incarnations, Krishna is likely the most popular.
As an earthly child, Krishna spent time with gopas and gopis (cowherd
boys and girls). He often danced with the gopis in the forest to
the playing of his own flute. Such dancing symbolizes the union of
the human and divine. Krishna’s main objective on earth was
to help eliminate greed and establish the positive qualities of romance
and righteousness. Krishna is also called the god of life. |
 |
Hanuman :- Hanuman, lord of the apes, was born
as the son of Anjana. In her first life (at the time she was known
as Punjkasthala) Anjana was a beautiful nymph until a punishment
in the heavenly courts turned her into a vanara, half human and half
monkey. As part of Anjana’s path to forgiveness Lord Shiva
blessed her with an incarnation of himself, Hanuman. Since Pavan,
the wind god, helped secure Hanuman’s birth he became his godfather.
Hanuman is worshiped for his strength, agility, and valor. He was a key warrior
under Sri Rama in the battles against Ravana. To this day worship of Sri Rama
is not complete without also worshiping Hanuman. |
 |
| Saraswati :- As the goddess of learning, knowledge,
and wisdom, Saraswati is the divine consort of Lord Brahma, the creator.
The name Saraswati is derived from the Sankrit words sara (meaning
essence) and swa (meaning self). Thus Saraswati means “the
essence of the self”. Many believe that ones self-essence can
be found through the use of knowledge and wisdom. Saraswati is often
depicted holding a musical instrument and a book. With her position
as the goddess of learning the symbolism behind the book is fairly
obvious, however, the musical instrument is a little more difficult.
The musical instrument symbolizes the necessity of tuning in ones
mind to learn and obtain the knowledge needed to reach harmony in
the world. |
 |
Kali :- Kali appeared for the first time to defeat
the evil demon Raktabija. Raktabija was on a path of destruction
in the heavens and on earth. Each time an attempt was made on his
life, his drops of blood transformed into additional Raktabija demons.
So, Kali descended and began to destroy the Raktabija demons. She
utilized her long tongue to catch the Raktabija blood, thus not allowing
for the generation of additional demons. In the end Kali was successful
and ended the wrath of the Raktabija demons. However, the extreme
amounts of Raktabija blood she had to intake in the process caused
her to rampage. She consequently crossed the universe killing anyone
who came across her path. Lord Shiva is often shown behind the right
foot of Kali - It is done as Lord Shiva stopped Kali by lying himself
in her way to calm down the extreme anger of Kali and thus protected
the world from the devastating power of Shakti.
Kali is a form of goddess Durga. Because of her destructive behavior
Kali is sometimes referred to as the goddess of time and death. She
is often depicted with dark skin to symbolize the darkness of eternity
and dark, messy hair to symbolize the dark clouds of the eternal
sky. A necklace of skulls is often shown around her neck symbolizing
death and destruction. Many times she is depicted with a severed
head in her bottom left hand to show that there is no escape from
time. |
 |
|
|
|
